The Relation of Women to the Reform of the

Civil Service.

BY MRS. CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL.

It was natural that the first Association for the Reform of the Civil Service should have been formed in New York, because New York has the unhappy distinction of having originated the "spoils system." In 1832 Van Buren's nomination as Minister to England was opposed by Webster, Calhoun and Clay because of his attempts to persuade the President to adopt the "New York System" of party removals.

"It is a detestable system," cried Henry Clay "drawn from the worst period of the Roman republic, and if it were to be perpetuated-if the offices, honors and dignities of the people were to be put up to a scramble and to be decided by the results of every Presidential election—our government and institutions, becoming intolerable, would finally end in a despotism as inexorable as that of Constantinople."

But Van Buren prevailed, President Jackson adopted the "New York system" and Federal politics quickly became poisoned, while in New York the corruption of United States office-holders was added to the already existing corruption of the Civil Service of the State, and "machines" of both parties exercised a power which was irresistible, because there was no attempt to resist it.

The "inexorable despotism" prophesied by Henry Clay was a fact, and there was no organized plan of revolt until 1877, when the first Civil Service Reform Association was formed in New York, at the suggestion of Mr. Dorman B. Eaton, and a constitution adopted of which the second article reads as follows:

"The object of the Association shall be to establish a system of appointment, promotion and removal in the Civil Service, founded upon the principle that public office is a public trust, admission to which should depend upon proven fitness. To this end the Association will demand that appointments to

subordinate executive offices, with such exceptions as may be expedient, not inconsistent with the principle already mentioned, shall be made from persons whose fitness has been ascertained by competitive examinations open to all applicants properly qualified, and that removals shall be made for legitimate cause only, such as dishonesty, negligence or inefficiency, but not for political opinion or refusal to render party service; and the Association will advocate all other appropriate measures for securing integrity, intelligence, efficiency, good order and due discipline in the Civil Service."

The Woman's Auxiliary to the Civil Service Reform Association of New York was formed only a year ago, and it is not to the credit of women that it should have taken them so long to realize that they had a duty in this matter, and that, so far, the example of the New York women should not have been followed in any other State.

The New York Auxiliary was the result of two suggestions, both coming from persons from outside the State-Mr. Herbert Welsh, of Philadelphia, and Miss Cleveland, of Washington; and the hope of both was, I believe, that an Auxiliary to the National League should be formed at once. It was thought best, however, to begin with the local organization and to trust to the natural development of the federation as soon as there should be local organizations enough to form it.

The Woman's Auxiliary has, strangely enough, been obliged to explain the reasons for its existence-one good Civil Service Reformer even going so far as to object to its formation as unnecessary, because the cause of reform was already won. That objection, unfortunately, we know not to be valid however great may be the cause for gratitude for many victories, the war is by no means over yet, and the spoilsmen, driven to bay, are (in New York at least) preparing for a determined attack on the very life of the reform. I will not, therefore, stop to answer an objection to which the continued existence of the National League itself is an all-sufficient answer, but will proceed to the other objection which has been made to the Woman's Auxiliary, which is that there should not be a separate Woman's Association, but that women should join the Civil Service Reform Association and work with the men.

This seems to the Executive Committee of the New York

Women's Auxiliary to be a mistake simply because they believe, and they think they have already proved by their year's experience, that by having two Associations more interest can be aroused than by having only one. There is no doubt that women are very much more ready to join a Woman's Association than one composed of both men and women; partly because the very name leads them to feel that the matter involved is their business, partly because it seems to them less public and aggressive; partly because the meetings and other methods of any joint organization must be arranged to suit the convenience of men, and do not therefore equally suit the convenience of women.

It would have been possible, of course, for the women who undertook to form the Women's Auxiliary to have simply offered their services as individuals to the Executive Committee of the Civil Service Reform Association, but under those circumstances they could not have made any special appeal to women to come forward to help the cause, and I doubt if their efforts would have resulted in getting a quarter of the members or of the money for the Association that they have secured by the other method.

