theodore roosevelt-第15节

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shrewd　slanderers　to　confusion。　The　first　was　Charles　Henry　Grosvenor；　an　influential　Republican　Congressman　from　Ohio；　familiarly　known　as　the　〃Gentle　Shepherd　of　Ohio；〃　because　of　his　efforts　to　raise　the　tariff　on　wool　for　the　benefit　of　the　owners　of　the　few　thousand　sheep　in　that　State。　A　Congressional　Committee　was　investigating　the　Civil　Service　Commission　and　Roosevelt　asked　that　Grosvenor；　who　had　attacked　it；　might　be　summoned。　Grosvenor；　however；　did　not　appear；　but　when　he　learned　that　Roosevelt　was　going　to　his　Dakota　ranch　for　a　vacation；　he　sent　word　that　he　would　come。　Nevertheless；　this　gallant　act　failed　to　save　him；　for　Roosevelt　canceled　his　ticket　West；　and　confronted　Grosvenor　at　the　investigation。　The　Gentle　Shepherd　protested　that　he　had　never　said　that　he　wished　to　repeal　the　Civil　Service　Law；　whereupon　Roosevelt　read　this　extract　from　one　of　his　speeches：　〃I　will　vote　not　only　to　strike　out　this　provision；　but　I　will　vote　to　repeal　the　whole　law。〃　When　Roosevelt　pointed　out　the　inconsistency　of　the　two　statements；　Grosvenor　declared　that　they　meant　the　same　thing。

Being　caught　thus　by　one　foot　in　Roosevelt's　mantrap；　he　quickly　proceeded　to　be　caught　by　the　other。　He　declared　that　Rufus　P。　Putnam；　one　of　the　candidates　in　dispute；　had　never　lived　in　Grosvenor's　Congressional　district；　or　even　in　Ohio。　Then　Mr。　Roosevelt　quoted　from　a　letter　written　by　Grosvenor：　〃Mr。　Rufus　P。　Putnam　is　a　legal　resident　of　my　district；　and　has　relatives　living　there　now。〃　With　both　feet　caught　in　the　man…trap；　the　Gentle　Shepherd　was　suffering　much　pain；　but　Truth　is　so　great　a　stranger　to　spoilsmen　that　he　found　difficulty　in　getting　within　speaking　distance　of　her。　For　he　protested；　first；　that　he　never　wrote　the　letter；　next；　that　he　had　forgotten　that　he　wrote　it；　and　finally；　that　he　was　misinformed　when　he　wrote　it。　So　far　as　appears；　he　never　risked　a　tilt　with　the　smiling　young　Commissioner　again；　but　returned　to　his　muttons　and　their　fleeces。

A　still　more　distinguished　personage　fell　before　the　enthusiastic　Commissioner。　This　was　Arthur　Pue　Gorman；　a　Senator　from　Maryland；　a　Democrat；　one　of　the　most　pertinacious　agents　of　the　Big　Interests　in　the　United　States　Congress。　Evidently；　also；　he　served　them　well；　as　they　kept　him　in　the　Senate　for　nearly　twenty…five　years；　until　his　death。　They　employed　Democrats　as　well　as　Republicans；　just　as　they　subscribed　to　both　Democratic　and　Republican　campaign　funds。　For；　〃in　politics　there　is　no　politics。〃　Gorman；　who　knew　that　the　Spoils　System　was　almost　indispensable　to　the　running　of　a　political　machine；　waited　for　a　chance　to　attack　the　Civil　Service　Commission。　Thinking　that　the　propitious　moment　had　come；　he　inveighed　against　it　in　the　Senate。　He　〃described　with　moving　pathos；〃　as　Roosevelt　tells　the　story；　〃how　a　friend　of　his；　'a　bright　young　man　from　Baltimore；'　a　Sunday…School　scholar；　well　recommended　by　his　pastor；　wished　to　be　a　letter…carrier；〃　but　the　cruel　examiners　floored　him　by　asking　the　shortest　route　from　Baltimore　to　China；　to　which　he　replied　that；　as　he　never　wished　to　go　to　China；　he　hadn't　looked　up　the　route。　Then；　Senator　Gorman　asserted；　the　examiners　quizzed　him　about　all　the　steamship　lines　from　the　United　States　to　Europe；　branched　off　into　geology　and　chemistry；　and　〃turned　him　down。〃

Gorman　was　unaware　that　the　Commissioners　kept　records　of　all　their　examinations；　and　when　Roosevelt　wrote　him　a　polite　note　inquiring　the　name　of　the　〃bright　young　man　from　Baltimore；〃　Gorman　did　not　reply。　Roosevelt　also　asked　him；　in　case　he　shrank　from　giving　the　name　of　his　informant；　to　give　the　date　when　the　alleged　examination　took　place。　He　even　offered　to　open　the　files　to　any　representative　the　Senator　chose　to　send。　Gorman；　however；　〃not　hitherto　known　as　a　sensitive　soul；〃　as　Roosevelt　remarks；　〃expressed　himself　as　so　shocked　at　the　thought　that　the　veracity　of　the　bright　young　man　should　be　doubted；　that　he　could　not　bring　himself　to　answer　my　letter。〃　Accordingly；　Roosevelt　made　a　public　statement　that　the　Commissioners　had　never　asked　the　questions　which　Gorman　alleged。　Gorman　waited　until　the　next　session　of　Congress　and　then；　in　a　speech　before　the　Senate；　complained　that　he　had　received　a　very　〃impudent〃　letter　from　Commissioner　Roosevelt　〃cruelly〃　calling　him　to　account；　when　he　was　simply　endeavoring　to　right　a　great　wrong　which　the　Commission　had　committed。　But　neither　then　nor　afterwards　did　he　furnish　〃any　clue　to　the　identity　of　that　child　of　his　fondest　fancy；　the　bright　young　man　without　a　name。〃

