New-York tribune., 1877-08-11
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
XVII
LETTER FROM GAIL HAMILTON.

HoUsF-MR LowELL's CONDEsCfEsION NOT AD-
MIRABLE
TO the Editor of The Tribune.
SIR: The Reformers who have thus far given INC
the honor of their attention, and who, regret 10
! sce have listened TO me with an apparent lack OF
! enthusiasm amounting at times almost to coidness'
will perhaps not be surprised to learn that do not
| take 80 melancholy view of Civil Service as
themselves. That-hkc any other system invented
by human ingenuity and carried ont by human per
scvcrancc-it needs reform is unquesiionabe Dnt
that it needs reform than any other branch OF
public or private labor doth not yet appear IL -
not perfection but it is Just as near perfection as
the Conversational churches Of New-England. II Is
no moro cumbrous, no more costly, no moro corrupt
than the school system of Massachusetts, II uses no
more worldly wisdom in attaining its ends than the
Rev. Edward Payson Hammond used in con-
ducting his revival i'm Ncwburyport. II does
/ not take the name of the Lord our God IN
vain with any more force or frequency than The
! American Popular Life Insurance Company. No
! more sweeping charges of extravaganza and IL
competency are brought against it than are brought
| against tho new Massachusetts State Lunatic Asy-
lum on Dodg's Hill. 1t gets 2s largo L return for
money expended rs the Essex Railroad IL yields to
creditors as large a dividend a. The Northern Pacific
or the Vermont Central or my own weil-beoved
Eastern Railroad to their stockholders. venture 10
say that there are al Tbs moment rs many clergy
'''.' ~ ,,', 80. t,,.a ar ro,.r1
oiiicc-holders under arrest The seventy thousand
civil service employees of the Government just as
intelligent, just as virtuOus, just respectable as
any other seventy Thousand men selected from the
samo class over the same area. Following the
| lead of the Irshman at The Chartlst meet
! ing who thought one man WAS rs good rs
"I''.'', ''''' 1.,1,Io,
o'''5 ,I.a'1 'a. 4,ia, , Id, outside
,'',''S i'l,,t,I,, ,,r,,,.
-''' ,,,r ,rrt,o,, ,r. l,r
| ,[',1I.t,,.r.of f.I,
! ."''P ''' -; -. ~ ., ll,,.. 49,, and 1,
! 49, '". ' ~ an, ,,:n -,
| -'''' '''''" '''7 - IA
'o'- ""iS' - "'",''' "'' -,
down anu p"iHc' L" = S"i''' "',''i' ~ - '4' ''
| ilDI'' 4E''''ui' Hoi'''Io" ~ ' ''i '"' -
are "' many GOV '''"'H' ''.'''-' ,','' 80 -.
! 'l''io "'' "''i'. '''N ''"' '''' ','''' -
! i'""''0 ~ '"''o' ~ pa '"'' Wv r 60,
"''i''i'''' - - '''' ",'o ' ''
! gov "''i"'''i''. - va "'''.''' 'i'' -'' '''' ''
"'I"ii' - Pi''"'' '''IN'I''' "e -'"i'''' "' ~'
| as Is pforr-'Ht Nlch 'h' PlHcH 'o"''S o'i N'''i
Service does Hot Lose III comparison WI" ,H1' u
! other nailonS oar representatives apf"'i nav
some 'iii'' uS1Ia'eu "'' "u ''' '' 'i','"'' -
"il'hpnrIio WIS oe'"n'''ei ~ 'i' I'i'''.'i'' "',
III "'ir!Sul'd rl-' ID Il Nos. 'i''A'e anu ''''''
/ lN'noi' nc pore hliI'ei Win e "S'i,', 'o'''S'
aAd Ja't that eHc'te" Iie .T"''1o.o Il "'iN''.''
ana l"o admiration % fI'','' IL We map "
leNe the hel'iiher'' secretary I4'h was 'l''o" ~
| IT'rloth' 'Iihl Oh 'l' >'''' o' -'''u "'''i ''
DIS c'NhU! -h"uSe "h ''o H"''r"Hi "'J H' '""N Us
over the spanish reels "s u he hAd o'eh Dor" sui
nS-;na7i'r; III th9 " ilSi'" h'3'''io'' WIN ElI-