Theimportantpoint，andthepointmostoftenforgottenbyzealousCivilServiceReformers，wastorememberthattheroutinecompetitiveexaminationwasmerelyameanstoanend。Itdidnotalwaysproduceidealresults。Butitwasnormallybetterthanasystemofappointmentsforspoilspurposes；itsometimesworkedoutverywellindeed；andinmostbiggovernmentalofficesitnotonlygavesatisfactoryresults，butwastheonlysystemunderwhichgoodresultscouldbeobtained。Forinstance，whenIwasPoliceCommissionerweappointedsometwothousandpolicemenatonetime。ItwasutterlyimpossiblefortheCommissionerseachtoexaminepersonallythesixoreightthousandapplicants。Thereforetheyhadtobeappointedeitherontherecommendationofoutsidersorelsebywrittencompetitiveexamination。Thelattermethod——theoneweadopted——wasinfinitelypreferable。Weheldarigidphysicalandmoralpassexamination，andthen，amongthosewhopassed，weheldawrittencompetitiveexamination，requiringonlytheknowledgethatanygoodprimarycommonschooleducationwouldmeet——thatis，atestofordinaryintelligenceandsimplementaltraining。Occasionallyamanwhowouldhavebeenagoodofficerfailed，andoccasionallyamanwhoturnedouttobeabadofficerpassed；but，asarule，themenwithintelligencesufficienttoenablethemtoanswerthequestionswereofatypeverydistinctlyabovethatofthosewhofailed。
Theanswersreturnedtosomeofthequestionsgaveanilluminatingideaoftheintelligenceofthoseansweringthem。Forinstance，oneofourquestionsinagivenexaminationwasarequesttonamefiveoftheNewEnglandStates。Onecompetitor，obviouslyofforeignbirth，answered：“England，Ireland，Scotland，Wales，andCork。”Hisneighbor，whohadprobablylookedoverhisshoulderbutwhohadNorthofIrelandprejudices，madethesameanswerexceptthathesubstitutedBelfastforCork。ArequestforastatementastothelifeofAbrahamLincolnelicited，amongotherlessstartlingpiecesofinformation，thefactthatmanyoftheapplicantsthoughtthathewasageneralintheCivilWar；severalthoughtthathewasPresidentoftheConfederateStates；
threethoughthehadbeenassassinatedbyJeffersonDavis，onebyThomasJefferson，onebyGarfield，severalbyGuiteau，andonebyBallingtonBooth——thelastrepresentingamemoryofthefactthathehadbeenshotbyamannamedBooth，towhosesurnamethewriteraddedthenamewithwhichhewasmostfamiliarinconnectiontherewith。A
requesttonamefiveoftheStatesthatsecededin1861receivedanswersthatincludedalmosteveryStateintheUnion。IthappenedtobeatthetimeofthesilveragitationintheWest，andtheRockyMountainStatesaccordinglyfiguredinalargepercentageoftheanswers。SomeofthementhoughtthatChicagowasonthePacificOcean。Others，inanswertoaqueryastowhowastheheadoftheUnitedStatesGovernment，waveredbetweenmyselfandRecorderGoff；
onebrilliantgenius，forinscrutablereasons，placedtheleadershipintheNewYorkFireDepartment。Nowofcoursesomeofthemenwhoansweredthesequestionswrongwereneverthelessquitecapableofmakinggoodpolicemen；butitisfairtoassumethatontheaveragethecandidatewhohasarudimentaryknowledgeofthegovernment，geography，andhistoryofhiscountryisalittlebetterfitted，inpointofintelligence，tobeapolicemanthantheonewhohasnot。
ThereforeIfeltconvinced，afterfullexperience，thatasregardsverylargeclassesofpublicservantsbyfarthebestwaytochoosethemenforappointmentwasbymeansofwrittencompetitiveexamination。ButIabsolutelysplitofffromthebulkofmyprofessionalCivilServiceReformfriendswhentheyadvocatedwrittencompetitiveexaminationsforpromotion。InthePoliceDepartmentI
foundtheseexaminationsaserioushandicapinthewayofgettingthebestmenpromoted，andneverinanyofficedidIfindthatthewrittencompetitivepromotionexaminationdidanygood。Thereasonforawrittencompetitiveentranceexaminationisthatitisimpossiblefortheheadoftheoffice，orthecandidate’sprospectiveimmediatesuperior，himselftoknowtheaveragecandidateortotesthisability。Butwhenonceinofficethebestwaytotestanyman’sabilityisbylongexperienceinseeinghimactuallyatwork。Hispromotionshoulddependuponthejudgmentformedofhimbyhissuperiors。
Somuchfortheobjectionstotheexaminations。Nowfortheobjectionstothemenwhoadvocatedthereform。Asarulethesemenwerehigh-
mindedanddisinterested。Certainofthem，menliketheleadersintheMarylandandIndianaReformAssociations，forinstances，Messrs。
