The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-04-05
IN. Y. Trlbune.l
Gall Hamilton Again.
Mr. Eaion's Path of Glory In the Febru-
ary Anantic-The Victory of Reform af
the Cincinnati Convention.

v.
"The other party" says Mr.. Eaton cheerful.
ly, as if he had been speaking with unmistska-
bic slrectuess of one party instead Of
beating about blindly with "both parties"
and mo party aud "a party" and
''either party" until he thus bouuces
iu upon ''the other party" with the confident
air of man who knows where he is at last.
But he gives no clsw to his readers. Whether
he means one of the parties into which the
country is divided, or one of the parties into
which the Republican party was divided on the
question of a candidate, it is impossible to tell.
What he says is: "The other party secured a
candidate who had presented some appearance
at least, of being reformer, aud he was ac-
cepted by those of his faith, as fsyoring re-.
FORM. He may mean Mr.. Hayes; but neither
"dunce" nor common politician can de-
termine the point. and even after q year of
Administrative Reform it would be difficult to
decide which Is the more enthusiastic devotee
of Mr.. Eaton's reform. Mr.. Hayes or Mr.. Tilden.
What is clear beyond question, Mr.. Eaton
afhrms, is that 'if either Of the Republican
party leaders could have been presented as
identified with such q policy" he would have
SNSN
what his words indicate-that the Republican
party had only two leaders. That is only one
of those little mystifcations which "person of
intelligence" may allow himself, assuming that
the "dunces" will ind out what be means in
spite of bis words. There were several party
leaders voted for at Cincinnati, none Of whom
made pretentions to extraordinary goodness.
and the fact that none of them did bow down
themselves in the house of this Civil Service
Reform Rimmon, although Mr.. Eaton assures
as that this one sign of submission would have
secured them the prize, is very encouraging.
By the platform which they adopted, and on
which they were glad to stand, they showed
their adherence to real reform; but they re-
fused to identify themselves, even at the risk of
defeat, with party which traded upou virtue,
systematized sham, and fourished ouly BY
slander. trust the Re publican party leaders
may have grace given them from above always
to choose defeat rather than disqualification
with such policy" as Mr.. Dorman Eaton's
civil service reform policy has showed itself
to be.
Mr. Eaton says: "There was such a public
sentiment 10 its favor 1.-THE reform policyl that
the people were ready TO life an nntritd man
into the Presidential chair over the heads OF
the most distinguished pubic men, merely be-
the punishment of the corrupt persons upon
whom q Republican administration had be-
slowed Offices" II the ptople were ready, why
did they not do it2 The Presidential chair
was reaoy; the untried man was ready. Mr..
Etton says the o, ople We're ready. AID yet il
wss not done. Tue fact il, that in the course
of human events, Mr.. e stou has trOtted around
10 TGoles street again, and is fsuntisg his eve,
toe people" from the Fifth Avenue Hotel win
dows. To relieve his ststs meDt from ITS staring
ham W anhiact his plaD 10
their former extraordinary shrinksge We
aust first eliminate all "mere politicians 10 the
land" and "too many of the friends Of good
government" Then we must dispense with
the "msj ,rity," and bring "the people down
TO a great body of the best and most infiuen-
tal citizens;' and having thus reduced il to
manageable size, wa are entirely willing to ad-
nit that the Fifth Avenue Conference, and the
party which, at its summons, came close up to
the door of creation and then thought better Of
it and turned back, was quite ready to life Mr..
E.ton's candidate into the Presidential chair.
But the real people, using that word Ia othsr
than the E.touian sense. were anything
out ready. Barkis was willin' but Peegotty
wssu'ti
Bot an unborn party will never long lack q
candidate for want of uutried me0. Mr..