Roosevelt　must　have　chuckled　with　a　righteous　exultation　at　such　evidence　as　this　that　the　Lord　had　delivered　the　Philistines　into　his　hands；　and　his　abomination　of　the　Spoils　System　must　have　deepened　when　he　saw　its　Grosvenors　and　its　Gormans　brazen　out　the　lies　he　caught　them　telling。

When　the　spoilsmen　failed　to　get　rid　of　the　Commission　by　ridicule　and　by　open　attack；　they　resorted　to　the　trick　of　not　appropriating　money　for　it　in　this　or　that　district。　But　this　did　not　succeed；　for　the　Commission；　owing　to　lack　of　funds；　held　no　examinations　in　those　districts；　and　therefore　no　candidates　from　them　could　get　offices。　This　made　the　politicians　unpopular　with　the　hungry　office…seekers　whom　they　deprived　of　their　food　at　the　public　trough。

The　Commission　had　to　struggle；　however；　not　only　to　keep　unfit　candidates　out　of　office；　but　to　keep　in　office　those　who　discharged　their　duty　honestly　and　zealously。　After　every　election　there　came　a　rush　of　Congressmen　and　others；　to　turn　out　the　tried　and　trusty　employees　and　to　put　in　their　own　applicants。　Such　an　overturn　was　of　course　detrimental　to　the　service；　first；　because　it　substituted　greenhorns　for　trained　employees；　and　next；　because　it　introduced　the　haphazard　of　politicians'　whims　for　a　just　scheme　of　promotion　and　retention　in　office。　Roosevelt　lamented　bitterly　over　the　injustice　and　he　denounced　the　waste。　Many　cases　of　grievous　hardship　came　to　his　notice。　Widows；　whose　only　means　of　support　for　themselves　and　their　little　children　was　their　salary；　were　thrown　upon　the　street　in　order　that　rapacious　politicians　might　secure　places　for　their　henchmen。　Roosevelt　might　plead；　but　the　politician　remained　obdurate。　What　was　the　tragic　lot　of　a　widow　and　starving　children　compared　with　keeping　promises　with　greedy　〃heelers〃？　Roosevelt　saw　that　there　was　no　redress　except　through　the　extension　of　the　classified　service。　This　he　urged　at　all　times；　and　ten　years　later；　when　he　was　himself　President；　he　added　more　than　fifty　thousand　offices　to　the　list　of　those　which　the　spoilsmen　could　not　clutch。

He　served　six　years　as　Civil　Service　Commissioner；　being　reappointed　in　1892　by　President　Cleveland。　The　overturn　in　parties　which　made　Cleveland　President　for　the　second　time；　enabled　Roosevelt　to　watch　more　closely　the　working　of　the　Reform　System　and　he　did　what　he　could　to　safeguard　those　Government　employees　who　were　Republicans　from　being　ousted　for　the　benefit　of　Democrats。　In　general；　he　believed　in　laying　down　certain　principles　on　the　tenure　of　office　and　in　standing　resolutely　by　them。　Thus；　in　1891；　under　Harrison；　on　being　urged　to　retain　General　Corse；　the　excellent　Democratic　Postmaster　of　Boston；　he　replied　to　his　friend　Curtis　Guild　that　Corse　ought　to　be　continued　as　a　matter　of　principle　and　not　because　Cleveland；　several　years　before；　had　retained　Pearson；　the　Republican　Postmaster　of　New　York；　as　an　exception。

At　the　end　of　six　years；　Roosevelt　felt　that　he　had　worked　on　the　Commission　long　enough　to　let　the　American　people　understand　how　necessary　it　was　to　maintain　and　extend　the　Merit　System　in　the　Civil　Service。　A　sudden　access　of　virtue　had　just　cast　out　the　Tammany　Ring　in　New　York　City　and　set　up　Mr。　Strong；　a　Reformer；　as　Mayor。　He　wished　to　secure　Roosevelt's　help　and　Roosevelt　was　eager　to　give　it。　The　Mayor　offered　him　the　headship　of　the　Street　Cleaning　Department；　but　this　he　declined；　not　because　he　thought　the　place　beneath　him；　but　because　he　lacked　the　necessary　scientific　qualifications；　and　Mayor　Strong；　was　lucky　in　finding　for　it　the　best　man　in　the　country；　Colonel　George　E。　Waring。　Accordingly；　the　Mayor　ap　pointed　Roosevelt　President　of　the　Board　of　Police　Commissioners；　and　he　accepted。

The　Police　System　in　New　York　City　in　1895；　when　Roosevelt　took　control；　was　a　monstrosity　which；　in　almost　every　respect；　did　exactly　the　opposite　from　what　the　Police　System　is　organized　to　do。　Moral　values　had　been　so　perverted　that　it　took　a　strong　man　to　hold　fast　to　the　rudimentary　distinctions　between　Good　and　Evil。　The　Police　existed；　in　theory；　to　protect　the　lives　and　property　of　respectable　citizens；　to　catch　law…breakers　and　hand　them　over　to　the　courts　for　punishment；　to　hunt　down　gamblers；　swindlers；　and　all　the　other　various　criminals　and　purveyors　of　vice。　In　reality；　the　Police　under　Tammany　abetted　crime　and　protected　the　vicious。　This　they　did；　not　because　they　had　any　special　hostility　to　Virtuethey　probably　knew　too　little　about　it　to　form　a　dispassionate　opinion　any　waybut　because　Vice　paid　better。　They　held　the　cynical　view　that　human　nature　will　always　breed　a　great　many　persons　having　a　propensity　to　licentious　or　violent