BonaparteandRose，FoulkeandSwift，addedcommonsense，broadsympathy，andpracticalefficiencytotheirhigh-mindedness。ButinNewYork，Philadelphia，andBostontherereallywasacertainmentalandmoralthinnessamongverymanyoftheleadersintheCivilServiceReformmovement。ItwasthisqualitywhichmadethemsoprofoundlyantipathetictovigorousandintenselyhumanpeopleofthestampofmyfriendJoeMurray——who，asIhavesaid，alwaysfeltthatmyCivilServiceReformaffiliationsformedtheoneblotonanotherwiseexcellentpublicrecord。TheCivilServiceReformmovementwasonefromabovedownwards，andthemenwhotooktheleadinitwerenotmenwhoasarulepossessedaveryprofoundsympathywithorunderstandingofthewaysofthoughtandlifeoftheiraveragefellow-citizen。Theywerenotmenwhothemselvesdesiredtobeletter-carriersorclerksorpolicemen，ortohavetheirfriendsappointedtothesepositions。
Havingnotemptationthemselvesinthisdirection，theywereeagerlyanxioustopreventotherpeoplegettingsuchappointmentsasarewardforpoliticalservices。Inthistheywerequiteright。ItwouldbeimpossibletorunanybigpublicofficetoadvantagesavealongthelinesofthestrictestapplicationofCivilServiceReformprinciples；
andthesystemshouldbeextendedthroughoutourgovernmentalservicefarmorewidelythanisnowthecase。
Butthereareotherandmorevitalreformsthanthis。ToomanyCivilServiceReformers，whenthetrialcame，provedtepidlyindifferentoractivelyhostiletoreformsthatwereofprofoundandfar-reachingsocialandindustrialconsequence。Manyofthemwereatbestlukewarmaboutmovementsfortheimprovementoftheconditionsoftoilandlifeamongmenandwomenwholaborunderhardsurroundings，andwerepositivelyhostiletomovementswhichcurbedthepowerofthegreatcorporationmagnatesanddirectedintousefulinsteadofperniciouschannelstheactivitiesofthegreatcorporationlawyerswhoadvisedthem。
MostofthenewspaperswhichregardedthemselvesastheespecialchampionsofCivilServiceReformandasthehighestexponentsofcivicvirtue，andwhichdistrustedtheaveragecitizenandshudderedoverthe“coarseness“oftheprofessionalpoliticians，were，nevertheless，giventovicesevenmorecontemptiblethan，althoughnotsogrossas，thosetheydenouncedandderided。Theireditorswererefinedmenofcultivatedtastes，whosepettemptationswerebackbiting，meanslander，andthesnobbishworshipofanythingclothedinwealthandtheoutwardappearancesofconventionalrespectability。
Theywerenotrobustorpowerfulmen；theyfeltillateaseinthecompanyofrough，strongmen；oftentheyhadinthemaveinofphysicaltimidity。Theyavengedthemselvestothemselvesforanuneasysubconsciousnessoftheirownshortcomingsbysittingincloistered——
or，rather，pleasantlyupholstered——seclusion，andsneeringatandlyingaboutmenwhomadethemfeeluncomfortable。Sometimesthesewerebadmen，whomadethemfeeluncomfortablebytheexhibitionofcoarseandrepellentvice；andsometimestheyweremenofhighcharacter，whoheldidealsofcourageandofservicetoothers，andwholookeddownandwarredagainsttheshortcomingsofswollenwealth，andtheeffortless，easylivesofthosewhosehorizonisboundedbyashelteredandtimidrespectability。Thesenewspapers，ownedandeditedbythesemen，althoughfreefromtherepulsivevulgarityoftheyellowpress，weresusceptibletoinfluencebytheprivilegedinterests，andwerealmostorquiteashostiletomanlinessastheyweretounrefinedvice——andweremuchmorehostiletoitthantothetypicalshortcomingsofwealthandrefinement。TheyfavoredCivilServiceReform；theyfavoredcopyrightlaws，andtheremovalofthetariffonworksofart；theyfavoredalltheproper(andevenmorestronglyalltheimproper)movementsforinternationalpeaceandarbitration；inshort，theyfavoredallgood，andmanygoody-goody，measuressolongastheydidnotcutdeepintosocialwrongormakedemandsonNationalandindividualvirility。Theyopposed，orwerelukewarmabout，effortstobuildupthearmyandthenavy，fortheywerenotsensitiveconcerningNationalhonor；and，aboveall，theyopposedeverynon-
milk-and-watereffort，howeversane，tochangeoursocialandeconomicsysteminsuchafashionastosubstitutetheidealofjusticetowardsallfortheidealofkindlycharityfromthefavoredfewtothepossiblygratefulmany。
