New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-02
MR.. CURTISS RESIGNATION

MR.. CURTISS RESIGNATION
The theory that Mr.. George W. Curtis re-
signed his position on the Civil Service Board
for the reason that the reform at which he
aimed had been accomplished, seems not to be
quite correct. Nor is there any truth in the
other theory of his resignation, that it was
purely on account of i'll health. We are in
formed-with great sOlemnitt, albeit with
imperfect manners-that he resigned because
he regards several important appointments
recently made rs a virtual abandonment OF
"the Civil Service Reform" The authority
| for this statement, we are superfiuously as
sured, "is Mr. Curtis himself,n and it is made
ain precisely Mr. Curtis's own words" There
ais nothing in his recent Illness" we arc still
further admonished, "that could affect his de-
"cision on this subject either one way or the
other, and nothing in his present state Of
"+health that could interfere with his duties
on the Civil Service Board if he chose to
remain there. He resigned his position soon
"after the recent Federal appointments in
this city simply and solely because he
thought that in making these appointments,
Z" and others elsewhere, Gen. Grant had
thrown Civil Service overheard, and that
4" his (Mr. Curtisis) usefulness as q member of
Z" that commission was at an end. MIR. Cur
4" tis's friends. while they must all regret the
necessity of this resignation just so far forth
" as they feel an interest in Civil Service Re-
" form, will justify him for retiring from a
position in which, if he remained, he would
be held responsible for acts which are
nothing more nor less than a disregard of
"public pledges and a mockery of the public
faitb.o
This puts an entirely different face upon the
matter. Mr.. Curtis then has not carried Civil
Service Reform through to success. He
has simply abandoned the undertaking be-
cause Gen. Grant has thrown Civil Service
overboard,n and because he (Mr. Curtis)
does not care to be held responsible
I" for acts which are nothing more nor less
ethan a disregard of public pledges and a
"mockery of the public faith" These are
hard words to use of ones own candidate
within less than a month from his Inaugural
ton. Who is it that throws Civil Service
overheard, that disregards public pledges, and
mocks the public faithi Who but the Presi-
dent of Mr.. Curtis's own choice-the man
whom George w. Curtis stood sponsor for
before the American people six months ago
and for whose election upon these same
public pledges" he more than almost any
other citizen is responsible. We are in
formed that the flippancy of The TRIBUNE's
comments upon the matter is lamenta-
BILE, and thereupon we are favored with
a jeremiad upon "the serious misfortune
/" that the President should have yielded
to the opportunities of political
"clique-have 80 submitted himself to their
Influence that the best promise of his adj
ministration should have been SO speedily
"and so easily broken All true enough and
lamentable enough, and it is quite proper for
Mr.. Curtis and his newspaper apologists to in
dulge in lamentations over it; but it seems
proper to remind them that it is their own
disappointment and their own folly, not TIE
TRIBUYE's. The TRIBUNE's views on this
subject were embodied in warnings some
months ago. We made no promises for this
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS no bonds or public
pledges for President who has since disre-
garded them and Knocked the public faith.
Let us remind those gentlemen who complain
that we are not impressed with the gravity
of the occasion, that some months ago THE
TRIBUNE gave it as a reason for not sup
|
things he has done in this Civil Service bust
ness. Do we need to remind Mr.. George w.
Curtis that for distrusting the professions of
Gen. Grant he and the journal he edited pur-
sued with Misrepresentation and caricature
such as this country never before was witness
to, not only THE TRIBUNE, but every prom
inent opponent Of President Grant, Does
| Mr.. Curtis remember how fippantly he treated
the opinions of those who thought they had
reason to distrust the President I Does he
remember the personal blackguardism--de-
scending even to the dirty fctions about
| trousers Intentionally stuffed into boot-legs-
with which no beslimed Mr.. Greeley in the
interest of his "Civil Service Reform candi-
date" who has now slapped him in the face 7
And it is not improper to say that had not
Mr.. Curtis given bonds for the President be-
fore the last election, Gen. Grant would not
have beer reelected, and would have had no
opportunity to disregard his public pledges
and mock the public faith. II was upon
his promise more than upon Gen. Grants
that the people took stock in the proposed re-
form, and accepted the pledges that have now
been disregarded. President Grant was re-
elected upon Mr.. Curtis's Endorsement of his
earnestness and sincerity. A month of his
second term has not passed when Mr.. Curtis
resigns, and says the President has abandoned
the reform. We regret his disappointment.
| Has 10 anything to regret in reviewing the