New-York tribune., 1875-05-15
PAPER BY DORMAN b. EATON.
THE EXPERIMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN
THE UNITED STATES

PAPER BY DORMAN B. EATON.
THE EXPERIMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN
THE UNITED STATES.
The deliberate and needless abandonment OF
plan by which great nation had entered successfully
upon the reform of its gravest abuses may wen arrest
the attention all thoughtful persons Never Delore m
our history there been such surrender OF the sner
10 the lower clements in our politics. Heretofore III
every great struggle reform have fought 1t out 10
victory upon The line OF our advance, and have planted
our standard high up in the light OF the inspiring seht
mcnt The reform Of the civil service has been the SUD
jec Of several papers read before this Association nav
inc for their TO set forth abusesto develop spirit
bold erou u attack themtO suggest methods for the
removal To-day the subject comes before us In dher
ent ligt-i shade rather-adhonishinsu 10 look back
before wo o gain move forward.
The AdI1inisratom-the party in power-the nation
have made IN experiment of civil service REFORM ana
amid al fua abuses only diminished it has bee' aban-
doned r., fair fcld Of reform Is detormed obstruced
d,rkenel b, the sDber ruin of this dsa Stros hunl-
country is for the moment chilled and the spolsmen and
the rartisan leaders greedy by reason OF niue
fasting and more inpudent by reason oil the triumph"
They araIow demanding the oicos ana lne prOn5
them as spos victory the civil service rules
taken as 10 c need of better we are
NOT urepc TO tamely surrender 10 the influences that
nSTe 5cis & causes Of our deea and 10 gather
thence all possible stcti9n FOR tue h pt sno
methods Of bestowing office will claim tlat the eXperi
mopt was abandoned only because all methods Dut ter
own were found ipIacicable-only because all reform
ers were shown to be visionary doenaircs-onJ because
all rules similar those adopted are repugnant to oar
rcpulca insiitutions-only because the party ougt to
be freely allowed TO pay its way with spolls ana tne
Tbose s,,:yiaited claims cannot he put down by any
simple d lnid mere appeal 10 prnc les Ihfy cannon,
.ha pis he facts The motives the Influences the
policy. III" Te'ieancy The neSects Wheh leu 10 'nc ADAM
DI In short the Illuminating truth isand it may as well
be at once siacd-tha tho defeat and abandonment OF
the civil seI Ice rules were without ius,able excuse
involved the breach Of public pledge ana are ltOn
resons why dislike to enter into thc facts which justify
these statements; but ON the other hand 1yerythlng
and ~ nabIc iinportance The common interests aud
safety OF the peoY-e require th't tno RnDhdi pull i Jun %
icllreni ana iu. All mere individual considerations
ore.vc the fair iane Of ones party, which strongly
fccl, Cauno justify the suppression Il Its vi Wy. III,
ing Of truth The only alternatives ior hose hayng hhG
myself special means of information are calcnlaths
aud cowary silon, full aud fair sai ny on 2I 'o
truth regardless OF all those VINO nave 10 us IAN NJ
have the tig hed What 9Sn h %ai i fhg aTinq SfglGS Gn
tried ami what VS. It's Gncc c df T.;nrni Wy are
tine rules LONGER en;Orcedl what auQn Is neie
sbla"iyl.i OH What party. what portion Of the
peOpefor tllt breach What conclusions onSht 10 d vi
fhs rane me iods of Civil ice Reform IN the iutuio
These are TIE main questions 10 NAlch answers arc
sought and -,It - hc given
Dl.,,oE,rIziTiON OF TIE CIVIL SERVICE.
