New-York tribune., 1873-01-01
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

If it is true that the President has set aside
bis own Civil Service rules'in order to appoint
worthy but inexperienced gentleman Postmaster
of Chicago solely on the ground that tradi-
"tionary usage allows the resident Senator the
"naming Of the Postmaster in his own city"
the hopes of reformers will have been seri-
ously shaken. Traditionary usage" is just
what the President promised to break up.
Traditionary usage has made public offices the
payment for partisan service, and converted
the power of patronage into an instrument OF
corruption. 1t has demoralized the whole pro-
fession of politics. 1t has caused disorder, dis
honesty, and ineficiency in the administration
of public affairs. This base and mischievous
traditionary usage is precisely what we need to
get rid Of and what the rules drawn
up by Gen. Grants Commissioners were
intended 10 sweep away. few
weeks ago a party OF Pennsylvania
politicians, headed by Senator Simon Came
ron, waited upon the President and insisted
that traditionary usage gave them the right
20 nominate a Postmaster for Philadelphia.
Gen. Grant heard them patiently, but gave
them to understand that he meant to act
hereafter on new system and traditionary
usage must give way to Civil Service Reform.
So the Assistant Postmaster at Philadelphia,
being highly deserving and competent per-
son, without any political hackers $50 far as
the public knew, was promoted to fill the
vacancy In Chicago the Assistant Postmaster
is also a competent and deserving officer, and
it is not easy to see why he should not have
been promoted in the same manner; but the
President discovers that custom requires him
to give the place TO Senator Logan's man,
and so the Civil Service rules are once more
suspended.
During the recent campaign it was perhaps
unreasonable to expect that the promises of re-
form would be very strictly kept. The tempta-
ton to break them was very strong; the re-
suit of the election might be supposed to hang
upon the judicious distribution of Executive
patronage But now that Gen. Grant is safely
seated in office for another four years, and can
have no prospect Of ever again appealing to
politicians for the votes of their followers, his
highest ambition might well be to win during
the rest of his public life q reputation as a
reformer and wise administrator of civil affairs
commensurate with his fame as q military
commander. II he succeed III cleansing Amer
lean politics, and giving us all honest
and energetic administration of. tho pub
lie business such as any private corpora
ton would require of its servants, he may
rank hereafter among the most illustrious of
our Presidents and go out of office with the
respect and gratitude of the whole people. He
will encounter the concealed hostility or open
opposition of all the meaner class of partisan
politicians; but Civil Service Reform means
the determination of these men, aud however
much they may embarrass him for awhile, they
will soon be dismissed to an obscurity whence
their denunciations cannot reach him, and
where their intrigues can do him no harm.
He has an opportunity now such as no Presi-
dent probably will have for many years to
come. We shall continue to hope that he may
have the sagacity and force to make the best
use of it. ...... .........