The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22
THE CIvIL-sERyICE COMMISSION.

Pen Sketches of the New Members-Some of
Their Characteristics and Peculiarities.
7. e. Crawford, in New Fork World. :
Alfred P. Edgerton. the president of the Civil
service Commission, is in the neghborhood of
sixty eight years of age He is an unusually
vigorous man, however, and is fully as com
petent to transact business now as at any De-
riod during his life. ] saw him and
had a talk with him the other evening
his pictures do not give good idea of
the extreme vigor and alertness of this
very democratic member of the Civil-Service
Commission. He is above medium height and
spare in figure. He wears an old fashioned
broadcloth frock suit but it is of the newest and
glossest character, while the cut is good His
linen is spotless and ornamented with gold =
Jewelry. His strong character head is
encircied by very high, old-fashioned
angels wing shirt collar and that in turn
hair is as thick as that of young man. 1t is as
white as the whitest snow and stands up in ener-
getic waves all over his head. The lower part of
his face is encircled by a short beard equally
white. His upper lip is shaved. A short space
below his lower lip is also smooth. The beard
curves in around this space touching at the
corners of his mouth His color is fresh as
that of a boy, while his complexion has q
look of excessive cleanliness which har-
monies well with his snowy hair His
eyes are keen blue, deeply set under pair of
pronounced eyebrows. His nose is cross be-
tween a straight and Roman. His mouth is
ready talxer and is not slow in expressing his
opinions. He is a very extreme Bourbon and
has never voted anything but the Democratic
ticket lie is one of the few Democrats who
protested against Horace Greeleys nomination
In 1872 He came very near being nominated
as Vice-president with Charles O'Conor at
the Louisville convention in that year. He is
an old and experienced business man, and for
number of years has been president of the Board
of Education at Fort Wayne Ind He says
that the civic-service law, so far as he is con-
cerned, will be executed in its very spirit and
letter 1t is clear, however, that if there is any
advantage to be gained for his party in the man
agement of this commission he will not neglect
it, for his record is one of the most uncom-
promising Democracy
He is unsparing in his criticisms of Mr. Tho
mans offering certain Indiana State bonds here
in payment for house. Mr. Edgerton says
nearly three quarters of million of these bonds
have been issued through fraudulent collision,
and that there is not the slightest prospect of
any one of them being paid. There is no restricr
ton upon the township authorities Of
Indiana to prevent them from running
their townships in debt. But in nearly every case
where bonds have been issued, as they have
been there recently, the courts have thrown
them out as so much waste paper. In some cases
bonds have been issued in townships for moth
ing at all aggregating greater amount than the
value of the entire property in the township
The most superficial investigation would have
shown to any wellntentioned investor the
true character of these bonds. Thoman appears
to have compromised the matter here In
some way because there is no longer any talk OF
prosecuting him. 1t would have been perfectly
hopeless to have tried to have done anything
with him in the District courts. They are emr
| ployed as the shield of the dishonest There has
not been single important conviction in this
| District of rich violators of the law for many
| years.
William l. Trenholm. the second member OF
the commission, a man about fifty years OF
age. He is tall and slight and generally
dresses il black. He has a good head.
His face is very intelligent one His forehead
| is high, his eyes clear gray and his nose
is straight. A gray mustache is tie only orna-
ment to his smooth sharen, olive-coored face.
/ His hair IS as gray as his mustache He is very
| reserved In hls manners and has the appearance
| more of student than of business man. he
has made a special study of financial questions.
| He is one of the leaders in the South in favor OF
honest money: His protest against further
| coinage of the silver dollar In the
Atlanta Commercial Convention was what di
rected the attention of the President to him. He
| is also one of the stockholders of the Charleston
| News and Courier. Both Mr. Edgerton and Mr..
| Trenholm have independent means ana can,
| therefore, afford to serve upon the Commission
| for the moderate salaries of their places. Mr..
Trenholm's selection is another emphatic indica-
ton of the Presidents financial policy.
| Mr.. Dorman B. Eaton is temporarily retained
| upon the commission. He is smooth -shaven,
| angular hammered visionary. de has been a pro-
fessional educator for some years. and has
managed to extract our of the government, on
account of this reputation, g very good living.
He was at the head of the Blu.
reau of Education for some time This Blu
reau has prepared number of useless reports
and has made it business to gather statistics
which no one has read or cared anything about
Mr. Eaton helped about Congress to secure the
passage of the Civil-service bill. At least he
went through the motions of helping. He
made himself so conspicuous, at least that
he was assured a place when the bill passed.
He is a courtier in every sense OF the
word. He will undoubtedly act much in the
interests of the Democrats with the Democratic
majority on the Commission as he has In the
past in the interests-of the Republicans. 1t is
possible that he may hold on through this very
subserviency and the mugwump influence which
he has got back of him through paying court
to their leaders.