New-York tribune., 1873-04-09
ME-. CURTTSS RESIGHA T7ON.


The letter of Mr.. George William Curtis, re-
signing his position as member of the Ad-
yisory Board Of the Civil Service, has been pub
lished. 1t bears date March 18th, and states, as
the reason for his resignation, that "the cir
" cumstances under which several important
appointments have recently been made seem
"to show an abandonment both of the spirit
"and letter of the Civil Service regulations"
1t is addressed TO the President, and after
giving the reason stated above, concludes with
the following assurance, which, under the cir
cumstances, is, to say the least, little singu-
lar: "In so doing beg to assure you of my
warmest wishes, and of the continuance of my
" mobt earnest efforts for the soccess of your
" administration" This assurance must of
course be gratifying to the President. Mr.
Gurtiss "mOst earnest efforts were given in
behalf of his reelection for the reason, re-
peated often and at great length, that the
Civil Service Reform, in which Mr.. Curtis was
profoundly interested, was an assured thing
under President Grant, and would be endan-
gered in the event of his defeat. This was
the main ground of Mr.. Curtiss support, his
principal argument to the people with voice
and pen. Mr.. Curtis stood sponsor for the
fulfillment Of the Presidents promise in
this regard. Twelve days after the re-
Inauguration of the latter he resigns
his position on the Board for the
reason that the President has abandoned the
proposed reform and repudsted his promise.
There are men who under such circumstances
would have exhibited righteous sort of In
dignation, if not at the trick practiced upon
II - q tb, n,,trn
selves personally by using them as instru-
ments in the deception. For President Grant
was very well aware that Mr.. Curtis was
everywhere promoting his election by holding
out this inducement. He waited till the cleo
ton was secure and then, as Mr.. Curtis says
abandoned both the spirit and letter of
the reform and threw the whole thing
overheard. Some men, we say, would
have been indignant at such treatment.
But Mr.. Curtis takes it very much
as a matter of course, and after showing by
his resignation that he is conscious Of having
been used as a tool in an electioneering dodge,
offers TO the person who has so used him and
who has 80 placed him in most unenviable
position before the people, his "warmest
wishes" and the continuance of his "most
earnest efforts" Tor the success OF his admin
slration. Surely Mr.. Curtis is a mild-man-
nered man. Apparently it makes no differ
ence with him what the President does or re-
fuses to do; he may abandon the Civil Serv-
ice Reform to which he stood pledged with Mr..
Curtis as his bondsman; he may repudiate
this and any or all other obligations. Mr..
Curtis has no protest to make, no indignation
to express he will still continue his earnest
efforts for the success of his administration.
One Of two things is true either the Presi
dent has abandoned the Civil Service Re-
form, as Mr.. Curtis definitely charges, or
he has not. II not, then Mr. Curtis has
shown himself very weak sort of re-
former to have taken Oiiense and ran
away from his duty himself. If the
President has abandoned tho reform.