Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 255, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1914 — Spoils System Running Riot. [ARTICLE]

Spoils System Running Riot.

This first year of a democratic administration has affected more unsuccessful raids on the system of civil service reform, by the cooperation of the president and congress than it has suffered in the thirty years since it was first enacted. The conduct of the democratic party since they obtained contfbl of the\ government last year, abundantly. proves that the support of civil service reform which they have invariably expressed in their plat forms w'as but a vote-seeking hypocrisy and that their reaLpurpose is txT break it down and Secure the office for themselves. ■Whenever in the past year new offices have been created, as to collect the income tax or to conduct the new banking law, instead of leaving them to be selected by competitive examination and thus eliminating partisanship, especial provision has been made so that they could be selected because of party service and not for merit. An attempt has been made to get rid of republican assistant postmasters and fourth class postmasters and substitute democrats by compelling the postmasters to submit to a new examination. Deputy marshals and deputy revenue collectors, who for years have been in the classified service, were, by a special provision of laiw, taken out of that service and their appointment made a matter of party favoritism. Since the enactment of the law in 1883, this is the first time that congress has ever interfered to throw open to patronage places which had once been established on a merit system. It was carried by a very close vote in the house, over the #olid republican vote against ik