Eaton's serenity is in no wise disturbed. He
seems not to suspect the least iuconss queno in
having made ready his Presidential char aud
ranged the heads of his distinguished men
carefully around it, and brought up bis untried
man to be lifted into it, aud stationed his
'peopls' with their coats off prepared for the
job-snd leaving them there! He raises the
curtain in the very next paragraph and, aehold!
another king has arisen that knew not JOSEPH,
and th at Joseph never knsw, and tue "h adj
and the people" and the "uGtrisd man. have
all disappeared from the stage, and Mr. Eaton
goes on as glibly as if this was the very sight
be had promised US. Not in the least discom.
fitted by his utter breakdown, not apparently
10 the least aware that he has had break.
down, he proceeds jauntily to claim the award
OF victory. ut IS enough for our purpose that,
while it (the aomination) fell upon one ESQ it
seems that the programme was varied not
only by the people not lifting Mr.. Eaton's man
into the Presidential cnair, but by their diop.
ping the chair on sUother man 1T fell upon oDe)
in every way SO worthy TO fill the tfst Office, t
also fell upon one who, more emphaticalls than
any other person ever before proposed for that
high station, had pledged himself to the reform
of the civil service. Thus for the second tlme
the great question of elevating the civil service
was brought into the foreground of national
politics; and this time not oy command of the
President, bot by command of the people.
However specious some of the promises of re-
form may have been, they none the less prove
the recognized strength of the sentiment
demanding 1t.
If this means anything it means that there
was great popular Civil Service Reform seu-
timent organizing the Cincinnati Convention,
pushing that Reform into the foreground of
securing the election of Mr.. Hayes. desire
always to speak of Mr.. Eston's meaning with
the greatest timidity; but he is either trying
to create this,impression on the public mind,
or he is cropping around biindly in the dark.
am confirmed in my suspicion of his mean
ing by the fact thai 1t is in unison with the
statements of the Reform partv generally A
more shapely writer tnan Mr.. Eaton, the chief
priest OF the tabernacls of reform, has put
forth the same CLAIMS iu the columns Of Har-
Der's Weekly. Its editor, and the editors OF
other reform journals, have 10 all forms of asser-
ton and implication, steadfastly endesvored to
Impress the puehc miad with the belief tba,
certain purified, rare fed, elevated and conse-
secrated host OF delegates 10 the Cincinnati
ConVention Were firmly and finally moulded
together by reason of a common irrepressibie,
unlueuchaDle ardor for reform, aud that the
outgrowth of this semi.chemical union was
the nomination of Mr.. Hayes
do not wish to interfere with any innocent
amusement. Whatever mitigation of defeat
lay in the discussion of its causes or the denial
OF Its existence, We were all willing TO accord
each other after the Cincinnati Convention
had given up its ghost. But now that it has
been well nigh two years dead now that We
are ploddiug, II not plunging, AS best we m Az
along the high road of nations, now for Mr..
Eaton to mount the tombstone of the CIncin-
natl Conven ion aud put hts no a to his mouth
aud blow his blare of victory through ths Feb
ruary Atlantic as sonoroQsy as If E jlus had
just sent him new bag and LIE had matshslled
nlmeeiI into whole brass band-that is 70 DIS
tnrb the proper qu'et of the neighoorhood, and
in the interest of healthful slumbers it may be
worth while to pause q moment ouce for ALL
and submit his footing to the simple test Of
facts; and by facts mean, as some one has
expressed it-verities that have been verified.
gentleman who was ap active member of
the Cincinnati Convention, has fsvo.ed me
with pamphlet of 180 pages, containing
a verbatim account of what was said there--a
detailed account of what was done there Look
| ing at the seven bsllotipgs which resulted in
| the nomination Of Mr. Hayes, L find hat, on
| the first ballot, all the angels of reform with
| the great sound of their trumpet, gathering to-
| gether their elect from the four winds, from
| the uttermost parts of the earth to the utter
most part of heaven had been able TO muster
| ouly 81 out Of the 756 delegates COMPOSING the
| Convention, to cast their votes for MIR. FL .yes
OF these 81 elect aud precious, "A were from
| Mr.. Hayes's own State of ONO, where, as we
| all know, there is such Juror for reform as
sweeps all before it l suppose 40 Ohio man
who would sccspt Office on any other ground
tnan fitness, might make his for uoe even in
our deprecated currency by golug around and
exhibiting himself at ninepence a hesd-"no
10 cent tickets rrceivet." Outside of OHIO,
then, the Command of the people, for Mr..