The Portland daily press., 1878-04-11
THU sDAY MORNING, APRIL ii.

Mr.. Eaton approaches the conventions OF
preparations for the last election opened
> both parties n declared for the
very policy SO lately discarded" 1t is not quite
clear what Mr.. Eaton means by "the policy"
If it was the te inical Curtis Eaton- Medli re-
form that died Congress for .'ack OF leelsle-
ton, when diI either party pla torn deG i;st
for IL? If il " what Mr.. Eaton CANS aooi. .ho
ing patronage-what was really al s;t vhan
evils OF patronage-and regarding 70 WIZ
the party did at the outset of the last eresiden-
tial campaign was to declare that tn. inVari'
able rule for appointments shonld nav ieleI
ence TO the honesty, fidelity and capa, Ivy Vi
sppointees, giviBg to the party IN power fose
places where harmony and vigor OF admins ira
ton REQUIRE its policy to be represented, b ut
permitting all others to be filled by person
selected with sole reference to the efficiency of
the public service, and the right of citizens to
share in the honor of rendering faithful service
to their country"
should like to have Mr.. Eaton point out
any plank in any Republican platform, or any
authoritative declaration of the Republican
party where this policy is dscarded---where
honesty and capacity are declared lnslgnlhsshst
or where the party IN power Is forbidden to MI
subordinate places with members OF the oppo-
site party. L should like also to have Mr..
Eaton specify any time during the ascendency
of the Republican party in which Democrats
did not hold subordinate places under the Gov
eminent.
MIR. Eaton says the nomination "fell upon
one wbo more emphatically than any other
person ever before proposed for that high sta
ton, had pledged himself to the reform OF the
civil service" clad pledged himself" That
is, Mr.. Hayes, before his nomination, was
stronger adherent Of civil service reform than
any other proposed candidate had ever been.
This may be true. L am unhappily not IA
milar with Mr.. Hayes's history previous to his
nomination, except as the Boston Advertiser
fnrn hOA 10 hnra .loAr IN
Mr.. Eaton's reform when he was lawyer in
Fremont, or when the "Ben Eggleston Ring"
"knew" him, or when he was writing in 1872
that "the Cincinnati Liberals were gobbled up
and done for in the handsomest way lmagina-
ble-such defeat was never seen before;" or
it may be that the Pennsy lyania machine poll
ticisns were sending $1,000 apiece to Ohio to
help elect him as Civil Service Reform Cover
nor. only wonder that the most prominent
Civil Service Reform Candidate the country
ever knew should not have been Mr.. Eaton's
first choice rather than-hobson's. What the
country at large kGows of the Presidents
pledges is to be found in his letter of aecep-
lance after his nomination In this ne refers,
though incorrectly, to the practice OF the faith
ers, affirming that they neither expected nor
desired from the public officers any partisan
service; that they meant that the officer should
be secure in his tenure as long "a his personal
character remained untarnished, and the per-
Torrance of his duties satisfactory.
This is not a matter of great impore. What
we ought to dc, we ought to do, whether our
fathers did it or not. But when so important
person as the candidate for the Presidency OF
the United States makes historical mis- state
ment in so important public document as his
letter of acceptance, it not only worth while
but imperative to affirm 10 the most respectful,
but the most positive manner, that it is a mis-
statement. Governor Hayes fell into an error
not surprising, not unnatural, but not the less
an error.
We depict set of rounded aud perfect, if
somewhat unnteresting figures and label them
Oar Fathers and bow down before them with
Chinese Difference, but when we come upon Q
cross section of that period, and see those we'll
beloved men going about their business in theil
everyday clothes. we find they were just al
violently partisan as we, and when they wanted
man out of Office he had to 60, and wher
they wanted him in they pulled the wires an(
jerked HIM inf they could. At any rate
this, because L have this, already
proved it in previous numbers of thu
New York Tribune. A single book, "The Life
and Letters of George Cabot" shows conclu
sively that the Government of the fathers die
expect and require from its pubic officers par
tisan service and that they did not mean tina
any officer should be SO secure in his tenure
that they could not turn him out irrespective O
his character and the performance of his duties
But in addition to this, happen to have befor
me the unsolicited testimony of one of them
still living, man who, with the brave blood o.
the splendid old Federalists bounding through
all his fourscore years and ten still makes fig b
for Massachusetts as if Bonaparte and the EN-
barge were going to be the main issue of thu
next election. "The war of 1872 writes thi
spirited old politician, "was got up to hell
Bonaparte conquer England and to destroy the
commerce of Nsw England, which the Soutl
had been working at for years through enabar
go and nor-antercoorSe' l think old Governo
Strong did just right in retaining our troops Il
defend our own coast, and they did ii, instead
of being marched off to Canada, to be surren
dered at Detroit to an inferior force withou
firing gun! was one of those drafted militi
men, but don't claim much honor as a soldier
and didn't wish for any in that war. pursued
my professional studies as if nothing had hap
pened, and was never called for
Is not that delicious? The sturdy young Fed
eralist sitting among his books and silently anG
successfully --defying the whole Nationa
power! Perhaps, by the way. that may. throw
let the Massachusetts troops go beyond tn
the State line! Courage to fight in a righteou
cause is, Heaven be praised, common trai
with our conntrymen. But courage to refuS
to night IN an unrighteous cause, courage to g
quietly about ones business, dsdaining all tn
armies of Israel, and without riot, revolt or Sc
dition, simply ignoring the summons to unjus
warfare has not hitherto fallen under my OBJ
servation. Justly enough, this staunch ant
sturdy Federalist wants no apology, no defence
no explanation. He glories in his act; and thi
Is the burden OF his song. 1t is only incden
tally, and therefore all the more forcibly tina
ne says: VI have never placed much value OF
TINS civil Service business. To certain ex
tent it has been true from the days of Wash
ington to the victor belong the spoils.'
don't like permanence in office. I would limi
the term OF every Office, to bs reappointed O
not. know OF no more appropriate advise
Tor President to look TO in appointments tina
Senators and Representatives of the people
NO Civil Service Board in my plan.'
GAIL HAMILTON.