The club held its first of a series of smoke talks last night at the Colonial Club. Professor Norton made the society a short address, after which the subject was thrown open to general discussion. He said in part:

The first thing needed in civil service reform is a general change of sentiment; more people must become interested in it and it must be more generally sought after by the general mass of the population. It is to promote this feeling that we have met here tonight.

Some people consider it a fad, a mere passing amusement, and not worthy of serious thought, but in this they make a great error. The object of Civil Service Reform is two-fold; in the first place that the country should be served by competent men, men who are in principles and intelligence worthy to represent the United States; secondly, that we should get rid of this bartering of offices, which has corrupted our country so terribly and given a chance to pigs to push their snouts around the trough and get as much as they could.

The result of office selling has lowered the standard of our Congressmen, and made them mean, underhand purchasers of what ought to be the free gift of the people. It has led to an enormous increase in our expenses, and has brought so long a train of evils with it, that it is impossible to enumerate them. The practice of office bartering first made its appearance in the presidency of Jefferson. During General Jackson's time it increased rapidly, since he always went on the principle "to the victors belong the spoils." The system became gradually thoroughly established and it was not until General Grant's time that it was checked. During the last twenty years steady progress has been made, and now a large part of the public offices are out of politics and can be obtained only by a test of fitness. President Cleveland is now doing all he can to stop this evil, and the country ought to make him feel that he has their entire approbation.