When the business interests... pushed through the first installment of civil service reform in 1883, they expected that they would be able to control both political parties equally.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When Kennedy could not get the civil rights bill passed - and he was the big liberal - Lyndon Johnson came in and it got passed, and he was the conservative and the southerner. So sometimes in politics, to get something done, it takes a special kind of knowledge and a special kind of person, but it doesn't always follow the party lines.
People say, 'Oh, politics is so polarized today,' and I'm thinking... '1861, that was polarized.'
This position of this Northern party brought about the troubles of 1850, and the political excitement of 1854.
The Communists were interested in getting into key positions as union officers, statisticians, economists, etc., in order to utilize the apparatus of the unions to promote the cause of revolution.
Many civil rights came about, not when they were passed into law, but because the federal government did what it should and saw them enforced.
Having served in the Nixon Administration, I am well aware of how the political leadership of an administration can try to politicize the civil service, including law enforcement.
Explosion of positive rights started in 1932 with the election of Roosevelt.
The Democrats co-opted the credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But if you go back and look at the history, a larger percentage of Republicans voted for that than did Democrats. But a Democrat president signed it, so they co-opted credit for having passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The fight for reform comes down to a simple goal: giving our citizens the confidence that government serves the people first and the people only.
I urge the enactment of a civil service law so explicit and so strong that no partisan official will dare evade it, basing all rewards, promotions and salaries solely on merit, on loyalty and industry in the public service.