Whatever argument there may be for forming Students' Civil Service Reform Associations in colleges, instead of trying to draw the students in as individuals to existing local or State Associations, is equally strong for forming Women's Auxiliary Associations in all the cities where Associations already exist. The human mind is so constituted that an appeal to associate one's self with a distinct class of persons to which one naturally belongs (whatever the distinguishing characteristic of the class may be) is much more attractive than an appeal to join mankind at large, and it is to this natural tendency that the Woman's Auxiliary appeals.

One mistake, I think, we may have made-that is, in fixing the membership fee at $5-and I should advise women in other States to consider whether it would not be wiser to make it $2, or even $1. Five dollars is sufficient to keep out many persons who otherwise would join, and a large membership is more important than any other consideration.

The methods of the Auxiliary are extremely simple-it was established, according to the constitution, "to assist the Civil Service Reform Association in promoting the objects of

the Association . . . and to raise funds to assist the Association "—and it has sought to accomplish both objects by holding parlor meetings, by circulating literature and by personal appeals.

Some women have objected to becoming members, because there was nothing especial to do; but to study the whole subject of Civil Service Reform thoroughly enough to be able to advocate it intelligently and help to form a public opinion favorable to it, to fit one's self to answer conclusively the objections raised to it, will be found to furnish quite enough work for any one anxious to take an active part in the fight, while the giving of money to the Auxiliary is a most important means of doing something to advance the cause.

As to the special service which women should render this reform, it is the one which they should render to all reforms-that is, the maintenance of uncompromising ideals. Men, when they are required to put ideals into practice, finding it necessary to give way a little here, to adjust a little there, are constantly in danger of lowering their standards, and of thus gradually surrendering the very essence of reform, of becoming, indeed, traitors to the highest ideal while they still believe themselves true to it. Women, on the other hand, removed from political life and having nothing to do with the difficult and bewildering task of accommodating. the ideal to the possibilities of the actual, are not exposed to the temptations to be "practical" which beset men, and can therefore with much less difficulty uphold the ideal, and refuse all suggestion of compromise. This, then, is their especial function. They must prepare themselves to resist everything that tends to lower the standards and ideals of the reform-they must strengthen the hands of the idealists against the "practical" men, they must point to the eternal laws of right, and encourage those who are battling for them against compromise.

And just at the present moment such aid is especially needed. We have reached a point in the fight for the reform of the Civil Service when our success is the cause of our greatest danger-when we are threatened with actual and total defeat in the guise of victory, and when the new allies can be of the greatest service because as I have said they are peculiarly fitted to protect the weakest point in our defences.

Any reform is safe while it remains so far in its ideal stage that its supporters and defenders, whether men or women, are necessarily idealists, but as soon as it becomes successful enough to attract the support of "practical" men, then its very life is imperilled, and the astounding progress made by Civil Service Reform during the past two years exposes it to a danger, which though it seems to be double and though it makes its attack both from within and from without, is in fact one and the same. The friends of reform are in danger, on the one hand, of accepting an empty shell, failing to recognize that the substance has been stolen from them, and the foes of reform, more keen-witted, are ready to give up the shell if they are only allowed to enjoy the substance in peace. A constant watchfulness is needed to make sure that, under the new laws and new forms, the old spirit does not obtain control and render our apparent victory vain and fruitless.

The Spoils System is directly responsible for political dishonesty and for the false view of public office which obtains in the United States and it is impossible to be satisfied with the destruction of the former until the two latter are also removed -indeed it is impossible that the Spoils System should really be destroyed while the other evils continue, for a vicious circle has been created whereby the spoils system, political dishonesty and the view that public office is intended for the benefit of the officer, and not for the service of the public, alternately assume to each other the relation of cause and effect, so that the final and effectual reform of the Civil Service cannot be even hoped for until after the education of the American people in honest and correct views of politics and of public office.

To show how far these false views extend, it is only necessary to recall the fact that there are very few persons even among reformers who do not think it rather unfair that the examination for any office should be made so hard that persons of average ability should be unable to compete-but does not this simply mean that they forget what is the real end of the public service?

If the object of the public service is the best service of the public, it is above all things desirable that the person best fitted shall be found to fill it, and also that only those best fitted should try for it, and difficult examinations accomplish this.