The Portland daily press., 1878-04-19
IN. Y. Tribune.l
Gail Hamilton Again.
Mr.. Eaton's Path of Glory In the Fehru-
ary Atlantic-The Truth Of Deeds.

But, leaving out the past, we have to do
with what Mr.. Hayes promised for the future
In his letter of acceptance he says it is the
true rule, that honesty, capacity and fidelity
constitute the only real qualifications for office,
and there is no other claim" In this he went,
perhaps, even beyond the platform on which
he was nominated, in rigidly excluding every
claim except honesty, capacity and fidelity.
'If elected" he said, "T shall conduct the Ad-
ministration of the Government upon these
principles" and these principles were direct
ly and definitely declared to be those of the
fathers. in which they ''neither expected nor
desired from the public officers, any partisan
service, but "meant that the officer should be
secure in his tenure as long as his personal
character remained untarnished, and the per-
formance of his duties satisfactory"
These principles were iteratsd and reiterated
with more or less minuteness in the inaugural
address, in the message to Congress, in the
inaugural address, in the message to Congress,
in the Civil Service order, and Mr.. Eaton de-
clares that they have been carried out; that
"the President has justly interpreted the
pledges, according to their spirit and to their
acceptance by the people,"
The truth is exactly the contrary. The
President has not justly interpreted these
pledges. No civil service pledge has been
given directly or indirectly-in the Republi-
platforms of 1872 and 1876, in the letter of ac-
ceptance, in the inaugural address, in the mes
sage to Congress. in the civil service order
that has not been violated. All the pledges
and ell the avowed principles of the President
and the party have had no more appreciable
effect upon appointments than if they had
never been avowed. There are no discernible
principles whatever, of the fathers or of the
sons, upon which the administration of the
Government has Lbeen conducted. Honesty,
capacity and fidelity do not, under Mr.. Eaton's
Reform regime, constitute the only real quail
ications for Office. Honesty, capacity and
fidelity have been utterly and repeatedly disre-
garded; have been set aside in appointments,
in reappointments and in retention Of office.
All otte; claims have not been; discarded.
Other cl inns have been clamorous and success
full. Men have been appointed without es-
pecial fitness; promoted and kept from prono-
ton, without regard to merit or demerit, and
dismissed without cause; Officers have not
been secure in their offices, but have been
turned out OF office neck and heels, and their
personal character untarnished and their off,
cal course avowedly satisfactory. Worse than
this, personal character has been tarnished for
the mere purpose, SO far as the human mind
can judge, of giving an excuse for turning
man out OF office. Secret investigations have
been permitted and pursued; accusations have
been Published and generations suppressed;
when one investigation has failed to implicate,
another and another has been instituted on the
same charges; and it has seemed to high off
GERS wiser and purer thing-a measure of
reform-to blacken the reputation of American
citizens than to dismiss them from office for
political reasons.
Patronage and politics have not been
divorced, but have been tumbled and crumbled
and jumbled together into promiscuous and
uns1ghtly heap. Partisan service has not only
been expected and desired, but required of pub
lio officers. Officers whose private character
unexceptonable have been dismissed in
accordance with the wishes of Con-
gressmen who uphold the Administration, and
officers OF equal integrity have been dismissed
against the protest of congressman who disap-
prove the course of the Administration. OH.
GERS OF experience and admitted merit have
been dismissed on the score of political parti-
sanship at the behest of Senators whom they
opposed, and have been succeeded by the politi-
cal partlsans OF those Senators, absolutely
duty they were called upon to discharge. And
while political partisans have been summoned
into office from outside political circles, tried
and proved officers have been left without pro-
motion. Congressional dictation has been met
with compliance that can only be called SER
Witty, and Congressional suggestion with be-
havior that goes far beyond the bounds of dis
courtesy. In no Administration of late years
has patronage been SO openly and unblushingly
exposed to sale, put up for barter, hawked
about for a purchaser. Appointments have
not been made as nearly as possible imperson-
al; they have been made more personal, more
petty, more puny than ever before. Women,
soldiers widows, have been turned out of post
offices whose duties they have discharged with
conspicuous fidelity and capacity, aud have
been turned out against the petition of large
majority of their fellow-ctizens, to make way
for man whose sole special claim was his
political partisanship. The reform has not
only not been thorough, radical and complete
it has never been begun. There has been no
reform at all except the reform that comes in
evltably from the concentration of the public
attention upon the public service, and that has
been accomplished by the old machine men in
the oid machine way. The credit of the Ad- |
mlnistraton to-day is due to the old party
leaders and the old party men who have been
secured or retained in its service. Its discredit
IS due to such dabbling reform as that, Tor ln-
stance, which dismissed Mr.. John l.. Smith
from the Indian office under charges made by
the Secretary of the Interior. The weight
attached to these charges may be inferred from