Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-31
Thursday Morning, March s1. 1881.
rHE CIVIL sERYICE REEoRM.

Some of the civil service reformers are in- ! clined to think that their cause will not make ! much progress during the administration of | President Garfield, but MT. George William
 Curtis. President of the Civil Service Reform Association, is not of this number. He is,
 on the contrary, persuaded that the reform will advance during the next four years, and that it will ultimately triumph. President
 Garfeld's purpose to apply to Senators and 1 members of Congress for recommendations concerning the fitness of candidates for office I MT. Curtis takes to mean this He will not consult Senators and members officially. He
 desires their views respecting the merits of a candidate, because living, as they do, in the
 same district as the applicant, they are com
 potent to judge of his character and abilities. He does not say he will take their advice in
 the premises, nor does he say that he will not
 consult citizens No man, continues Mir.
 Curtis, t'has stated more clearly or pointedly
 the mischieyous and demoralizing effects re-
 sulting from the practice of allowing Senators
 and members to dictate appointments than
 General Garfield stated them when he was in
 Congress. will say further in this connec-
 ton that there is no man in public life who
 has expressed himself more in detail in favor
 of reform in the civil service under the very
 system our association advocates than Presi-
 dent Garfield. At the same time he is a strong
 party man. He means to have a strong polit-
 ical party. The question with him is how
 can he reconcile his convictions and expres-
 sions upon the subject of civil service reform
 f1a 1f %ho oiui1So system with which he finds himself surround ed?" To the question: ssYou have no idea that President Garfield will reverse his views upon the subject of reform ?'' MT. Curtis replied: "He was made President because the reform sentiment of the country believed in him. If it was well understood that he would abandon his views upon reforming the civil service think it would damage him i'm measurably. New York State elected him. Out of the Il 1000 majority in this State for him the body of those votes were cast by men who were believers in civil service re- form"
 There does not yet seem to be any occasion for the civil service reformers to become alarmed. It is true that President Garfield has done some things they would not have had him do, but it should be remembered that thus far the changes made and suggest ed are scarcely greater in number, if as great, as follow change of ministry in Great Britain Out of the one hundred office holders more or less depend ent upon the Presidents fiat only few score have yet been disturbed, and it is not thought probable that one per cent. of the whole number will be. If the President has made few selections manifestly for political 1 reasons he deserves credit for his firm resist l ance of the office seekers who have during the last month crowded the White House and I the departments. Had their importunities | prevailed the whole civil service would have ! been upset. In the present condition of the ! civil service reform, therefore, it is evidently not fair to accuse the President of "going l back on" his principles and professions in | she matter until there is more evidence.