National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-06-23
REFORM ~ THE NEW rORK Custom
HOUSE

HOUSE.
Who ever heard of IN investigating com.
mittcc that amounted TO anythingr They
seem to be universally solemn farccs. The
recent commission TO investigate the New
YORK custom-hOuso proves to have been no
exception to the general rule. The emf
nently respectable gentlemen who composed
that commission spent great deal Of time
and labor in that work, but with what re-
srltr They did not discover any important
s.ct which collector appointed OH account
of his qualifications for the post ought not
to have discovered for himself, and to have
remedicd upon his own motion.
They found that under the sdministra-
tion of Collector ARTHUR subOriinatcs had
been appointed through political influence;
that contributions for party purposes had
been exactcd from them; that they had sup
piled the DEFICIENCIES of their salaries thus
produced by accepting brides from mCr-
chants; that the employees got 10 their work
m hour after the prescribed time in the
morning, and left Mt irregular and improper
times; that y considerable portion of the
force wcrr deficient in proper attention to
business, rs well as in business qunlifiCa-
tons and character; that some were en-
gagged in private business to the dctriment
of the public interests, and that Others had
fraudulcntly accepted money for services
rendered in their official capacity. They
furthermore reported that Collector ARTHUR
employed one thousand men when only
eight hundred were really needed to do the
work.
II must he remembered that at the time
this investigation was made, Mr. ARTHUR
had been Collector of the Port of New York
for more than five years, and that he is
therefore personally answorable for this
long catalogue Of official dirclictiOns. Mr..
Arthur is the man under whom these CT
roneOus abuses tlourished and grew in
strength. Things which were bad when he
entered upon the duties of his Office grew
continually worse through his encourage
ment. From the stand point of civil ser
vice reform his administration Of the New
York custom-hous is national disgrace.
We need say nothing Of the anteccdents
of Mr.. ARTHUR, of his having served rs
counsel to the Board of New York Tax
Commissioners, at n salary of $4,000 year
under the reign of TWEED; of his init
mate relations with other notoriously
corrupt politicians, or of his general
character, not one trait Of which quail
iies him for post which demands nnim-
peachable integrity and the highest business
II HONtNtli ~
fer TO these and other facts: for upon tho
sole ground of his maladministratiOn Of his
high Office, all true friends of good govern
mcnt and real reform earnestly hope that he
may without further delay he removed from,
Office, and we also hope that GEORGE ii
SHARPE, the surveyor Of the port, and ia
whom the foregoing remarks apply with
equal force, will alyo be sent about his bust
ness Mt the earliest period practicable.
We have no doubt rs to what the ultimate
course Of the President will be in regard ia
this matter, but we regret that the pressure
Of other important business or any otheJ
considerations should delay such action in
regard to it as is impertively demanded by
the principles of civil service reform. The
past record Of both ARTHUR and SHARPE
cannot be forgotten. Their promises to dc
better in the future will not satisfy that en-
| lightened and influential public sentiment
of the Ration, which looks upon this case rs
one which is TO test whether civil service
reform is to be made thorough and real.