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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1883)
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. 3 opposition to the reforms of Kleisthenes? Richard son tells of a man who, about midnight, heard some one climbing up to his chamber window. ' He cock- ied two revolvers and stood ready to receive his caller. Presently the robber's head appeared above the cas ing. " You get 1" shouted the proprietor. "You bet I" yelled the thief, and so ended the conversa tion. "To save time is to lengthen life," slang . often saves time, and hence is often useful; when, however, we see any one who uses it on all occasions we are tempted to make an adaptation of one of John Hay's observations, and say that "slang is the mental small change of a bankrupt intellect." Again the regents have met and been obliged to adjourn for want of a quorum. If any one of the three honorable gentlemen who were unavoidably ab sent for the second time would take enough interest in the University to resign his position, and let some one be appointed by the governor to succeed him, our urgent necessities might be attended to without the presence of the other two. Of course no blame can attach to a man whose personal health or busi ness compels him to be absent from a meeting of the board, but if his absence, however necessary, makes it impossible for that body to take any action in any matter for two successive meetings, then the inter ests of the institution and consequently of the State require that he give way to some one whose surround ing circumstances will permit his attendance. The University has pressing needs that call for immediate action, and it is unfortunate that but three members of the present board are more useful than ornamental. Later : Since the above was written the Student has learned that Regent Powers has resigned to enter upon his duties as State Attorney General, and the vacancy waits to be filled by the governor's appoint ment, that Regent Gannett is improving in health, and that Regent Fifield has nearly decided to return before long from Baltimore. If this be the case, per haps a quorum will be able to come together before the June meeting. By that time warm weather will have set in and the chapel will be comfortable enough, the library books that need re-binding will be beyond hope of recovery, and we will no doubt have learned to dispense with a chancellor. Thus the necessity for so many new and needless expenditures will have passed away, there will be no legislature in session to which to appeal for a more liberal appropriation, and we will once more be careless and happy. There is nothing like becoming accustomed to these things. The recent passage, by such remarkable majorities, of Senator Pendleton's Civil Service Reform Bill is a noteworthy example of popular sentiment in this c ountry as expressed at the polls. ie pc 3S2S cians would have claimed, prior to the November election, that such a bill could be passed by Con gress at this time. There is something more than demagoguery in this demand for a reform of the civil service. It is true that the masses of the intelligent voters are not agreed as to any particular scheme of reform, not unanimous in the wish to adopt any pro posed plan of accomplishing t, but for some time the conviction has been forcing itself upon them that American politics was rapidly losing its standard of character, its motive of promoting the general wel fare, and was becoming instead a disgraceful strug gle for place and patronage. This opinion was not one formed hastily or will ingly by the American people; on the contrary they fought against the cidence of their own senses from pure loyalty and patriotism, but the events which came into prominence in the adinistrations of Hayes and Garfield, and the tragic close of the latter, obliged the popular mind to consider the question seriously and honestly. The assessment of govern ment appointees for political funds is a practice of much earlier origin than 1882, but there is little doubt that the persistence manifested by the secretary of the Republican Congressional Committee last summer in continuing and even aggravating the abuse was. the immediate cause for the rebuke of that party at the polls in November. The best Americans do not look upon the question of who shall hold or con trol the federal offices as the center of the govern mental system, about which the minor matters of national policy and advancement shall revolve. They do not believe that the highest ambition of the true statesman should be to perpetuate his political career by the successful distribution of patronage among his party friends, instead of the accomplishment of na tional benefits. Thay call for a higher order of states manship and a closer attention to matters of more general interest and advantage. The most sagacious leaders of both parties do not attempt to deny or dis regard the meaning of the rebuke. It is not an ex pression of confidence in the party out of power, but a warning to the dominant one. Senator Pendleton's bill is the first attempt at satisfying the popular de mand. The new law will not purify the civil service at once or entirely, it may even be superseded by a better method of doing so; but its almost immediate passage after Congress reconvened is a step in the right direction, and one which the people will approve. The party which will show its willingness at this juncture to make the disposal of the "spoils" subor dinate to questions of national interest need have no fear of death at the hands of the national vote. The men who make themselves necessary to the welfare of the country will continue to be chosen to shape and ft
