CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (CIVIL-SERVICE REFOBM.) 



179 



as the needle is to the pole, while you deaden 

 the energies of the Democratic leaders from 

 the lowest to the highest by taking away any 

 inducements you would otherwise hold out to 

 them to fight with the view of reaping any of 

 the rewards of success. They would vote the 

 ticket patriotically as true Democrats, but they 

 would not exert themselves as they would do if 

 they believed there would be a general change, 

 or even a change of one half the persons hold- 

 ing the offices. 



" I say, then, take it any way you will, I do 

 not see, with great deference to my friend from 

 Ohio, why at this time a Democrat should vote 

 for this bill; certainly not without important 

 amendments, that destroy the aristocracy of 

 Republican office-holding that this bill pro- 

 vides for. Will Democrats vote for it when it 

 closes the doors of the competitive examination 

 against Democrats for every position except 

 the very lowest? I do not wonder that our 

 Republican friends are very unanimous, and 

 very anxious at this time for the passage of 

 this bill. The only wonder I have is that it 

 has taken them so long to reach this point. 

 The first four years when they were in power 

 were years of war. It was then no time to 

 discuss civil service. 



" Perhaps the next two or three years ought 

 not be counted, during the stormier period of 

 reconstruction ; but take off six years from 

 twenty-two and it leaves about sixteen years 

 of peace, when Senators and Representatives 

 were in condition here to consider the best in- 

 terests of the whole country. It has taken 

 them sixteen years to reach the point of, as 

 they consider, a real civil-service reform. 

 Well, now, to show the humbuggery in this 

 whole affair, there was a very good civil-ser- 

 vice statute put upon the book some years 

 ago when Gen. Grant was President, and the 

 law was not only enacted but the machinery 

 was provided. The three commissioners I 

 believe three was the number were appoint- 

 ed. As is contemplated by the act, they went 

 to work ; civil-service reform, it was said, was 

 going to be given to the country then. Broad 

 plenary powers were given to the President. 

 There were some very patriotic and able gen- 

 tlemen, too, on the commission. One of them 

 was from my own State, Judge D. A. Walker, 

 an honored name, a worthy gentleman, a true 

 Republican. They worked and did, no doubt, 

 the best they knew how; and what real sub- 

 stantial reform did the country see? It be- 

 came so much of a mockery that Congress in 

 a few years afterward refused to appropriate 

 the salaries of the commissioners. It was 

 seen to be a deception and a fraud in practice, 

 whatever might have been intended and how- 

 ever .sincere President Grant might have been 

 in his purpose to carry it out in good faith. It 

 failed. It was an inglorious failure ; and 

 matters went on as matters will go on in this 

 Government. 



"This is a republican government; it is 



democratic in form, and you have to change 

 the nature of the government and change hu- 

 man nature also before you will be able to 

 adopt in practice here any Utopian theories 

 about civil service. 



" I do not laud the sentiment mentioned by 

 the honorable Senator from Massachusetts, 

 which he attributes to Mr. Marcy, that * to the 

 victors belong the spoils.' He said it was 

 rather coarse. Probably it was ; but yet to a 

 very great extent it has been the system prac- 

 ticed from the first day of the inauguration of 

 this Government : and whatever you may put 

 upon the statute-book it will be the system 

 practiced until its funeral-knell is sounded. 

 And no party in this Government ever prac- 

 ticed the spoils system with more zeal and en- 

 ergy than the Republican party has. ' To the 

 victors belong the spoils ' has been its constant 

 motto in practice; and still would be, if im- 

 pending defeat did not stare it in the face. 

 There may be some reforms, some of the worst 

 features may be cut off; but in the main the 

 Executive who comes into power when his 

 party has long been deprived of power will 

 find a way, and the heads of departments 

 under him will find a way to give to his follow- 

 ers the benefit of the offices or a large propor- 

 tion of them. 



" I say the argument is legitimate, that, give 

 the measure all you claim for it, then as Dem- 

 ocrats you should not vote to handicap your 

 candidate, and you should not vote to retain 

 in office for life those who have held the posi- 

 tions for so long a time, and who are your po- 

 litical enemies. But if it is not true that it 

 will be executed or that it amounts to anything, 

 then this is a vain business^in which we are en- 

 gaged, and we had better spend our time in 

 something that is of some practical utility. 



"The preamble of this bill promises very 

 finely. I desire to read it : 



" Whereas, common justice requires that, so far as 

 practicable, all citizens duly qualified shall be allowed 

 equal opportunities, on grounds of personal fitness, 

 for securing appointments ^ employment, and promo- 

 tion, in the subordinate civil service of the United 

 States. 



" That is very broad. It would seem to be 

 a very good doctrine. But I confess I was 

 struck when I looked further over and saw 

 that in the very teeth of that recital, of _ the 

 proper principle the competitive examinations 

 are limited to the lowest grade of offices. 

 That means, I suppose, that it is justice in 

 case of the lowest grade to give everybody a 

 chance ; but above, that the benefit must be 

 confined to the inner circle, those who have 

 held office a long time and want to continue to 

 hold it ; in other words, to Republicans. 



" Again, the preamble says: 



"Whereas, justice to the public likewise requires 

 that the Government shall nave the largest choice 

 among those likely to answer the requirements of the 

 public service. 



" That is good doctrine, but the body of the 



