New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-28
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
LETTER FROM GAIL HAMILTON.

NO-NEPoTIsM SYSTEM ABsURD-A CHINESE COM
PETITIvE EXAMINATION.
TO the Edttor or The Tribune
SIR: 1t is very easy to see that Congressman, with
the consent of the Executive, may get improper and
vicious into office. 1t is still easier to that
a President utterly disregarding the competent
knowledge and proper recommendation of Congress
men, might stumble blindy and err most fatally in
attempting to make appointments the entire
Continent mere hap-hazard testimony and chance
endorsement.
This is the one natter" says the Reformer in
which Congressman, as body, have personal in
terest, wholly apart from and opposed to the public
interest. But il is by his control over the
Federal Offices in his District that he expects to get
and keep his own seat in Congress-" wholly ques-
ton the accuracy of this statement So far from be-
ing correct it is in many precisely the reverse
of che truth. Most Congressman find little no aid
from the influence supposed 10 come from federai
patronage; many of them find it hindrance,
stumbhng-blOck, cause of unexpected and even
unfair defeat rather than victory. l admit that 1t
is difficult TO attribute the attitude and acts of the
RefOrmers to anything but sincere and profound be-
lief that pow through patronage, but all the
men of whose election to Congress know anything
made themselves felt by their own power and
prowess before they were sought by constituency
All the men | know in public life were abundantly
not scramble up on the nights for dea- hfe but be-
longed there by force Of natural elevation Any child
can see that for one man pleased by a Federal APP
pOintment, ten men are displeased by nOn-appont-
ment and disappointment. The newspapers
constantly telling us how great is the scramble for
Office, how numerous the bafiled applicants 1t is
not every man who has the Presidents knack OF
sendngevery one away hopeful-and even that is but
a short-lived expedent. They viii all find out pres
emily that they out in the cold, all but the one
who is warming himself within and while he is en-
thusiastic over his President or his Congressman.
where are the nine who went away empty
But granting his assumption to the Reformer does
not the case fully viudicate the wisdom Of the Con-
stltution and the Fathers against hm9 If it is by
his patronage the Congressman is to secure his place.
does it notinstantly become all-important to him to
distribute his patronage wSelyf His opportunities
20 know the character of the men whom he recon-
mends for office in his District are UNNECESSARILY
better than those of the President His chcntelage is
mailer aud he can he held to closer responsibility.
He has an Immediate personal, eyerIrcsent stake in
rhe character of the men whom he appoints. The
President the Heads of Departments, far-oif and
hard to get at. The Congressman is handy, and an
indignant constituency can make a set upon him any
time Every man in town knows whether his letters
are promptly delivered and the Congressman can do
no worse thing for himself than to put in drunken,
or a defaulting OF a datoTy Postmaster. IL is not
only the Democrat the way who is waiting TO
Jump on him, but his own Republican comrades who
are all ready to take his place.
This is not merely the simplest b c Of the theory
of human nature but it is proven by general expert
euce Loud and deep and wide declarations and de-
carnations of official corruption and Congressional
intrigue are not worth the paper they are written
on We cazed in chill horror at the awful official
iniquty which Mr.. Carl Schurz unfolded to us in
Salem two or three years ago. But when the echoes
of his musical voice had died away in the distance,
and We recovered ourselves enough to look around.
what did we see Gen. Butler is the political Arch
Fiend of the Refomcrs He is their Ideal Badness,
their Dream of Deprayity. Mr.. Schurz lecturedn the
District which Gen. Butler captured and held for
eight years by force of his conceded ability and
positivencss-by the still greater force of his
early and pronounced loyalty. / strongly disap-
proved of his methods and regretted his ascendancy
but if he ever made single bad appointment,
never heard of il. One officer did mlsbehaye and
Gen. Butler instantly had hun removed. ] believe
the Postmasters of the Essex District just as
respectable just honest, just as intelligent just
As business-lke a set of men the farmers, the
rhanics the editors the clergy of the Essex Dis
trict. have never heard whisper that the Federal
officers of this District in any respect inferior to
the Municipal officers, to the Seecmen, to the
School Committee, or to any body OF men whatever
asked one of the most honest and cultivated OF Re
formers if there any marked superiority IN the
ofice-holders of Mr.. Hoar's District those of
Gen. Butler's-Mr Hoar being at end of his
moral pole and Gen. Butler at the other He SAID he
had not looked into that, and could not say. But
that is the very thing that ought to be looked into
Ii il not WISE il is not scentihc-it is narrow
and illibera-tO sit i'll "a newspaper Office and ar
que that a system is bad because it puts bad
men Iuto Office, and men in Office bad be-
cause they are chosen a bad system, and not look
at the men themselves to whether they are bad
OF not, or whether they worse than other men.
Theory should be based on facts. Facts, indeed, in
such a case as this ought not TO need 10 be looked
into. To support their theory properly they ought
10 spripg I'D INTO our faces and eyes and smite
IL they do not if there is no palpable difference be-
tween Mr. Hoars men and Gen. Buffers men, II
means something. The RefOrmers need not attrib-
ute il to any mistaken views Of their men as to
Gen. Buffers character. They may, if they choose,
follow The example of the good old lady who never
slept in church. hut used to keep her eyes closed that
she might shut out the sight of the worlds people:
they may close their eyes in speeches. disgust when
Gen Butler passes by-as he unhappily has a way OF
doing quite often-but my case is only the stronger
for that If Gen. Butler with all his total dcprayty
strong upon him, found his account in overcoming
his natural propensity 90 evil and in making good
spyoiutmcnts, what may not expect from those
undergraduates who have not yet taken their de-
eree in the university OF political crimcT
But" SAYS the Reformer, and the Rcfomcr IN
This case too is an honest and sincere RcfOrmer,
"because man Lappcns 10 be related To- Congress
man. is that any reason why he should be in the