New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-16
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
LITTER FROM GAIL HAMILTON.

AIS OF 1S72-AN ANOMALOUS CLAIM-sECRE-
r,pv scuURz AND HIS REFoRMs-MUCH TALK
AND LITTLE BASIS FOR 1T.
o. m, Bdttor OF The Tribune.
SIN. The nomination and election of Gov Hayes
80 claimed as the triumph of the Reform party.
H., NOT myself been able TO il in that light
shore in the surprise Of the oeh of Liberal Re
blican leaders and editors who have been recently
visiting the President by invitations and who. we
ere naiyely told, "have learned, somewhat to their
surprse that Hayes sympathized strongly with the
Liberal Republican movement In 1877, and was
.tronolv Of the opinion that they elected him." One
can imagine the genial gentle, but eager question
,nc with which the Administrative and the editorial
ives searched into each Others depths at the utter
.nce of each of those propositions. To many of us
4, seeu,ed not so much that Reform nominated and
,octed IFS President as that Reform willing TO
Law hold of the coat tails Of GraRtsm and Cameron
lam and MortOnism, and Conklingism i'll order
20 come in on the winning side. Ger
tain il is it was not Reform which stood
alone through the fight, fronting the whole
force of the Administration, the ofice-holding ele-
,ent and the political machinery in addition to the
honorable rivalry of honorable men, and relying
unon nothing but its own native and legitimate
strength Certain il is that IN the hnal graphic IL
was Reform which struck hands with the Admins
tration on whose corruption ITS own existence
was founded; with Cameronism, whose funeral
baked meats its highest ambition was to prepare
nth Mortonism and Conklingism, which had long
TAINTED the red flag to its finest frenzy ina no
foult with il for this. Only in so doing it was be-
having very much like the children of this world
.,d not like the children of light and 1T is little
odd IN see this innocent Infant of Reform bearing
itself so exactly like political war-hoTse, graSphg
the tall a,CHo Of the vile but vigorous cheItahs Oh
the old regime and then stepping III 'front.' Oh 'heih
and uroclamng itself the Conquerlng Hero come
However. waive all that and admit its claims
without demur Civil Service Reform, let us say
.lec+ed and inaugurated President Hayes, aud an
uounced itself in command of the situation, 1t
formed it, own Cabinet, and Immediately began TO
ipcubate 1t would be unreasonable to anticipate
matters. but so far as the brood has vet picked
through it gives every sign of having been Matched
in mares nest.
Iaairm what is not, of course, susceptible of absO
lutte proof but is think. warranted by vast mass
of cumulative evidence that except the applause of
the Reform claqueurs there is no sign of any more
Civil Service Reform under this Administration than
there was under the previous Administration. Its
guardians and spokesman and sponsors burden the
mails with their declarations of its unalterable de-
yotion 10 Reform. The heavens TesOund with their
yOluble vows that the President is indssO-
lubly welded to Reform, and will never, no,
never desert Mrs. Micawber; but behind and be-
meath all the clamors and clippings of the caqueurs
is heard the low hum OF the political machine, spin
ming on Just as steadily and faithfully i'll the most
balcyon DAYS of Grants Administration and turning
out exactly the quality of work. The sole dit
ference that the operative then was called an old
war-horse and now he is called Civil Service Re
former The only difference is that then the OPP
1; Il o,,1 III roth abo
now he has his muezzin on the balconies bidding all
the faithful fall upon their knees IN alteration OF
the new Reform.
Twill give few examples to show exactly what
mean and why l mean it. l rely solely upon the
law and the testimony. Let my assertion stand or
fall by the facts.
The principles of Reform are announced as these:
The peoples business to he done on business priv
ciples without regard to politics.
No appointment except for fitness.
No promotion except for merit
No dismissal except for cause
Mr. Carl Schurz is declared by the Reform papers
to be " leading spirit in the Administration,
in perfect harmony with President Hayes and "a
man whose selection meant radical change" He
was also a leading spirit of the Reform movement
long before election. In May, 1875, he pronounced
our Government machinery corrupt; a cause of
burning shame to every patriotic citizen, field
which furnished so great harvest of disaster and
shame that il had become the first duty of the
American people to reGstahlsh the moral character
of the Government by "a thorough reform Well,
Mr.. Carl SchuH was set over the Interior Depart
ment, field which had previously been titled by
Secretary Chandler. No more vigorous test could
have been applied. Secretary Chandler was the
black sheep OF the old party, the bde noir of the
new. He had for years drawn the fire of Reform.
He was head and front of all Objectionable methods,
"a wire-pulleT OF wre-pullers machine politician,
an old war-loTse, man inside politics and outside
courtesy so that those gentlemen in the strict sense
of the word who composed the Reform Lobby at
Cincinnati and constitute the leading Reform edi-
tors in the country were able to heal
their wounded eentle-ness by nothing less
than calling him Zach" Chandler. Very
well; let me not show myself 10 gentleman
by calling him Mr. Chandler - Zach Chandler
handed over his charge TO Mr.. Schuz and declared
with the most uublushing efrontery that with the
aid of his suboTdinates he had cleansed his depart
ment and that far as he could ascertain no
abuses existed. Aud what did the great Retormcr
do Z Instead Of taking his new broom and sweeping
out this rubbish he replied Il think am expressing
the general opinion OF the country when i say you
have succeeded in placing the Interior Departmental
a far better condition than it has been for years,
ana that the puDic Is uueDleu 10 you IoI TIC NolS
energetic and successful work you have performed.
shall be happy when leaving the depart
ment to have achieved good reputation for
practical efficiency as you have wOn|
Nor does this appear to have been the mere cour-
tesv of an in-comer 10 OutgOer. The Ihdec news
paper says:
Secretary Chambers presentment OF the Indian ques
zion is 50 full ana intelligent that the President
t(rau had need 10 do more Than leIel 70 thc report
m * more business-kc and sag1ci0n> did less
sentimental than the original Indian policy OF MS ADMIN