New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-12-06
eut that the business would pay ten per

cent.
But that programme does not suit the boidar
onerators In this fancy They mean to Sell H.
water and all, to the Government anu tnp'
fob tho lions share of Mr.. BOntwelps Tenn,
cionsly boarded gold. POstmaster'dener'l
Creswen is thoroughly their convert anu ra :'
induced the President to give their Scnon'o "''
unqualified Endorsement.
We find much fanlt with the Teiegrap''-n"'
without reason. Its managers AMI oler"'"i"
are but men at hest, except when they "io
women. Most of tho errors we protest against
are those of our own agents-that IL, those VI
I'm Assoc;otetl Press. We do not believe the
! rnJo..oph n, IN institution, has ever lent
il .elf to the uscs of one party more th'h
another. -.
But supposc it were sold to and run ny tho
Goyernmcnt-that is, the party in power, No
matter which--und, on the morning OF an ex-
citing Presidential Election, the wires were to
fash to every poll tidings of the sudden death
Of the Opposition Standard brarer-what would
lris supporters believer what rrr'tit S""""
they give to tho story
OF course, Mr.. Crcswcll tells IA that Great
Britain has bought ont her telrgrdphlr com
panics. and that she is doing their work to
general acccpiat0n. But no ono has better
means than he of realizing the Worldwide
contrast between her Civil Service and ours.
She does not allow her tide walters. letter
carriers, &C., &C., to be active politicians
are do not allow ours not to be. The p'lr-
chase of her tcleerapiis added nothing to tho
politc.l power of her Administration here, 1t
would increase it. by at least fifty per cent.
Even The Times clearly intimates its ronv'r-
ton that Government Telegraphy without Civ'l
Service Reform is inadmissiblr.
The President tells us that he has convened
a Beard instructed to devise rules and rcgIl-
lations to effect the needed roform.' Bnt
rules and regulations" will never effect 1t;
nor are they what is needed. Let the PreSl-
dent simply assure the country that he VIII
never more appoint or remove subordinate
on account Of his politics. or with intent to have
the place filled with greater political efficiency
that he will henccfOrth allow no sub0rdi-
nate to DO removed because of his political
or personal preferences, and will appoint no
one with intent to affect any nomination or
clcction-and he will have done more IN an
hour for Civil Service Reform than his Board
with the best intentions, can effect IN year.
In short, tho President can OF himself ina''gl-
rate a genuine Civil Service Reform, without
the help Of Congress or his Board. But Will hey
We do not consider Gen. Arthur tho best
man for Collector of this Port, by many; W"
do not believe his appointment was Dictated
by a conviction of his special fitness for this
exalted and most responsible post. Still, he is
a man of respectable capacity, who knows how
to obey orders; and, if the President will send
for him and say impressively, Mr.. Collector
you have just ono thing to do, and that is
to collect the Revenue faithfully. impair
"tially, at the least attainable cost to the
Government, and with no avoidable incon-
"venicnce to the merchants You have moth
{" ing to do with politics or nominations,
"machines' or Wings yon are to Keep
ono man under pay an hour longer than
"his services are actually needed, and yOu are
"to remove any subordinate whenever you can
fill his place with one who will give better
"wOrk for the compensation. Those are my
dircctions-seo that have no occasion to
"repcat them I'VE will warrant Gen. Arthur
| TO collect the revenue better than it has been
done for years, save at least Half Million
Dollars per annum to the Treasury, and leave
in the pockets of the merchants nearly IL
many more which are now extOrted by Cen
| "eral Orders" Carriage Bureaus" &c, &C.,
and sqIandcrcd upon hungry political satellites.
Why cannot this be dOnci Nay, why is NJ
it doncs Simply because the Custom House
| is run as great political machine. to carry
delegations, buy up conventions, and secure
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES this Governor must be
conciliatcd with two or three fat places, and
| that Senator by slice from the "Gencral
| "Ordcrs," and the other COngressman's brevct
wife wants an easy place for her brother, and
will have it. Thus the Revenue Service is
perverted into an Immense hospital for de-
cayed politicians who have powerful friends
and run at twice the cost it need DO, with all
manner of lcakagcs and dcmoralizing briberies
What mockery, then, to talk of Civil Service
Reform as something to be effected by device
and legal amendment by Boards and regllla-
tionsf One man has already the whole work
completely in his power and that man is Z. :.
Grant.