The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-30
GRAND GROVER.
Cleveland is for Civil Service
Reform.
PARTY A SECONDARY THING.
Disastrous Hotel Blaze : Brother
Beecher DiscOurses Upon Ganb-
Iers and Gambling.
Cleveland and Reform.

New YORK, December 29.-The
National Civil Service Reform League,
on December Doth, addressed letter to
President-eIect Cleveland, in which it
announced fear that the new admins
tration might not carry out the pro-
visions of the civil service act, and ex-
pressed the hope that this would not
prove to be the case. To this, Mr..
Cleveland replies as follows:
ALBANY, December %.
Hon. George William Curtis, President,
Dear Sir:-Your communication,
dated December Doth, addressed to me
on behalf of the National Civil Service
Reform League, has been received.
That practical reform in the civil service
is demanded, is abundantly established
by thefact that the statute referred to in
your communication was passed in Con-
greSs with the assent of both political
parties and by the further fact that
sentiment is generally prevalent among
patriotic people calling for a fair and
honest enforcement of the law, which
has been thus enacted. I regard myself
as pledged to this because my concep-
ton Of true Democratic faith and public
duty requires that this and all other
statutes Should be in good faith and
without evasion enforced, and because
IN many utterances made prior to my
election as President, approved by the
party to which belong, and which l
have no disposition to disclaim, have
In effect promised the people that this
should be done. l am not unmindful of
the fact to which you refer, that many !
OF your citizens fear that the recent |
party change in the national ex-
ecutiVe may demonstrate that |
abuses which have grown up in |
Iae uV1 service are ineradicable. |
1, know they are deeply rooted, and |
that the spoilS' system has been sup |
posed to be intimately related to sue
cess IN the maintenance of party or
sShlzauon, and am not sure that those
VINO profess to be friends to reform will
sIand Hrmly among its advocates when
.ney and 1t 'Obstructing their way to
patronage and place. But fully appre-
1atlng the trust committed to INV
'harge, no such consideration shall !.
ause relaxation, on my part, of an
arrest effort TO enforce this law. There
a class OF geTernment positions which
re not within the letter of the civil ser !
Ice statute, &Ut which are so discon- :
ected with the policy of an admins
ration that the removal therefrom of
ne present Gncumbents. in nv opinion.
heuld not be made during the terms
or which they were appointed, solely !
N partisan grounds, and for the pur- y
o9se OF putting in their places those =
'Ro are IN political accord with the =
-PP9intng power; but many now q
l0ldlng such positions have for q
cited all gust claims to retention, l
because they have used their places for
3arty purposes in disregard of their
luty to the people, and because, instead
If being decent public servants, they
nave proved themselves offensive parti- I
'aRs. In my judgment the lessons of
he past should not be unlesrned. Such
as well as their successors,
hould be taught that efficiency, fitness
md devotion to public duty, are condi-
ions of Their continuance in public
,lsee, and that the quiet and
7idual poESical rights is the
reasonable measure of their party.
# were addressing none but party
friends, / should deem it entirely proper
20 remind them that though the COM
ng administration is to be Democratic,
1 due regard for the peoples interest
Ices not permit faithful party work to
be always rewarded by appointment to
lffoe, and, to say to them that while ,
Democrats may expect all proper con-
selections for office, not en-
1raeed within the civil service rnles, will
be based Rpon sufficient inqniry as to
fitness, instituted by those charged with
hat duty, rather than upon persistent
or self-solicited recon-
nendation on behalf of candidates for
appointment
Yours very truly, i
GROVER CLEVELAND.