Show TRUE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM i I I A United States District Attorney in the East having been nominated in his district Congress the President has I decided that he cannot accept the nomination nom-ination without resigning his present po bition President Clevelands interpretation I interpreta-tion of the Civil Service Reform plank in the platform upon which he was elected is in our opinion as erroneous as his t construction of the resolution dative to 4 coinage The National Convention evidently evi-dently intended to suppress the abuses practiced by Republican Administrations and Federal officeholders the levying ofT of-T arbitrary assessments for political purposes pur-poses the using of public position to control con-trol primaries ami elections the neglect of public duties by Federal officials for the purpose of electioneering and other obnoxious methods which were prac no tlcel lor so many years unaer ItepUDllcan National l rule It was never intended by the convention to make political eunuchs of Federal officeholders or to abridge their rights or perogatives as American citizens in the legitimate exercise of their voices and votes in political matters The object evidently was to place the em ployes of the Government upon a level with private citizens restricting their action only to the extent of forbidding the use of their positions to further their own or the political ends of their friends or the party to which they belong If a Federal officeholder is elected without his solicitation by the members of his party to represent them in a National State or County Convention there is no reason why he should not be permitted to do so provided it involved no neglect of public duty or detriment to the public interest lie should be deprived of no privilege which he would enjoy as a private citiZen citi-zen but he should t not be allowed to presume upon his position to dictate to others in political matters or make his office a means of controlling or influencing the result of any primary or general election The fact that he is serving the Government in a civil capacity capa-city should not prevent him taking such part in political matters as he would as a private citizen but he should not ha p2i milted to go beyond that point Indeed his willingness to forego the legitimate exercise of his political rights for the sake of holding a Federal office should be regarded as evidence of his unfitness for it It shows that he is lacking in 1 patriotism and interest in the uffaiis of the country such a8 should be evinced by every citizen and without which no one should be permitted to hold a poii i tion of public trust |