New-York tribune., 1878-04-13
GAIL HAMILTON-D. B. EATON.
Mp EAToNs PATH OF GLORY IN THE
FEBRUARY ATLANTIC.
VII.
THE TRUTH OF DEEDS.

o,ber claim.D Inthis ne went, perhaps, even be-
vond the platform on which he was nominated IN
Iiridly excluding every claim except honesty ca
nocity and fidelity I" If elected,D he said :" shall
conduct the Administration of the Government
upon these principles" and these prheipleS
were directly and definitely declared 10 DE Ihose
of the fathers in which they neither expected nor
desired from the public officers, any partisan ser
vice but "meant that the officer should be secure
IN his tenure as long as his personal character re-
manned untarnished, and the performance OF his
duties satisfactory"
These principles were iterated and reiterated wlth
more or less minuteness in the inaugural adj
dres in the message to Congress, in the civil Ser
,ico order. and Mr.. Eaton declares that they have
- oorriad ont that the President has justly in-
,ornreted the pledges given, according to their
sDirit and to their acceptance by the people,
The truth is exactly the contrary Inc fresi-
dent has not Justly interpreted these pieuges NO
S;il Ssrvice pledge has been given directly or IN
IiraatIy; in the Republican platforms of 1872 and
1870 in the letter of acceptance, ip the inaugural
address in the message to Congress, in the ClVh
service order-that has not been violated. All the
ledges and all the avOwed principles OF the Pres-
dent and the party have had no more appreclaole
efact nnon aupontments than if they had never oeen
oyowed There are no discernble principles WHAT
ever of the fathers of the sons, upon whl'h the
administration of TIE Government has Deeh con-
dueted Honesty, capacity and fidelity do not uhder
Mr.. Eatons Reform regime, constitute the only real
qualifications for Office. Honesty, capacity ana
fidelity have been utterly and repeatedly dlSre-
garled have been set aside IN appointments, ID re-
appointments and IN retention OF Office All otler
claims have not been discarded. Other claims
have been elamOrOus and successful. Men
have been appointed without especial fitness
promOted and kept from promotion, 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, with their personal character nn-
tarnished and their official avOwedly salts
factory Worse than this personal character has
been tanished for the mere purpose, so far as the
human mind can judge, of giving an eXcuse for
turning ont of Office. Secret Investigations
have been permitted and pursued; accusations have
been published and generations suppressed; when
one investigation has failed to implcate, another
and another has been instituted on the same charges
and it has seemed to high officers wiser and purer
thing-a measure of Relorm-tO blacken the repu-
tation 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 to-
gether into prOmiscuous and unsightly heap. Par
tlsan service has not only been expected and
desired but required of public officers. Officers
whose private character and official career have
been pronounced uneXceptlonable have been dis
missed in accordance with the wishes of Congress
men who uphold the Administration. and officers OF
equal integrity have been dismissed against the pro-
test of Congressman who disapprOve the course of
the Administration. Officers of experience and
admitted merit have been dismissed on the
score of political partisanshp at the bchest of Sell
ovtho thotvo nd hoy baa adad
by the political partisans of those Senators,
absolutely without official experience knowl-
edge of the duty they called upon to
discharge. And while political partsans have
been summoned into Office from outside political
circles tired and proven officers have been left with
out promotion Congressional dictation has been
met with a compliance that can only be called ser
witty aud Congressional suggestion with behavior
that goes far beyond the bounds OF discOurtesy In
no Administration of late years has patronage been
so openly and unblushingly exposed to sale, put up
for barter, bawked about for a purchaser APP
pontments have not been made as nearly as posi-
ble impersOnal; they have been made more per-
sonal, more petty, more puny than ever before.
Women, soldiers widows, have been turned out of
Post Offices whose duties they have dis
charged with conspicuous fidelity and ca
pacity, and have been turned out AGAINST
the petition of large majority of their fellow-cit
zens, to make way for man whose sole special
claim was his political partisanship. The reform
has not only not been thorough, radical and COM
plete-it has never been begun. There has been no
reform at all except the reform that comes in
evitably from the concentration of the public at
tention upon the public service and that has been
accomplished by the old machine men in the old
machine way. The credit of the Administration to-
day due to the old party leaders and the old party
men who have been secured retained in its ser
vice. Its diseredt is due to such dabbing reform as
that, for instance which dismissed Mr. John L.
Smith from the Indian office under charges made by
the Secretary Of tho Interior. The weight attached
to these charges may be inferred from the fact that
they did not in the least prevent or delay his ap-
pOintment by the President and confirmation by the
Senate TO an important foreign position. Under bis
reform successor, Mr.. Hoyt, Territorial Delegate.
called eleven times at the Indian office and many
failed 10 find the Commissioner. But Reform wisdom
sjGstifed of her children because, although the
Commissioner was absent in New York attending to
bis private business, he deducted from his sal
airy the per diem he would have earned had
be been present performing his official du-
ties IL would be impossible for an Ameri-
can Administration to make no good appoint
ments, but there is line of reform upon which
this Administration has taken two consecutive steps
i1 advance. To no single principle of reform
friend or foe point as one which the Administration
has consistently followed. The President said in his
inaugural that there should be not only a reform as
TO certain abuses and practices but change in the
system Of appointment itself and the change turns
out to be q change from what the Reformers call
the spoils system" into greedy grabbing
and scattering of spoils without any sys-
TEN at ALL The President has not used
the offices as rewards for party services, but
he has used them penalties for party services and
rewards for personal adherence TO himself. He has
not used his patronage to build up his party but he