The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-02
THE NEW YORK MEETING.

THE NEW YORK MEETING.
Z 4 word of Defense for COnkIlng's speech.
IN. Y. Herald
IT will not do to say that there Is no
cause or excuse for the outburst of fury
\ and resentment among the politicians
8 at Rochester OF course everybody un-
derstands that personal disappoint-
nents, grievances and hatreds had a
large share In that curious event; but
w do not believe that even the strong
y personal devotion Of large number OF
6onkling would have carried them
With him to such lengths as they
freely went had the Presidents course
upon the question OF the reform OF
the civil service not been felt by
them to be 80 hating, lame and incon-
elusive as to invite attack and inspire
resentment. We doubt even IL Senator
ACOnkling, man much less fond Of
sspatronage" than his opponents are ac-
Clistomed to represent him, and who
4 has at least the merit OF having caused
Officers In the civil service, would have
( chosen to head such a mutiny had the
I President performed as rigidly as he
promised easily. Patronage has
become dear to the senatorial
heart, yet the plain truth is
that the greater Senators. the
men of real ability, care little for
4 Az, and would gladly lay it down but
only on the condition.. very naturally,
hat 1t shall be entirely abolished.
I'll here are dozens OF Senators, third and
Sasake UP the mass OF the Senate, who
slerpetually haunt the White House for
! patronage" and are furious IL they are
Z tienied.
But men Of ability, OF power, who
have q real hold on the public, do not
+ heed to stoop to such intrigues, and we
epeat that such men would feel relieved
Z the mischievous system Of "Sena-
/ korial patronage We're tirely abolish
sd. But they will not. tolerate that 1t
4 3hall be only half abolished. They
Will help the President divorce the civil
Y service from politics, but on the prime
4 condition that 1t shall be total and
4 not limited divorce; that IL their
4 friends are not to be considered neither
A shall the President favor his own or
\ anybody else's friends.
For our part, we consider this Is q
perfectly fair condition. Let us have a
\ thorough reform Of the civil service,
but not q half-wayireform. Let us abol-
ish political favoritism, but let US
abolish 1t entirely. When everybody
reasonably complain. But we repeat
what we have said to the President
before-half measures are not tena-
BILE. For instance, 1t Is generally
understood that Mr.. Hayes intends
4 To remove the heads Of the New
York Custom. House, on civil service
gronnds, Of course. But it Is fact
I that he keeps in the New Orleans Gus
tom House person like j. Madison
Wells. q man who was shown by the
committee of Republican Congress in
Bile practices; who Is VIGOROUSLY pol
itician OF the lowest type, and whose
appointment or retention in Office Is
totally indefensible on reform grounds,
Dr on any others, except the most
unblushing and cynical of all.
Nor Is this all, for he has APP
pointed as Collector In New Orleans
& person also VIGOROUSLY incapable, and
\ who IL commonly understood to repre-
sent In that place another member of
the Returning Board, MFR. Anderson.
H&he New York custom house might
offend their friends, it could never be-
come the occasion Of general or form
liable attack on the President, il men
did not remember that he has acted on
very different principles in his New
I Orleanssand other appointments.
Again, Mr.. Hayes prohibited Federal
office holders from taking part in parti-
San politics. We believe he was right
and wise In so doing, and dissent en-.
tirely therefore from Senator Conkling's
views on this subject. The interference
ssof Federal office holders in politics has
been for years growing abuse and evil.
until under the late Administration
every petty postmaster thought it his
.(t1ty to sneeze when the Administration
took snuff, and the conventions were
made no almost entirely Of inspectors
aud tide walters, who held their places
and drew their salaries mainly because
they could s'run primaries" and manip-
plate conventions. The Presidents
prder on this subject was eminently
wise and right; but by the time some
thousands OF postmasters. custom
house inspectors and other petty. off,
Malls had abandoned their political ma
shines, behold they saw the Secretary
az the Treasury going openly to Ohio to
take part In the canvass and
read his letter to the Re-
publican Committee, urging them 70
1pare no efforts to carry the State. If 1t
n a offense In Naval ofl1cer Cornell TO
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