theodore roosevelt-第14节

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r　of　State　or　municipal；　were　glad　to　know　that　Roosevelt　would　be　put　out　of　the　way　in　that　office。

They　already　thought　of　him　as　a　young　man　dangerous　to　all　Machines　and　so　they　felt　the　prudence　of　bottling　him　up。　To　make　him　a　Civil　Service　Commissioner　was　not　exactly　so　final　as　chloroforming　a　snarling　dog　would　be；　but　it　was　a　strong　measure　of　safety。　Theodore's　friends；　on　the　other　hand；　advised　him　against　accepting　the　appointment；　because；　they　said；　it　would　shelve　him；　politically；　use　up　his　brains　which　ought　to　be　spent　on　higher　work；　and　allow　the　country　which　was　just　beginning　to　know　him　to　forget　his　existence。　Men　drop　out　of　sight　so　quickly　at　Washington　unless　they　can　stand　on　some　pedestal　which　raises　them　above　the　multitude。

The　Optimist　of　the　future；　to　hasten　whose　coming　we　are　all　making　the　world　so　irresistibly　attractive；　will　be　endowed；　let　us　hope；　with　a　sense　of　humor。　With　that；　he　can　read　history　as　a　cosmic　joke…book；　and　not　as　the　Biography　of　the　Devil；　as　many　of　us　moderns；　besides　Jean　Paul；　have　found　it。　How　long　it　has　taken；　and　how　much　blood　has　been　spilt　before　this　or　that　most　obvious　folly　has　been　abolished！　With　what　absurd　tenacity　have　men　flown　in　the　face　of　reason　and　flouted　common　sense！　So　our　Optimist；　looking　into　the　conditions　which　made　Civil　Service　Reform　imperative；　will　shed　tears　either　of　pity　or　of　laughter。

As　long　ago　as　the　time　of　the　cave…dweller；　who　was　clothed　in　shaggy　hair　instead　of　in　broadcloth　or　silk；　prehistoric　man　learned　that　the　best　arrow　or　spear　was　that　tipped　with　the　best　piece　of　flint。　In　brief；　to　do　good　work；　you　must　have　good　tools。　Translated　into　the　terms　of　today；　this　means　that　the　expert　or　specialist　must　be　preferred　to　the　untrained。　In　nearly　all　walks　of　life　this　truth　was　taken　for　granted；　except　in　affairs　connected　with　government　and　administration。　A　President　might　be　elected；　not　because　he　was　experienced　in　these　matters；　but　because　he　had　won　a　battle；　or　was　the　compromise　candidate　between　two　other　aspirants。　As　it　was　with　Presidents；　so　with　the　Cabinet　officers；　Congressmen；　and　State　and　city　officials。　Fitness　being　ignored　as　a　qualification　to　office；　made　it　easy　for　favoritism　and　selfish　motives　to　determine　the　appointment　of　the　army　of　employees　required　in　the　bureaus　and　departments。　That　good　old　political　freebooter；　Andrew　Jackson；　merely　put　into　words　what　his　predecessors　had　put　into　practice：　〃To　the　victors　belong　the　spoils。〃　And　since　his　time；　more　than　one　upright　and　intelligent　theorist　on　government　has　supported　the　Party　System　even　to　the　point　where　the　enjoyment　of　the　spoils　by　the　victors　seems　justified。　The　〃spoils〃　were　the　salaries　paid　to　the　lower　grade　of　placemen　and　womensalaries　usually　not　very　large；　but　often　far　above　what　those　persons　could　earn　in　honest　competition。　As　the　money　came　out　of　the　public　purse；　why　worry？　And　how　could　party　enthusiasm　during　the　campaign　and　at　the　polls　be　kept　up；　if　some　of　the　partisans　might　not　hope　for　tangible　rewards　for　their　services？　Many　rich　men　sat　in　Congress；　and　the　Senate　be　came；　proverbially；　a　millionaires'　club。　But　not　one　of　these　plutocrats　conducted　the　private　business　which　made　him　rich　by　the　methods　to　which　he　condemned　the　business　administration　of　the　government。　He　did　not　fill　his　counting…room　with　shirkers　and　incompetents；　he　did　not　find　sinecures　for　his　wife's　poor　relations；　he　did　not　pad　his　payroll　with　parasites　whose　characteristics　were　an　itching　palm　and　an　unconquerable　aversion　to　work。　He　knew　how　to　select　the　quickest；　cleverest；　most　industrious　assistants；　and　through　them　he　prospered。

That　a　man　who　had　sworn　to　uphold　and　direct　his　government　to　the　best　of　his　ability；　should　have　the　conscience　to　treat　his　country　as　he　did　not　treat　himself；　can　be　easily　explained：　he　had　no　conscience。　Fashion；　like　a　local　anaesthetic；　deadens　the　sensitiveness　of　conscience　in　this　or　that　spot；　and　the　prevailing　fashion　under　all　governments；　autocratic　or　democratic；　has　permitted　the　waste　and　even　the　dishonest　application　of　public　funds。

