New-York tribune., 1877-06-21
THE ADMINISTRATIONS DILEMMA.


TALK WITH An OLD PoLIncIAN-THREE PATHs-A
COMPROMISE THUS FAR BETWEEN TWO OF THEM
--EyENrs 10 BE LOOKED FOR-THE REFORM
ELEMENT.
rFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE.l
WAsHISGToN. June 19.-Old Politician who has
been in Washington for a few days just 70 see how
the machine is running"-"Now. as to the appoint
ments, there three courses open to Hayes when
he came in. One was to keep on in the old way and
parcel out the offices ameng the Senators and Con-
gressnIen Another was to cut loose altogether from
the party managers and rgidly carry ont the high
flown theories Of civil service Ieform-no removals
except for cause; no appointments except for con-
spi"uous merit, and al that sort of thing. Then
there vas 4 middle cour>e-dangerous but not inn
pract ale 1t was to keep in tow the two antago-
nstic elements in the Republican party; TO put
enough of ciyl .cr7oe prp iples practice to make
the reformers think the Administration great i'm
provement on It's predecessor, and at the time
10 yield enough patronage to the big political chiefs
90 keep them from hostile demonstrations
Correspondrnt-"WeI which plan do you think
the Administration has adoptedi Not the first one,
as we all know Is it, then. question between the
other twop
Old Poiiticlan-"I think il still IN open question.
There haven't been appointments enough made yet
fully to develop the Presidents policy. Those that
no has made, take them ali together, show dispo-
sition to pursue the compromise course. We shall
know pretty soon, when the foreign missions and
other important places are filled up. You see 1t
would require q prodIgious amount Of courage for
the Administration to snap its fingers at all the men
who made It, defy them to attack it, and fall back
on wholly unorCanized public sentiment. So
much courage is scarcely to be expected from IN
Administration of lawyers-for they are all lawyers
the President himself, Evarts. Sherman, McCrary,
Devcns. Thompson, Key, and Sehurz. The middle
course looks attractive. 1t requires skill tonavgate
it successfully; but who likely to contde
in skill as Lawyers. It's dilemma, the best you can
make of it. Suppose the President were TO 90 the
whole length Of the civil service theory. He pays no
more attention TO the recommendations of the Re-
publican party chiefs than those of any other rep
utahe citizens. Could be keep party at his back
long? Without party organization TO sustain him,
could he carry ont any policy in relation to the
South. the currency. or other important national
questions in face of the opposition of the solid De-
mocraey' On the other hand, the civil service re-
formers are unreasonably exacting They won't be
put off with half loaf. They insist that the PreSi-
dent shall toe the mark they have chalked Out Al
ready they are getting suspicious that their notions
are not going to control. If they desert the Presi
dent, he loses his b0dy-guard. They are the only
political force that viii stand by him from purely
unseltish motives As long as he defends principle,
they will defend him, but if they fall away he is
posed to attack all sides The old party leaders
could force him to surrender or destroy
him. His relation with these leaders now
is that of an armed truce. Morton has
lust put away his twOedged sword; Blaine is sharp
ening his hatchet in tine woods of Maine; COnkling
gave us glimpse Of the dagger he carries before he
sailed to Europe, and Cameron has been brandishing
his knife in Pennsylvania county conventions. II
these men should find when Congress meets that
HAYES has no longer the reform sentiment of the
country at his back, they might reduce him by
combined assault TO almost bad straits Andrew
johnson was put tor
Correspondence You mako ont that the Admin
istration is in very critical predlcamenta sort Of
Scya and Charybdis situation. in short"
Old Politician" just so but Hayes can get out OF
il If anybody can. People talk about his luck. It's
sagacity. He's remarkably sagacious man. He's
not being managed by Stanley Matthews OF John
sherman, as some suppose. Why, he has more brains
and sense than either Of them. tell you he's the
team himself, and not the dog under the wagon"
l.. V, ).