The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-03-25
MONDAY MORNING, MARCH 25.

nor selected by competitive or other examipa.
ton, and their election no Civil Service reform
proposes or has power to touch. Vice-Presi-
dents have no power to reject or to appont, and
they are in no way embraced in that Civil Ser
vice which MIR. Dorman B. Eaton came to
Washington to reform, and whose corruption
he found to be SO far below that of the people.
However criminal or vicious Vice. Presidents
may be, they lower the average morality of
THE people" who elect them, but not Of the
CiVll Service, with which they have no connec-
ton.
The trouble with Mr.. Eaton is that he does
not definitely know what he is talking about or
what he is driving at. Civil Service Reform
means reform of the Civil Service,
not reform of the. general morals
of the ountry. Doctor" said a chronic
ic invalid, to the latest of long lice of physi-
clans who had been experimenting on her,
doctor you are all making shy at my
throat or my lungs or my nerves thinking you
will cure me- only ask yon to mitigate my
condition. Stick to my liverl'' Mr.. Dorman B.
Eaton ought to stick to the Civil Service. But
half the time when he is talking of the corrup-
ton OF official life. he does not mean the Civil
Service, out the official life of Congress- or of
public men or of political mep, which is no
more to the purpose than the official life of
deacons in the Cons reg atiousl Church We
do not deny that there's odds iu deacons," but
Mr.. Eaton was not appointed commissioner
TO make them even.
After MIR. Eaton has indicated the low estate
OF the Civil Service by one remark that was
not true and one that was not pertinent, and
one that was neither, he stumbles into the
right path aud says when wbiskey-ripg pecu-
lation and custom house corruption hourished
in many places"
Whiskey-ring peculation aud custom house
corruption come properly under the domain Of
Civil Service, aud undoubtedly exist and did
exist IN 1874. and to whatever extent they exist
they lower the tone of the Civil Service. The
partcalar branch of the Civil Service to which
they belong is the Treasury Department.
"Fioursh" is a rhetorical word. What
does MIR, Eaton mean by it? That peculation
and corruption are cultivated, and not checked
and restrsined and stunted in the Treasury
Department? On the contrary, take the Treas
ury Department through and through, whiskey-
ring peculatioD, custom house corruption anc
all, there is no private business in the country
which is carried on with SO great a proportion
ate accuracy as the Treasury Department. 1t
is so ho:oughly organized and SO faithfully
administered that it may almost bs said to run
Itself. ls MIR. Eaton owed the Treasury De-
partmept be con d not manage it better than it
is macaged. Whiskey rings flourish" but
whiskey rings do not cheat the Government
any more tn IN they cheat the people. Whisk-
eyi always trying to cheat Custom Bouse
corruption 'fourisbed'' says Mr. Eaton in his
large, practical way; but when this Custom
House corruption was Withdrawn from the
sphere OF poetry and reform and came under
the reign OF law and investigation, it was
Commission made up for the especial purpose
OF looking into it disapproved of some methods,
recommended some changes, but they found no
concentration of fraud, no combination of
thieves, no. systematic dishonesty. Nobody s
name was stained, nobody was recon me ded
for punishment On the contrary the very men
who were responsible for the inlquity, If there
were iniquty, were commended aud continued
10 office or proposed for other important
and hosorable ofice-and where the Commits
sion differed from the custom house in respect
OF methods there is just as strong party be-
lievtug that the Commission reported IN wisely,
as the one that believes the custom house acted
uUwisely.- Nobody pretends that in so large a
department. OF human action as the United
States Treasury, peculation and fraud will ever
cease Eternal vigilance is the price of honesty
IN all trades. The temptation to fraud in the
treasury, as in all large establishments. is very
great. But there is no business firm in the
whole country that is able to put soch restraint
npon fraud that can exercise such watch over
work, and that does secure such results from its
employees as the Treasury Department. Em-
oezzlement, forgery, defalcallon and fraud are
occurring outside with far more fire.
qoency than within its walls. Now /
ask what closer examination of the
custom houses has Mr.. Eaton made, and
what superior advantages for observation doe
Mr.. Eaton possess, that he thus publishes uu-
officially the fact that Custom House corruption
''fourished' in face of the fact that the COM
mission, appointed to Investigate, bias virtually
and officially decared-in face of the fact that
common observation shows that Gus
ism? Does Mr.. Dorman Eaton;S
name stand hioher or are bis onnortrn;t;os -
KNOWLEDGE greater than tbosa ~ Saorot, -,
Sherman. or Assistants ecretarias F,anch onS
Hawley. or Governor Mc(,ormicx or M Nj.
Phersop. or DIR. Tindermsn or M Hii, =,
Professor Henry. or Chester Arthnr or M
Tnttop. or Speneer Raird' or hnndradu Of Of oah
ers, that he charges corruntion mon the 40
partments which thew d;rect. and oh arnas -; :,
now, months after commissons of irgaati gat;o,
appointed for the nnrnose haue fo;,ad to G,,J !,
1t seems TO me that Mr. Dorman p Eaton !:
turning his crank and grinding ont his crias ~
Corruption on preciselv the old woman,s shnJ
dering princinIe aWben Won have tai-on s ara :
nv total depravity Won have taken away M y
religion" 11'
Tue agility which Mr. Eaton d;s,,ans g,
skipping back and forth betwsen o+5ic;ayy az -
political life, as his pnrnose demands he Sbau'.
also in skipping from one position to anothar II
his masouerade of heroism Tho Poforn,ar ~, ~
true Salesman, wants IN ha ona ~ ,h sns
,scorraaaons sr;,,;., L " 70 ono VI tnoss
and he wants slso IN he The ;nsn-aa haro n ~
great nonujar causa Pr. ~ Wa no Va
Spirit Cannot cali forlorn bone IF nraat
people is at his back So he doffs and dons hs
great people with a ceisSity that ai0o n,
amounts 10 sleioht.of hand A. ono ,,oms
il is onlv few .cour.aenus sr,;r. one noms :
Civil Service Reform is NOT cons;,ned 20 tha
silent tomb rhan we iaorn that suat " y sne
the will of the neoala and th.t a. l - w ;.
great nurnose ahont II Their rrao+ lucy Law o.
inc that rioging war.o,v whist hos SS "
once before Their ssresoiva n Lot r. Ha 80
stood that thew ;ntandeS tbe, So ~ 10 uuuer
II might hs sS,nS ,aIa .b snGso wnoss o9IS
The third hrsath ravsals 70 =. go 4ueiineu
nis, who ssarted ,h;s ;rres;stit Sne tue PEG
does not mean s.tha msi,ritv hut go 49, rs