New-York tribune., 1873-03-18
THE NEW SECRETARR-THE CIVIL
SERVTCE


nical range and manner OF selection prescribed
by the Civil Service. it is that OF the ofhcer
who ia to originate the financial policy
for the Nation. If there is one appoint
ment which should not be above them,
il ia hard to see why that of subordinate
officer whose business is to follow scrupulOusly
in all their minute details the exact rules pre-
scribed by voluminous laws for the due ad-
iustment and collection of the revenue at this
port should be. Yet the Civil Service policy
governs in the selection OF new Secretary OF
the Treasury of the United States, and Is
thrust aside in the selection OF new Sur
veyor for the port of New-York.
We are willing to hope for better things
than we have any right to expect from tho
new Secretary The Country Is accustomed
to see in this place one of the very ablest
men of the party in power. More than any
other position under President Grant 1t de-
mands original force Of intellect and the culture
and experiepce of a statesman. Alexander Ham
ilton was not too great for it Salmon p. Chase
found it task and exhaust his best powers at
their prime. We hope the President may have
invented, in Mr.. Richardson, worthy successor
to both. To the natural eye, Oliver T. Morton,
or T.. ID. Morgan, among prominent Admin
istration men, would have seemed less ridicu-
lously small figures in so great place; but
Derhaps neither nor any one like them, could
be had. or would have been wanted. We are
content, at any rate, to hope for the best from
the new man. But we wish he had less elastic
views about his right to play hide and seek
with the Wall Street people, by alternately issu-
ing in secret and Withdrawing in public that
triAe of forty millions, off which Congress has
tried in vain to warn him. And we wish that
the Civil Service principle could also be ap-
piled in quarters where it seems applicable
A dispatch from Washington states that
Mr.. Benedict's nomination as Surveyor OF
the Port, in place of Mr.. Cornell, was
withdrawn for this reason (amOng others,
that he is "not in sympathy with the
Republican party or Administration" This
is lust about what we supposed was the mat
ter all along. We shall make no objection. 1t
is not at all worth while. Honesty and eff
cheney never have determined the tenure of
office in the new reformed service. Political
activity has been the sole recommendation to
place and favor under the new order OF things
az well as under the old. Patronage has been
used lust as much as ever to control elections and
pclitical assessments were carried last Fall 10
a greater length than ever before within our
recollection. 1t was perfectly natural that Mr.
Benedict under these circumstances should be
rejected. He had rendered no political service
in the last campaign; he was not worth much
in the ward meetings; he did not sym
"pathizen with Gen. Grant, nor Mr.. Thomas
Murphy, nor Collector Casey, nor Judge
DurelI possibly he did not even work for Mr.
Dayenports charter. He merely fulfilled his
duty faithfully and efficiently, as an officer of
the Customs and that of course gave him no
claim to promotion.
But there is one difficulty. The Regulations
promulgated by the President last April de-
clare that
"When vacancy occurs in the Office Of. Sur
yeyor OF the Customs in the Customs Districts OF New
York. etc. the Secretary OF the Treasury shall
ascertain any OF the sub0rdnates IN the customs dis
trci n which such vacancy occurs are suitable persons
qualified to discharge efficiently the duties Of the Office
70 he filed and II such persons be found he shall certify
to the President the name or names OF those subord
Mates not exceeding three who in his judgment best
qualified for the position from which the President will
make the nomination TO fill the vacancy"
Under this rule there can be little doubt
that Mr. Benedict would have got the place.
He was selected mot by the Secretary, we be-
lieye, but by Gen. Grant himselG, as a subOr-
dinate cOnspicuOusly and VIGOROUSLY well
qualified for the vacant place; and when his
name was withdrawn it was probably for no
other reason than discovery that the Survey
orship was wanted to reward the political ac-
tivity of Marshal Sharpe.
Then as to the Marshals place. The same
regulations provide that
"when vacancy occurs in the Office OF United States
Marshal applications in writing from residents OF the
district In which the vacancy occurs may be addressed
TO the Attorney General OF the United States inclosing
proper certificates OF character. responsibility and
capacity; and IL any Of the applicants shall be found
suitable and qualified, the name names, not exceed
ing three the best qualified shall be certified by the
boardof examiners ~ tho Attorney General and from
this list the nomination will be made"
We shall be curious to know the result il
any sanguine citizens of the Southern District
of New-YOrk have forwarded to the Attorney-
General applications for the vacant place of
Mr. George II. Sharpe, promoted sideways into
another field of usefulness 1t is pretty GER
tain that no Board of Examiners recommended
Mr.. Packard the other day as fit person to
be Marshal at New Orleans, and we have a
solid conviction that Board of Examiners
will have very little to say about the successor
to Gen. Sharpe.
The regulations provide that vacancies in
the Office of postmaster, in cities having more,
than 10000 inhabitants, shall be filled in the
same manner as vacancies in the Office of col
lectOr, surveyor, &c. Mr.. Morgan, the princi-
pal deputy of Postmaster Jones in New-York
is generally recognized as a very capable and
deserving official, and if any regard had been
paid 10 the rules. either he or some other