The Ottawa free trader., 1877-06-23
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

Y Hayes started out with many high sound
D ing aud beautiful professions in regard to ,h'
civil service reform he inteded to Introduce
and Carl Schurz, as secretary of the interior
backed him up with even more emphatic e&
pressons. Perhaps, however nowhere else
was Hayes so emphatic IN his language as
IN his note to Secretary Sherman IN The mat
ter of the New York custom house. ut Is
my wish" he says, that the collection OF
the revenue should be free from partisan con
troll. Party leaders should have no more IN.
huence in appointments than any other equal
ly respectable citizens No assessments for
political purposes on officers or Subordinates
should be allowed. No useless officer or en-
ploye should be retained. Nc officer should
be required or permitted to take part in the
management Of political organizations, eau.
causes conventions or election campaigns"
While, 1t is true, there is nothing new IN this
language, nearly the same words having been
used by Gen. Grant IA bis inaugural addresses
and forgotten or ignored week afterwards :;
yet there were people simple enough to be.
lieve that with Hayes these pledges meant
something, and that behind them there was
some sort OF honest purpose. 1t is mean-
choly, however, to observe how quickly and
entirely he too can forget and ignore his fair
words, when the occasion offers to give them
practical effect A glance at few of his
more recent appointments will illustrate
what we HEAL
The appointment Of Jack Wharton as mar
shal OF Louisiana in place of my dear Pit
kim affords one beautiful illustration of how
men should not receive appointments solely
as rewards for political services. No one
questioned the entire honesty Of Pltkin, or
that he was good republican and capable
man On the other hand Jack Wharton is
known as a somewhat loose, free.and easy,
and in trying circumstances by no means
trustworthy man. Yet Pitkln, after receiv.
ing both from Hayes and the attorney gener.
not be disturbed, was removed to make place
for Wharton, Tor the sole and only reason that
the latter had been "useful" in aiding Hayes
Louisiana commission IN breaking up the
Packard legislature, and being q vigorous
political organizer would be serviceable
friend of the administration, while Pitkin
had no talent that way, and besides had been
friendly to Packard
Another happy illustration is found in the
appointment OF Phillips as postmaster at
Springfield. The present incumbent, known
as liberal republican and Hayes man, had
received every assurance from Washington
that he would not be disturbed, but no sooner
did Gov. Cullom go there and insist on Phil.
lips receiving promised reward for certain
political services than Hayes at once came
down. The same is true in regard to the
of the four Illinois pension !
agencies into one at Springfield and giving
the SGsGOO office thereby created to Gen. |
Jesse II. Moore. Miss. Sweet at Chicago, had |
been solemnly assured but week before Cul.
Ions visit to Washington that the consolida.
ton, At least so far as Chicago was concerned, |
would not take place. Yet the purely "politi.
cal necessities" Cullom presented prevailed
readily in spite of all such assurances.
The appointment of Kasson to an Important
foreign mission is another Illustration. He
is admitted to have nc fitness whatever for
post once graced by man like Motley, and
owes his elevation purely to party services.
John q. Howard, of Ohio, displaces capa.
be- experienced and valuable officer in the
New York custom house solely as reward
for writing fulsome biography of Hayes
during last summers campaign Tanner
holds an important position IN the same Gus
.om house because he is commander of the
G. A. r. and an adroit political manager ia
Brooklyn.
And so we could go over the Hayes sp-
pointments by the hundred. Even such pa
pers as the Tribune admit that most OF the
are made purely as rewards for
political services and many Of them are as
bad as can be. The truth Is, instead of any
hing like consistent adherence to the lofty
principles announced IN the New York GUS
ON house letter, we find the Hayes civil ser.
rice management more a resemblance of that
IF John Tyler, who cen.tsscdly and shame
essly made every appointment TO forward
lis insane project of building up a new or
Tyler party, and the Hayes system gives fair
promise of ending in the same ignoble way
There is a tribe of Indians in Oregon,
known as the Mes Perces, said to number