The Weekly Washington telegraph., 1872-05-08
TOO LATE.


The liberal republicans are more
than half way across the Rubicon. 1t
is impossible for them to retracc their
steps. To do so would be almost cer-
tain death. They can only 60 forward,
and take the consequences of reaching
the shore in safety. Gen. Grant sees
this. He has become alarmed. There
is nothing that more strongly marks
the trepidation of executive feeling than
the message sent to congress the other
day, announcing that the president
has adopted the recommendation of
the commissioners for reform of the
civil service, an that the rules and
regulations drawn up by them will be
enforced as rapidly as the proper ar,
rangements can be made. Hereafter,
we are told, the utmost fidelity and
diligence will be expected of all officers
in every branch of the public service.
Political assessments are forbidden
within the various departments, and
honesty and efficiency, and not politi,
cal activity, are henceforth to deter
mine the tenure of Office.
1t is pretty piece of clap trap; but
il comes too late. The liberals already
see the shore, and there is no halting
them by promises. They have heard
promises before. II the liberal repub-
licans had not made civil service reform
one of the most prominent planks of
their platform ofprinciples, the "execu-
tive order" enforcing the new rules
and prohibiting political assessments,
would never have been put forth TO
gull the public. 1t cannot be forgot
ten that no later than last summer
Secretary Cox was constrained by
Gen. Grant to vacate the department
of the interior for no other reason than
that he would not permit political as,
sessments to be made upon his subor-
dinate officials. Are we now to believe
that Gen. Grant is sincerely in favor
of reforming those abuses which Secre.
tary Cox was relegated to private life
for declining TO counienance and up.
holds The best answer to this question
is to be found in that part of Mr..
Trumbull's speech at the Cooper insti,
tute on this particular subject. lie
then pointed ous the significant fact
that, whilst Gen. Grant prolessed to
be desirous Of a reform in the civil SER
vice, all the opposition to the measure
came from those senators and congress-
men who claim TO be his devoted ad- !
horents and certainly enjoy his con-
fidence. 1t was but last week that
they cut down, the appropriation foT
eHecting the proposed reform, from
fifty thousand dollars to ten thousand,
for the express purpose of rendering
it imperative. Morton, in the senate
and on the hustings, laudel the civil
service, as il exists, as ''ihc best in the
world" Williams, in the house, ex.
pressed similar opinion in language
equally emphatic; whilst others, be-
longing to the partisan majority, ridi.
.culed civil service reform as "a hum
bug" Is it to be supposed that Gen.
Grant has not good understanding
VITA these meny Is Il credible that
he is willing to ALLEVIATE the very men
who are working actively to procure
his denomination and re-eiectionp il
is p:epesterous to think so, aud the
only conclusion to be reached is that
it has been thought necessary he shosld
make a show OF zeal for civil service
reform, trusting 10 his adherents 10