The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1882.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4355, 15 December 1882, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1882.

President AfITHFB, in bin message to the Congress of the United States, urges upon that body the necessity of augment*, ing the military forces of the StatesThe »riny of the States, in proportion to the immense, extent of territory; and the enormous population is exceedingly small. The States has no necessity for an army as far as her foreign relations are concerned : she does not take part in European affairs, and she has no powerful next door neighbor only waiting a favor^ able opportunity, or looking out for an unguarded point to attack her. Of course there are certain third to fifth rate places with which she has commercial relations that occasionally do not view matters through American spectacles, and he is none the worse of having some thousand of men ready to convince these benighted folk that Uncle Sam's logic is irrefragable. Wbat the President's reasons are for desiring an increase of the army is not stated. It may be that he considers the army should bear a certain proportion to the population, so that it may be in a position to cope with such popular risings, as every country is at times liable to. The population has been rapidly iuoreasing, whereas the army has been standing still. The plan adopted in England should be suitable for the States. The British standing army is small, but as the term of service is short, those who retire may join the reserve. Thus the army is really only the nucleus of a something which soon might be swelled to dimensions much greater than itself. The message also deals with the subject of Civil Service reform, the President point* ing out the desirability of putting a stop to the present corruption in the Civil Service, and the dependence of Govern-. ment officials upon party intrigues for the retention of their positions; and thoroughgoing measures of reform are •declared to be early and absolutely necessary. Permanent officials are unknown in the United States ; all are at the mercy of a fresh administration, and, as a rule, the new administrations show little mercy to them—not that they hare any dislike to the occupants of the office, but they have far more friends of their own than they can find positions for. If Jones has any influence, he supports-Brown, because he expects a quid pro quo in the form of office for self or friends should Brown attain to a position to enable him to bestow them. The corruption »to which this system has led is notorious, and now the President regards it as intolerable. One circumstance is rather suspicious, namely, that the time chosen for mooting the subject is just when the Democrats are carrying the State elections, after being out in the cold for twenty years. The President, on the principle of fairplay, ought to give them a chance of a haul of plunder, and Dot endeavor to make liis own side the permanent ofiieials, when there 13 a probability of ousting them, lock, stouk aud barrel. But perhaps this is one of the beauties of American patriotism, to which even the colonial is not sufficiently educated in politics to appreciate.