, 1872-10-30
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.


terms Of punishment.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Eighteen months ago, the President appointed
Commission OF seven persons, ut the head Of
which WAS Mr. George William Curtis, to inves-
tigate the Civil Service of the country and report
some measure for its reform. This Commission
held protracted sessions at Washington, and
personally investigated several branches Of the
public service. In November, 1871, they made a
report in which they declared that service to be
essentially vicious that it had been mainly per-
verted from its lawful duties, and that it Was
then nothing but q machine used for party
purposes. They reported thAt the presi-
dent WAS by its operation deprived Of
the power Of appointments, which power had
been usurped by Senators and Representatives
in Congress; that the Federal patronage in the
States was exercised by Senators and Repre-
sentativos who employed it to secure their OWL
reelection, to the great Generalization Of the
service, and destruction of it's efficiency. They
then added, as one Of the results Of this utter
Generalization, that it was estimated by good
Judges that one-fourth Of the whole revenue Of
the country was lost in the process of colec-
ton. According to this, the loss OF taxes actu-
ally paid by the people annually exceeds $685.
600, 900 Wo have published tho official record
Of the revenue collected in some sixty customs
districts in the country, and the united salaries
and allowances paid to the Collectors, Deputies,
-
received at all Of those ports. We are aware
that lfr. Curtis issued, few weeks ago, supple
mentary statement, to the effect that he meant
in his report to describe loss Of revenue occur
ring in 1867, under Andrew johnson, but the
original report bears no such construction; it is
written in the present tense; and it makes no
reference, directly or indirectly, to Johnson's
Administration.
We need refer to no more unblushing abuse Of
the Civil Service than the fact that in this city,
within the last sixty days, there have been added
to tue pay-rol1s Of the Custom House numerous
Irish Democrnts residing in the Eighteenth
Ware, men wholly unfit for the places, but
whose appointments we're made openly and con-
fessedly to compensate them for their influence to
get votes for particular candidate. The revenue
of the Government collected in Chicago is thus
Used to purchase Democratic votes for the man
who las had them appointed. And Jet it is re-
earded monBtrous offence for Horace Greeley
to receive Democratic votes that have not been
purchased
The history of the delivery to Leet and Stock
ing Of the General Order business in New York,
whereby these two persons were invested with
the authority to exact 5100, 900 year from the
merchants Of that city, is without parallel in the
record Of political corruption. So overwhelming
was the testimony of Republican merchants,
that the President VAS compelled to issue an
order to discontinue it.; but in less than three
months the job was restored to Leet, who is now
travelling in Europe, while his deputies and
partners are practising the e1tortion in New
York City. When the Committee Of Congress went
to New York. the merchants of that city declared,
on oath, that the Custom House was filed by
persons go incompetent, dishonest, and corrupt,
that no respectable establishment in that city
would employ them, nor tolerate one of them on
their premises. They disclosed the fact that
the Custom House swarn,ed with men whose
only business it was to attend nominating con-
yentiona at the order Of the Collector, and were
paid out Of the public revenues many hundred
Thousand dollars per annum for political work
exclusively. When public opinion became too
strong to be longer resisted, Tom Murphy WAS
forced out, and the President gavo him letter
irdorsing his official career, and appointed his
next friend to tho place.
The man Casey, at New Orleans, keeps OF the
pay-rolls at the Custom House some seventy
or eighty persons, resident in various parts of
the State, whose sole business is to attend
to politics. and, though Committee of
Congress- unanimously recommended his re-
movd in May last, lie is still retained in the
Office.
In North Carolina the United States Marshal,
Carrow, drew within sixty days before the August
election, nominally TO defray Judicial expenses,
S65000, and within one year, s220,00o, or sum
equal to the whole cost Of paying the Federal,
Judiciary, and Court expenses in SIX or eight
Northern States. The pretence for which this
money was taken from the Treasury wns too
weak; every thinking man in the country knows
that it was used to defray political expenses and
to elect the Caldwell State ticket.
The Civil Service Commission reported to the
President that there could be no honest admins"
tration Of tho public business SO long as the per-