New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-15

consideration, the elect OF the changes might nave
been TO heal rather than aggravate existing dissen
sons
The Jay Commission went to work, and after
some weeks, made its first report. The abuses in
the Custom House management were less numerous
and serious than the Administration had sup
posed and it also discovered that every specific
reform recommended had previously been suggested
by General Arthur before the present Administra-
ton came into power except two OF three which had
already been provided for by law. OF this the Jay
Commission seemed to have been ignorant.
Even then the President was not ready to make
changes. Numerous candidates. had appeared, but
the difficulty of making selections was as great as
ever, and there was still great indeclslon as 10
whether would be wise to make changes at all OF
not So another cause of delay was found, ana IL
was decided that the old officers should be requesteu
to carry into effect the recommendations
of the Jay Commission, and make the Ic
auctions that had been decided upon. Inc nnai
determination of the question whether ueherai
Arthur and Mr.. Cornell should be retained or new
men appointed was again indefinitely postponed
By some it was thought that the Administration
would gain a point by this last move. 1t was sald
that the old officers as the immediate agents through
whom the reductions were made, would Drlng uoMn
upon themselves the maledlcuons OF lhost MnV 90 49,
removed and of their political friends, WINE IIesl-
dent Havess new officers would go INTO the Custom
House unembarrassed II turned out that these pre-
dictions we're wholly at fault 80 far be learned
from ANYTHING that has heretofore been made public
by the Treasury Department, General. Arthur ana
Mr. Cornell especially the former, entered INTO the
spirit of the reforms suggested with great zeal ana
did the work efficiently and cheerfuliy as 10
elicit great commentator both IRON the president
and Secretary Of the Treasury. An official letter was
written thanking General Arthur, ald rs reward
for his services as well as to relieve the Admlnstra-
ton from embarrassment, he was offered the Consul
Generalshlp at Paris
MR.. CORNEU's CASE.
There ARE some features of Mr. Corncls case that
merit separate treatment in any review of this I'M
fortunate matter, If there was anything about
which the President was in earnest at the time of
his Inauguration, and is still, 1t was in his desire to
bring about genuine reforms III the Civil Service.
AT one of the earliest meetings Of the Cabinet,
this subject was taken up and two Secreta-
ries were appointed a committee to draw up
rules to govern the Administration in making
appointments and promotions, and for
general improvement in the Civil Service
of the Government. No public announcement OF
any report by that committee has ever been made,
and if any rules prepared they have not been
published to the world. The truth is, that the very
men who had the most perfect theories Of Civil SER
vice reform, and could explain and defend them
with tue greatest force and cloQuence, found
il n very difficult thing to put those theories
to carry them into practice. Tie President
very soon discovered this fact, and in conversation
at the time with a gentleman from the West, who
has written and talked much the subject of Civil
Service reform he remarked that he had come to
the conclusion that the adoption Of inileXbe rules
was Impracticablc The exceptions to them would
have to be so numerous that they would very soon
fall INTO disrepute. The best way lie believed then,
was to get the lest into office, irrespective OF
rules
Still there were other abuses in the Civil Service
which the President very anxious to correct. and
which could not be removed through the direct eX-
ercse alone of the appointing or promoting power.
One of these the illegtimate use of the official
patronage Of the Government for political purposes
This. the President thought, could be easily accom-
plished although at first be seemed TO have no very
definite idea Of how it was to be done, as was
shown By remark which he made TO a friend when
he was thinking this matter over. lie said: zone
thing can at least do can prevent tho Office
holders from running the party and the party
from running the oi1ce-hOlders." Out Of
the desire TO do this grew the famous
Civil Service order. 1t was aimed at
the Custom Houses at New-York, Philadelphia,
Boston and few other places, and at those Office
holders everywhere who had made themselves OBJ
nOxious to the people and to the majority of their
own party by their oficiousness and by the abuse
of the patronage which they controlled. The OBJ
ject of the order a good One although
with the experience that has been gained
since it was issued very few friends Of the
President would now hest tate to admit that it
mistake to make It, The better way, probably
would have been for the Administration to have put
its finger on the men who were using their Offices
improperly for political purposes, and remove them
toyur caro- Il LET the c9usa their removal be veil
known. few examples would probably have
been sufficient.
But the general order was issued, and at once
it made the relations of the Administration with the
New-lork Custom House more complicated than
ever before Mr. Cornell was chairman of the
Republican state Committee, and the order aI-
piled especially to his case. Soon after the PresI-
dents letter was promulgated Mr.. Cornell went to
Canada on business for The Treasury Department,
and had communication with his superoIs
here in Washington for several weeks. during all
that time there constant discussion Of his case,
both here and in New-lork, and many guessess were
Ventured in regard as 10 what he would 90
when he returned from Canada. As ho did
not resign either his Federal or pohti,
cal office, a gentlemen was privately sent
to New York TO persude him 10 give up the latter.
There is every TO believe that If he had done
It, the changes in the New-York Custom House
would at least hayo been postponed. MIIIe these
negotiations were going on 1t was frequent re-
mark among those most interested with tho
President, that it would not be treatln 4
Mr. Cornell fairly TO make hm Leave
him out of office Up to this time it is believed that
neither General Arthur nor Mr. Cornell had been
asked TO resign his Federal Office by the President
OF the Secretary Of the treasury. The negotiation
with Mr. Cornell in regard 10 his resignation from
the State Committee fell through, and thus was mn
mediately followed by a semi-Ollical announce
mcnt that a clean sweep Was TO be made III
the New-lork Custom House. This WAS published
in the New-lork newspapers on the morning alter
il decided upon in the Cabinet. The friends of
both General Arthur and Mr.. Cornell say that IT
was not until afterward that either of them re-
celVed iufimatlOu that their regiPnatiOus were de-