These　anomalies　at　last　roused　the　sense　of　humor　of　some　of　our　citizens；　just　as　the　injustice　and　dishonesty　which　the　system　embodied　roused　the　moral　sense　of　others；　and　the　Reform　of　the　Civil　Servicea　dream　at　first；　and　then　a　passionate　cause　which　the　ethical　would　not　let　sleepcame　into　being。　But　to　the　politicians　of　the　old　type；　the　men　of　〃inflooence〃　and　〃pull；〃　the　project　seemed　silly。　They　ridiculed　it；　and　they　expected　to　make　it　ridiculous　in　the　eyes　of　the　American　people；　by　calling　it　〃Snivel〃　Service　Reform。　Zealots；　however；　cannot　be　silenced　by　mockery。　The　contention　that　fitness　should　have　something　to　do　in　the　choice　of　public　servants　was　effectively　confirmed　by　the　scientific　departments　of　the　government。　The　most　shameless　Senator　would　not　dare　to　propose　his　brother's　widow　to　lead　an　astronomical　expedition；　or　to　urge　the　appointment　of　the　ward　Boss　of　his　city　as　Chairman　of　the　Coast　Survey。　So　the　American　people　perceived　that　there　were　cases　in　which　the　Spoils　System　did　not　apply。　The　reformers　pushed　ahead；　Congress　at　last　took　notice；　and　a　law　was　passed　bringing　a　good　many　appointees　in　the　Post　Office　and　other　departments　under　the　Merit　System。　The　movement　then　gained　ground　slowly　and　the　spoilsmen　began　to　foresee　that　if　it　spread　to　the　extent　which　seemed　likely；　it　would　deprive　them　of　much　of　their　clandestine　and　corrupting　power。　Senator　Roscoe　Conkling；　one　of　the　wittiest　and　most　brazen　of　these；　remarked；　that　when　Dr。　Johnson　told　Boswell　that　〃patriotism　is　the　last　refuge　of　a　scoundrel；〃　he　had　not　sounded　the　possibilities　of　〃reform。〃

The　first　administration　of　President　Cleveland；　who　was　a　great；　irremovable　block　of　stubbornness　in　whatever　cause　he　thought　right；　gave　invaluable　help　to　this　one。　The　overturn　of　the　Republican　Party；　after　it　had　held　power　for　twenty…four　years；　entailed　many　changes　in　office　and　in　all　classes　of　office…holders。　Cleveland　had　the　opportunity；　therefore；　of　applying　the　Merit　System　as　far　as　the　law　had　carried　it；　and　his　actions　gave　Civil　Service　Reformers　much　though　not　complete　satisfaction。　The　movement　was　just　at　the　turning…point　when　Roosevelt　was　appointed　Commissioner　in　1　889。　Under　listless　or　timid　direction　it　would　have　flagged　and　probably　lost　much　ground；　but　Roosevelt　could　never　do　anything　listlessly　and　whatever　he　pushed　never　lost　ground。

The　Civil　Service　Commission　appointed　by　President　Harrison　consisted　of　three　members；　of　whom　the　President　was　C。　R。　Procter；　later　Charles　Lyman；　with　Roosevelt　and　Hugh　Thompson；　an　ex…Confederate　soldier。　I　do　not　disparage　Roosevelt's　colleagues　when　I　say　that　they　were　worthy　persons　who　did　not　claim　to　have　an　urgent　call　to　reform　the　Civil　Service；　or　anything　else。　They　were　not　of　the　stuff　which　leads　revolts　or　reforms；　but　they　were　honest　and　did　their　duty　firmly。　They　stood　by　Roosevelt　〃shoulder　to　shoulder；〃　and　Thompson's　mature　judgment　restrained　his　impetuosity。　Roosevelt　always　acknowledged　what　he　owed　to　the　Southern　gentleman。　In　a　very　short　time　the　Commission；　Congress；　and　the　public　learned　that　it　was　Roosevelt；　the　youngest　member；　just　turned　thirty　years　of　age；　who　steered　the　Commission。　Hostile　critics　would　say；　of　course；　that　he　usurped　the　leadership；　but　I　think　that　this　is　inaccurate。　It　was　not　his　conceit　or　ambition；　it　was　destiny　working　through　him；　which　made　where　he　sat　the　head　of　the　table。　Being　tremendously　interested　in　this　cause　and　incomparably　abler　than　Lyman　or　Thompson；　he　naturally　did　most　of　the　work；　and　his　decisions　shaped　their　common　policy。　The　appeal　to　his　sense　of　humor　and　his　sense　of　justice　stimulated　him；　and　being　a　man　who　already　saw　what　large　consequences　sometimes　flow　from　small　causes　he　must　have　been　buoyed　up　by　the　thought　that　any　of　the　cases　which　came　before　him　might　set　a　very　important　precedent。

Roosevelt　acted　on　the　principle　that　the　office　holder　who　swears　to　carry　out　a　law　must　do　this　without　hesitation　or　demur。　If　the　law　is　good；　enforcing　it　will　make　its　goodness　apparent　to　everybody；　if　it　is　bad；　it　will　become　the　more　quickly　odious　and　need　to　be　repealed。　Roosevelt　enforced　the　Civil　Service　Law　with　the　utmost　rigor。　It　called　for　the　examination　of　candidates　for　office；　and　the　examiners　paid　some　heed　to　their　moral　fitness。　Its　opponents　tried　to　stir　up　public　opinion　against　it　by　circulating　what　purported　to　be　some　of　its　examination　papers。　Why；　they　asked；　should　a　man　who　wished　to　be　a　letter…carrier　in　Keokuk；　be　required　to　give　a　list　of　the　Presidents　of　the　United　States？　Or　what　was　the　shortest　route　for　a　letter　going　from　Bombay　to　Yokohama？　By　these　and　similar　spurious　questions　the　spoilsmen　hoped　to　get　rid　of　the　reformers。　But　〃shrewd　slander；〃　as　Roosevelt　called　it；　could　not　move　him。　Two　specimen　cases　will　suffice　to　show　how　he　reduced　shrewd　slanderers　to　confusion。　The　first　was　Charles　Henry　Grosvenor；　an　influential　Republican　Con