SomeofthemenforemostinthestruggleforCivilServiceReformhavetakenapositionofhonorableleadershipinthebattleforthoseotherandmorevitalreforms。Butmanyofthempromptlyabandonedthefieldofeffortfordecencywhenthebattletooktheform，notofafightagainstthepettygraftingofsmallbossesandsmallpoliticians——avitallynecessarybattle，beitremembered——butofafightagainstthegreatintrenchedpowersofprivilege，afighttosecurejusticethroughthelawforordinarymenandwomen，insteadofleavingthemtosuffercruelinjusticeeitherbecausethelawfailedtoprotectthemorbecauseitwastwistedfromitslegitimatepurposesintoameansforoppressingthem。
Oneofthereasonswhythebosssooftenkeepshishold，especiallyinmunicipalmatters，is，oratleasthasbeeninthepast，becausesomanyofthemenwhoclaimtobereformershavebeenblindtotheneedofworkinginhumanfashionforsocialandindustrialbetterment。Suchwordsas“boss“and“machine“nowimplyevil，butboththeimplicationthewordscarryandthedefinitionofthewordsthemselvesaresomewhatvague。Aleaderisnecessary；buthisopponentsalwayscallhimaboss。Anorganizationisnecessary；butthemeninoppositionalwayscallitamachine。Nevertheless，thereisarealanddeepdistinctionbetweentheleaderandtheboss，betweenorganizationsandmachines。Apoliticalleaderwhofightsopenlyforprinciples，andwhokeepshispositionofleadershipbystirringtheconsciencesandconvincingtheintellectsofhisfollowers，sothattheyhaveconfidenceinhimandwillfollowhimbecausetheycanachievegreaterresultsunderhimthanunderanyoneelse，isdoingworkwhichisindispensableinademocracy。Theboss，ontheotherhand，isamanwhodoesnotgainhispowerbyopenmeans，butbysecretmeans，andusuallybycorruptmeans。Someoftheworstandmostpowerfulbossesinourpoliticalhistoryeitherheldnopublicofficeorelsesomeunimportantpublicoffice。Theymadenoappealeithertointellectorconscience。Theirworkwasdonebehindcloseddoors，andconsistedchieflyintheuseofthatgreedwhichgivesinorderthatinreturnitmayget。Abossofthiskindcanpullwiresinconventions，canmanipulatemembersoftheLegislature，cancontrolthegivingorwithholdingofoffice，andservesastheintermediaryforbringingtogetherthepowersofcorruptpoliticsandcorruptbusiness。Ifheisatoneendofthesocialscale，hemaythroughhisagentstrafficinthemostbrutalformsofviceandgiveprotectiontothepurveyorsofshameandsininreturnformoneybribes。Ifattheotherendofthescale，hemaybethemeansofsecuringfavorsfromhighpublicofficials，legislativeorexecutive，togreatindustrialinterests；
thetransactionbeingsometimesanakedmatterofbargainandsale，andsometimesbeingcarriedoninsuchmannerthatbothpartiestheretocanmoreorlesssuccessfullydisguiseittotheirconsciencesasinthepublicinterest。Themachineissimplyanothernameforthekindoforganizationwhichiscertaintogrowupinapartyorsectionofapartycontrolledbysuchbossesastheseandbytheirhenchmen，whereas，ofcourse，aneffectiveorganizationofdecentmenisessentialinordertosecuredecentpolitics。
Ifthesebosseswereresponsiblefornothingbutpurewickedness，theywouldprobablylastbutashorttimeinanycommunity。And，inanyevent，ifthemenwhoarehorrifiedbytheirwickednesswerethemselvesaspracticalandasthoroughlyintouchwithhumannature，thebosseswouldhaveashortshrift。Thetroubleisthatthebossdoesunderstandhumannature，andthathefillsaplacewhichthereformercannotfillunlesshelikewiseunderstandshumannature。
Sometimesthebossisamanwhocaresforpoliticalpowerpurelyforitsownsake，ashemightcareforanyotherhobby；moreoftenhehasinviewsomedefinitelyselfishobjectsuchaspoliticalorfinancialadvancement。Hecanrarelyaccomplishmuchunlesshehasanothersidetohim。Asuccessfulbossisveryapttobeamanwho，inadditiontocommittingwickednessinhisowninterest，alsodoeslookaftertheinterestsofothers，evenifnotfromgoodmotives。Therearesomecommunitiessofortunatethatthereareveryfewmenwhohaveprivateintereststobeserved，andinthesethepowerofthebossisataminimum。Therearemanycountrycommunitiesofthistype。Butincommunitieswherethereispovertyandignorance，theconditionsareripeforthegrowthofaboss。Moreover，whereverbigbusinessinterestsareliableeithertobeimproperlyfavoredorimproperlydiscriminatedagainstandblackmailedbypublicofficials——andtheresultisjustasviciousinonecaseasintheother——thebossisalmostcertaintodevelop。Thebestwayofgettingatthistypeofbossisbykeepingthepublicconsciencearousedandalert，sothatitwilltolerateneitherimproperattackupon，norimproperfavoritismtowards，thesecorporations，andwillquicklypunishanypublicservantguiltyofeither。
