Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-24
A VINDICATION.

Administration 10 power il has been
constant and never ceasing ground of
complaint by the Republican party and
its press that the President was q sham
civil-service reformer To substantiate
this charge a few instances OF bad ap-
pointments have been cited, so few that
they may be counted upon the fingers.
Their very prominence has been owing
to their fewness, but in the main
no fault can be found with the
appointments, nor can it successfully
be charged that the letter and
spirit OF the Civil-Service law have not
been strictly adhered to, SO strictly has it
been adhered to that many spoilsmen OF
the Democratic party have charged that
the Administration is more Republican
than Democratic. That such charge is
groundless all know who know anything.
Yesterday the Republican party in New
York in its convention at Saratoga, sol
EMMY denounced the Administration on
the civil-service question in these terms:
1--WE denounce the hypocritical practices
under which faithful Republican officers are
removed on the plea of offensive partisan
ship, while such men as Higgins, Thomas,
Throop, Chase, Pillsbury, Aquilla Jones and
others, some of whose names appear upon
the prison records of the country and whose
recommendation is political partisanship,
are appointed in their places. While remov-
ing elsewhere on the ground of offensive
partisanship Republicans who edit news
papers, the National Administration con-
tinues in high judicial Office in the city of
New York prominent Democratic appoin
tee, who publicly announced himself as
having assumed, since his appointment, the
control of an avowedly partisan journal.
We believe it is the DUTY of the Republican
majority of the Senate to oppose the oonfr-
nation of any person appointed in violation
of the letter and spirit of the Civil Service
Act
But such denunciations do not have
that force that their violent language
would imply. On the heels OF this reso-
luton by the Republicans OF New York
there comes the resignation OF the Hon.
Dorman B. Eaton, who may very aptlv
be termed the father and champion OF
civil-service reform in the United States.
His politics are Republican, and it is but
natural to expect that his resignation was
rendered Oh the grounds OF the notorious
and continued violation OF the rules OF the
Civil-Service Act ny President Cleveland,
since his party has been holding these
violations up TO public view for long
time past. His letter OF resignation is
long and replete with. the history OF the
civil-service reform movement in this
country. After giving some OF his rea-
sons for not having resigned sooner, Mr..
Eaton refers 10 the conduct OF the Admin
istration in regard TO its reforrn policy.
He speaks in the following clear and un-
mistakeable language OF that policy:
"These considerations constrained me 10
continue in my place until the reform policy
of your Administration, 50 clearly defined
in your declaration, should be as unmistak-
ably developed in your acts as President as
it had been in your acts as Governor of New
York. That time has arrived. No candid
man can longer pretend to regard that policy
as indefinite or doubtful. Every one of the
five months of your Administration, during
which the Civil Service Act and rules have
been enforced with as much breadth, firm
ness and fidelity as under that of President
Arthur, has not only added new evidence of
the utility of the new service upon which he
! congratulated the country, but has made
more definite the settled purpose Of your
Administration to faithfully enforce the law
and the rules In future. The few changes
You have made in the rules have but added
to their Justice and efficiency. So far as
have been able to learn, there is not mem
ber of your Cabinet who has not, as a result
of his experience in Office, higher sense than
before of the need of enforcing that merit
system in the public service which the Civil
Service Act and the rules have established,
from those at the head to the many officers
in the postal and customs service to which
the examinations extend in all parts Of the
| Union."
That language is an endorsement OF the
Administration and likewise it is 2 com.
plete refutation of the SANDER contained in
the resolution adopted yesterday by the
New York Republicans, and OF the sland-
ers and slurs that the Republican party
has been making upon Cleveland and the
Cabinet ever since they assumed the reins
Of the Government. Ii any man in
America has watched with interest and
solicitude the workings OF the Ciyil-Ser-
vice Act it is Dorman B. Eaton. and he
has nothing but words OF praise and COM
mendation for the President for his course
with regard to that Act The letter OF the
President in reply to the letter of resigna-
ton OF Mr.. Eaton is in the same spirit as
his famous letter on the civil-servico
question Of last year, and is grateful
acknowledgement OF the kind apprecia-
ton OF the chief Civii-Service Commits
sioner OF the honest endeavor of the
Administration 10 live up to its pledges
on this most important question Any
who doubt whether reform in this direc-
ton is going to remain and extend much
further than now, do not read the signs OF
the times Alright, while those who oppose
it are opposing fate.
4 TERRIBLE EXAMPLE.
Sery frequently the public are informed