New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-04-13
THE cTSTO,LHOTSE AGAIN.

THE CTSTOW-HOTSE AGAIN.
It was one Of the worst features Of the Old
civil service system that abuses in any of the
DEPARTMENTS, once established became almost
incradicable When officers were appointed
for political reasons any complaint of their
conduct was usually attributed to political hos
tity. If the management of cuStOm-hOIise,
post-otlicc, an Indian agency, or a Washing
ton bureau was criticised, the friends of the
President Instantly felt it to be their duty
to rally to the support of the Administration.
The compliments were abused; If they were
Democrats they were described as unscrupu-
lous malignaHts if they were Republicans
they were assailcd with still greater bitter
ness as traitors and sorcEcads. The witnesses
were discrcditcd. The accused We're loaded
with compliments. If after all it became
necessary TO hold an investigation the party
managers took pains that nothing should
come of il. In some cases IN offender may
have been tcndcrly warned not 10 do so any
more, but if he was i p'rson useful Ill e."
ward meetings and State conventions he wa.
pretty safe from punishment. The -Caadals
which did come to light IN spite of all attempts
to smother them were gradually forgotten, and
tie business of post office and cuslonl-honse
politics got back into the old routine. Why
not? The chief business of civil service
officer was to fix the politics of his district,
and if he did that to the satisfaction of the
authorities it was not much matter how he
served the public.
Thus it was that neither OF the several Gus
toln-LOusc Investigations under Gen. Grant
accomplished . reform, although the publicity
given to the wrongs praCtced upon merchants
by Leet and Stocking and by Spcci1l Agent
JAYNE did result in an ame0ration Of
the general order and moiety systems. These
changes never went TO the root OF the diff
Gully. The Investigations Were conducted
lv partisan committees of Congress; they led
to highly cclored partisan reports; and there
they stopped leaving the public convinced
that neither party was sincerely anxious for
the improvement of the public. service or the
discovery o. the truth, hut that ore side had
pressed the Inquiry for the sake of effect upon
the elections and the other had obstrIcted it
in the fear of making awkward disclosures
The pubic was not far from night. Nothing
of permanent value ought TO have been ex-
pccted from Tire investigation by politicians Of
an establishment which was nothing but a
great political machine.
President Hayes has now undertaken an ex-
animation Of the New-lork Custom-house
under circumstances entirely different from
those which attended the former inquiries. He
has gone at the work as a matter of business,
not politics. and there are no party interests
10 be served by it in either way, except so
far as the President serves his own party
whenever he does q good thing. His exam
liners have 10 interest III keeping anything
back. His Administration has nothing 20 dread
from the discovery of any of the errors
of his predecessor. Gen. Grant was nm
fortunately not very sensitive as to
the purity of his Administration, but
with the best will in the world to reform the
Custom-house he could not have undertaken
the task with such fair hopes of getting at the
truth and such fair prospects of an easy VIC
tory over abuses rs now smile upon the I'M
dcrtalling of President Hayes. In Gen. Grants
time, with the shocking civil service system
then in vogue, it was unsafe 10 trust either
the accusers or the defenders of any person in
Office; and even when maadmnistration was
clearly proved it seemed sometimes impossible
! to make the proper changes without little
! political convulsOn.
| NO u0ubJ the management OF the New Ork
Custom-hOuse has been improved within a
few years. Ii is not quite such fragrant
scandal as 1t used TO be. Ii Mr.. Hayes keeps
on in his reform of the civil service its use
fulness as a political machine will soon be a
thing of the past. But when a thorough ex-
animation is made by board of experts such
as the President is understood to purpose ap-
pointing, il will be strange if multitude of
wrongs are not brought TO light, the direct and
inevitable consequences of the vicious plan
upon which the institution has so long been run.
The subject Of reform in our method Of col
lecting duties is a large one, and we must not
expect the President and Secretary of the
| Treasury to dispose of it in "A few days. They
can however insist upon q faithful execution
of the present laws, and they can relieve the
mercantile community of a multitude of vex-
ations and exactions which have long been
notorious. In this all parties will give them a
cordial support, and the respectable press
Democratic as well as Republican, will do q
great service W the merchants if. during the