The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-12-13
The Custom House Nomtnations-A
Morttfyin1 Result for mr.. Hayes.

dent IOf SuppiautiuB tAo PicoSns
and Naval Officer, whose terms have not ex-
PRED, were rejected in the executive session
of the Senate yesterday by majority SO un-
expectedly large that Mr.. Hayes will be likely
to think twice before he repeats the expert
ment. The nays were 81 against 70 yeas, max
ing majority of six against the Presient
This is as notifying for the administration as
the fall OF Plevna is for the Turks. Mr.
Merritt, who was nominated to fill vacancy
in the Office of Surveyor of Customs, was
confirmed without division. Mr.. Roose-
Welt has no reason to feel Inundated ut his
rejection. Had he been nominated to fill
vacancy he would probably have been con-
firmed. 1t must be said for him that he
did not seek the Office. He was urged
and almost conscripted into the service
Of the administration in the hope that
his personal responsibility would turn the
scale against Collector Arthur The mer-
chants of New York, who take little interest
in the squabbles of political factions, VIII
be very we'll satisfied that Mr.. Arthur re-
tains the office whose duties he has dis
charged with faithful efficiency. There was
no good reason why the government and
the mercantile community should lose
the advantage OF his experience. 1t
would have taken new collector some
time to acquire Mr.. Arthurs ready familiar
ity with the duties of his Office, and even
then the Custom House would not be better
administered than it is at present. We
congratulate Mr.. Arthur that the Senate
has SO just an appreciation OF the
ularity with the New York merchants, none
of whom has ever uttered breath OF CEN
sure against any part of his conduct. The
Senate has done its duty in letting we'll
enough alone. It had no moral right to
subordinate the question of personal nit
ness to the exigencies Of a political quarrel.
It is too early to indulge in conjectures
rs to the effect of this Notifying defeat on
the future course of the administration. 1t
may, or it may not, lead to dissolution Of
the present Cabinet. Certain it is that the
President has been badly advised, and if he
is wise lie will select better advisers. Having
been led into bog and sunk up to his
neck by following will-of-the-wisp, he
would do we'll to select different lantern
to guide his footsteps. But President
Hayes is a slow man, and it may take him
several days to realize the situation.
Mr.. Hayes can blame only himself and
his immediate counsellors for the position
in which he finds himself. 1t is not his
Southern policy that has brought him into
this predicament for in spite OF some
faults Of execution that policy is
right in itself and has been hon.
estly and consistently maintained. It
is mainly his vacillating, crooked and
insincere course in relation to the civil
service that has enabled his opponents to
win this signal triumph. His civil service
methods have been ill-judged, tricky and
deceitiul He was weak and vain enough
to set out with parade Of high-fown pre-
tensions There was challenging air of
bounce" and self-assumption which raised
doubts of his good sense and solidity of
character and displayed IN Inconsistencies
of obstacles which was really ludicrous.
Some allowance was properly made for his
inexperience, and a great deal more ought
to be made for the bad advice by
which he was misled. After having
started with boastful fourishes, often
sive to good taste, as to the mighty
things he was going to do in reforming the
civil service he saw the necessity of trans
lating his lofty professions into acts, and SO
issued his famous order forbidding the Off
GERS Of the government to take an active
part in politics. 1t was surprising faulty
which supposed that such IN order
would not provoke opposition. It's fatally
weak point lay in the tact that it
was an order which he had no power to
enforce. 1t might have done to issue such
an order in the bygone days, when the Pres
ident had an absolute power Of removal.
But for President fettered with the Tenure
OF Office law, which permits Of no re-
moval without the consent Of the Senate,
it was imprudent. because President
always loses influence by attempting, at
the outset OF his administration, things
which he cannot perform. But this
was not the worst. When the order was
openly defed in conspicuous instance
the President hesitated and temporized. He
quailed before opposition. After having COM
mitted himself SO far he should have gone
on. He should have promptly exerted tho
power Of suspension which he possessed,
and ut least have indicated his courage
and determination. But he seemed paral-
yzed by the situation. He feared
the effect on the elections, and kept
wavering, weakly trying to save his
credit by giving out what lie was
going to do ut some future time to make his
order respected. But from that time forth
his resolution gradually crumbled away,
and after the disastrous Ohio election he
kept explaining away the meaning OF his
order until there was not enough Of it left
to be worth the dignity Of a passing men,
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