U-1bc experience by carly statesmen of the gov
enmcuts o. t old world and of thOsc in their own co-
try down % date Of own constitution had maze
them ou. or the theory upon whcA they were paseu
and in the assertion of the common rights OF the
peonlc but had not caused them 10 attach 20 mnch CON
socue,cc 10 the question administration; nor does
there anncar any evidence that ii was foeeh tdt
political ocnJcs would c carried On, au EIV"t ~ pe
hp ccnrncq ana aulnatcd ioi otatc "l hioia, voi
mainly by the hope OF the honor' ana pecuniary cams
cdncgcc tcn tat the national Constitution should
contain no clause especially provided as ploieeDl
which has been tolerated dcveloped under H. Nor
should We much surprised to ind tina. II was NG,g
10 adopt measures for counteracing these unforeseen
Indeed the advocates Of the spos and pai onage sys-
tcnl of Al pnia u,ns and removals confidently nam
,aned IN, eo~r hat it would he unconstitutional 70
,e'irc tb,f INV class Of appointments should be made
from sna s; those competitors 10 had yea "
GtCr o -. r therefore upon the adoption of the
rules dcci That theory 10 he untcna0ic ana an the
his adVse ii Il sch con .tIuction was in harmony not
only with the rcs Of ne early pu' WI WIN % tS
Was Won for e. service reform which survives al s1s-
pcnsion OF te rules one Of the abiding facts OF ne
abandoned cSp'rmeni-a, one ci thc ISlsons, @ @Mnch
prove that b3udonment TO nave been WthoW heees-
Il is not claimed that the early pr don't; and h ads
ofdeparrerts formally adopted rules thus limiting the
aT6ay 81 Ia ~ Securing n he oec5 70 worth and capa
city but thc' ticlly the3 pr1clanei Ira, Gy, aI ho
department less numerous than those at
present in New FORK City aione-when an tsdeHi OF.
a,nod acsrS ~ in sIncIc story of tie Treasury build
inswhcn Ihc whole national r'fnuc IGr ,ic yg y,ty
in Il snele montL-it was easy for The prcsi-
GSnts Gent ,e sna 9Tt G Of those sccfns
That they iihiUy did 80, and did NOT make removals
enioved he Of honorable and wclquaihca ON
Gers ard CcrE f1r nearly 10 years itc tne adoOh oi
the Coneti;u on As declared in tc a3t report OF the
Civil Scrvi.. Comm ssioncIs p %, no removals were
made in a., clerical force on account Of mere opinions
During eisht Washington reo\ec Dut m ilnt persons
(except causcl John Adams during ms trrni re
mcyed nG' ne md not pot 9ne @ afT cy nye MoDo
only niIe e dams o9y & ,%G I dhgse e were cgHh hs
clerical io LOT one was removed ye IOr cs'se iliii
Andrew Jac, WIS elected, , %Ilcm @ ,iS @ c @ TI
For partisan ieeson, 1h" prsaent we lsqHsfG % ne%T2 ca r
tOn of tAc sIols sysien and IL Is 20 mat cistabc
system, far as public opinion viii allow, tha we nave
III Let us here recall how The rules came To be
adopted, end What are their provisions
,na Pr preci' With the aid of persons selected BY ,
self to propose and 10 put into operation rules and
gonl.e9 eenty qGaaag1a a d. CF st nat %qY were r.
ced b. the & soan ana Az Alter qe9s carS T sa51 o ,G
whole suh e. and the most conscientious devotion 10
duty IN wh tney wSa SSica % Of rules on the igt iS Of De-
cenber 1871, the rules, having been approved ny the
apa ev Vent into operation the Isl Of January,
1870 AfoF resorying tho Tlght 10 ahsld ieh at Ms
P1esens option %se ses tbs snphac angmage viz that t
10 me without further Congressional actlon ne ra's
ready mentioned win be Faithfully executcd INeep,
in partisaD and moTeeDary circles tle rues NSle
with that popular approval which the President ante
pated. 81 ,... ,,,,uo,-od ,ho sa ~, e
pyakng ior cayn9 bo tne io ey We're
tnn its table III made the slightest suygestl0n 0i
covert losuly much as bntsd ibae tls i,r H.
the Commission had not rightly n,eIpIeea eeI th eo
own enactment the Constitution, OF ne spIli Va Wy
ole Zach heads OF the Executive Departure
operated in the applieation Of these rules " LIS su"0i
So strong was the better sentiment OF the nation In
favor OF Ile reform at saacious POLITICIANS OF al par
- A lo IL IxGI