New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-03
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
ATALK WITH GENERAL cox.
WHY THE PRESIDENT HAS COME SHORT OF HIS
HIGH AIM As A REFoRMER-s. s. COX's CRIII-
CfSMS REPLIED To.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNRi


warm personal friend Of President Hayes, has IN
| conversation with correspondent Of The TRIBUNE
set forth in an interesting way his views on the sub
ject of Civil Service reform and the efforts of the
present Administration TO bring it about.
As Secretary OF the Interior eight years ago. General
| Cox the first Cabinet officer who seriously at
| tempted to carry the theory of the English Civil
! Service iatO practical operation in department of
this Government. During his term of Office he pub
lshed his general views this subject in The North
american Rerec, and since that time has been of
the staunchcst and most ardent advocates of Civil
Service reform in the United States. General Cox
frankly admits that President Hayes efforts to
reform the Civil Service have in a large measure
| failed Of success, and that the failure has been
brought into marked relief because the present
| Administration was introduced with an advertise
ment of reform.
But this failure says.Gcneral Cox, has come,
not from any want of honest intentions on the part
| Of the President, but. in my judgment, from tho
want of understanding, both with him and his
Cabinet, how absolutely rigid are The demands of
reformed Civil Service. am in frequent confer
cnce with the President, aud he has constantly as
sured me- as he has other friends Of reform in the
service Of his earnest wish to carry out in his Adj
minisration tn" views expressed This subject in
his letter Of acceptance: but do not believe that
in the ginning Of his term Of office he fully ap-
pretended The difficulty of The task he had under
taken In spite of hl9 announced Intentions OF re-
form. hc had not gone to the bottom of his subject
Lord Stra!tords famous maxim of administration
was thorough, and tins viii have to be the motto
of the Executive who succeeds in reforming the
Civil Service Of this country. The pablc mind has
been fully trained in the old methods of appoint
mem to Office that II Is almost Impossible t. get rld
of them. II would be difficult for the most ardent
4,
pate bis action from these traditional methods In
deed, it would be entirely impossible for any LN,cu-
tive, however capable and determined. 10 succeed
without the aid Of Congress, in reforming, by his
/ own might, the Civil Service % the county,
THE PRESIDENT, FAD LUCK.
"The main difficulty in administering the Civil
Service" continued General Cox us the want
of system of Civil Service to administer and for
Tins defect the Executive alone can neither com
! pensate nor De held responsible. President Hayes
IN coming into office either unGrrratcd this diff
emily or was over confident Of the unassis'yd power
of fla. Executive TO remedy IT. His g1cat mstakr
however. in Undertaking the tq,, Of Civil Service
rcforr, ,yas in coucciyiug thaf the only thing or
tho main thing to bp done in order 10 achieve this
rsfr, was to emf of Congressional dictainn i'm the
r,att.r of ,uoLiu, op,,infsnenfs He limited hi.
o,nbifiop and his action 10 this not parcrync that
all 80, IL form, NJ ,,.rs,,,,I ,cco,np,nud,-
,,, and I,,,, far ,li.. ~, FL, cupolIy objection
oIlc and slouId ho equally inc l,ctua The result
winch followed was inevitable As soon "a members
Of Congress discovered that THEN Recommendations
ia office were 10 be allowed to have no more weight
than those of unofficial ptrsous they cen ed visiug
tho White Hons, for tl. rcas pa tina, ihcv on, los;
s,,,,,,I, ,,,,pg tr.ir constituents by askin, for
p,tropar, which they were unable 10 Obtain. The
pr,.td., has lost in this way the gnpport Of most
.. 10, ,.. L.. ....,
tinrs 70 matte amendments from personal prefer
|. occ or upon De sonal Recommendation of any sort
il is inevitable thai his action will not De entirely
acceptable in any quarter.
! ''In attempting to carry ont 4 reform Tor whi"h
there was provided IL system, he las undoubtedly
madc many mistakes and Of these mistakes Mr..
Hayes Is n sensible as anybody. bat III having
made these mistake, It was the Presidents peculiar
misfortune 90 he held solely rr'p'nSlbi" Tor what
was nearly unavoidable, aud 10 have lost O." GER
tain cXjcu the confidence of the hst,r element oi
the people who were anxious to no thorough
amendment in the CIVIL service, independent "i
party considerations. What Mr.. HAYES now desires,
after his experience with this matter is the co0pn-
ton Of Congress in an attempt 10 c'tIh'i'h den
mite and thoroughly formulated system Of CNh
Service which shall receive the support "l the ih'e!-
ligcnt and thoughtful men oi All parties
General COX SAYS thai '''' are '""'''''""' I'M
the subject of Civil Service reform VIII come lP Tor
a thorough discussion IN Congress before TIE close
of the present session. Nothing hc says, viii give
him greater satisfaction than to stand m ms place
in the House OF Representatives, and defend the
theory OF a reformed service against the shall""
objections with which II has become the la'HI"h 10
assail it. especially against such objections rs nave
of late been ilippanty, though piauslbly urged by
Mr.. S. S. Cox, OF Aew-lork. that the new principles
of Civil Service are unrepublican that the system