New-York tribune., 1873-04-11
TURyJyG STATES EVIDENCE.

People who read abOut the collapse of Civil
Service Reform are thinking of what happens
when rogues fall out. 1t would not be fair to
class as rogues the gentlemen who are run
ming q race to see who shall say the mean
est thing about the "reform" which they
were praising but yesterday. Neverthe-
| less, the truth is coming out slowly.
Here is honest Mr.. Fulton, for instance,
who has been, until within few days,
secure in his Office of Surveyor of the Port of
Baltimore, as well as editor of The baltimore
american. But he has been summarily re-
moved, and what he calls the slaughter
"among the innOcentsn has commenced. Here
tofore the Surveyor has had high edl-
torial opinion of Civil Service Reform as
promised by the Convention which renominated
| Gen. Grant and carried ont by the President.
| He looked with unruffied serenity on the
decapitatiOn of the deserving and the hu-
initiation of the useful men in office.
We have no reason to suppose that any dis
turbance in the system in which the Surveyor
of the Port of Baltimore calmly moved could
interfere with his own regular motions. He
probably might have gone on forever, revolv-
ing on his own axis, until chaos came again.
pointments would still have promoted the in
terest of our truly admirable Civil Service.
But something happened. The Surveyor of
the Port of Baltimore was removed. Chaos
arrived most unexpectedly. The Baltimore
american does not like the looks of things at
all. It's editorial on the crisis is headed, Exit
:" Civil Service" Civil Service, the discrimin-
ating reader win not fail to see, made its exit
with Mr.. Fulton.
This is bow it feels to have the iron enter
ones soul "We never did believe Civil Ser
" vice Reform likely to last long enough to
" get it in full operation, and supposed it was
"sure to be disregarded just so soon as there
should be a change of Presidents. We hope,
" however, that its death will be officially
promulgated, and that there will be no more
announcements about Examining Boards and
Z" the other impossibilities bred in the brain
"of the defunct Jenckes. While believ-
"ing it, when adopted at Philadelphia, to
abe a mere campaign catch, we were
"willing to give it a fair trial, and when
" the President announced in his inaugural
"his determination to adhere to it in letter
"and spirit, we thought that it would likely
"last during the Presidential term. 1t seems
"to have taken but a few days of actual ex-
"perience in enforcing it to have brought
"about a change of mind, as it has been
gradually approaching dissolution from the
(" time of it's birth" This is a dreadful reve-
lation to be made by "a journalist-ohicial who
has. until now, seemed a devoted and earnest
believer in the good intentions of the Presi-
dent as a Civil Service RefOrmer and in the
service as so far reformed. Mr.. Fulton, it
now appears, however, never did believe that
the reform plank of the Philadelphia platform
was anything more than mere campaign
catch. But the thing, he respectfully submits,
has not had the fair trial he was willing to
give it, The whole system has gone to the
bad. The American says, dolefully, that
"there have been not only no promotions,
"but nearly all those in the line of promotion
:" 20 out with their principals" And all this
in the hghly-reformed Baltimore Custom
house Exit Civil Service.
Another witness is that trustworthy Admin
Istration organ, The Washington Chronicle or,
shall we say, the President of the United
States. For it is said that the editorial in that
journal which gives an explanation of the res
ignation of Mr.. Geo. WIN. Curtis from the
Civil Service Advisory Board is of Presden-
tial inspiration. This explanation, briefly, is
that difference of views between the Presi-
dent and Mr. Curtis was developed last Win
ter and has proved irrecOncilable. The Prcsi-
dent, it seems, wanted the flexible rules of the
Board modified so that officials could be trans
ferred from one branch of the Govern
ment to another. This Mr.. Curtis did not
fancy, insisting on promotion in each class of
offices. So the President waited until he saw
a GOOD chance, and made such transfer,
using. for this occasion, says the Washington
oracle. "his reserved authority" The transfer
was deliberately made and Mr. Curtis re-
gigned-"like British Cabinet Minister III