Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-09-24
MR.. EATON'S LETTER.
UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION,
WAsHINGToS, d. G. July %, 1885.

UNITED STATES Civil SERVICE CoMMIssIoN,l
WAsmNGToS, d. @. July %, 1885.
SIE-In the EXECUTION of purpose, of which |
lnforned you, several weeks since; very re- |
spectfully tender my resignation as Civil Services
Cqmmissionsr. but out of Difference TO- your |
time in the autumn "a you may find convenient |
for new appointmei t. Il may not, hope, be
thought inappropriate if / add some words Of |
explanation Prior to to the passage of the civil
service act Of January l6. 1888, had held under |
the earlier Presidents, and was then holding |
under President Arthur, official position |
closely analogous to my present once
as Civil Service commissiSnsr For near, 9it
out Compensation, and had been compelled to
bear my own travelling and other expenses; in
Guiding those of journey to Europe and the |
preparation of an extensive report, made at the
request o. those presidents, but printedlby Con-
time was largely taxed, in connection With the
preparation and passage of that law When the
time arrived 70. ni5 n6t a aPTIy be- eailed
upon to make further sacrifice of my private
interests in aid Of civil service reform Besides,
that had promoted the act for the treble pur-
pose of gaining notOriety, an othee and salary
tion to me of his purpose, nom mated me, and
was confirmed as commissioner: VIZ vas
about to 1cline, the friends Q. reform with
whom had abOred for may years in It's bohaif
insisted was in duty bound to aseent. and those
enemies, eI with amt4ele consistency, made clear
their purpose Of charging any refusal my
part as q eQwardly shrinking from the speedy aud
isgracetui failure sure to follow any st'empt to
In such situation / lad hardly a libe ty Of
choice, but entered upon my official du les with
than a year, with N which at least the eOnstrnc-
tive work of making rules and regulations and of
could be accomplished. At the end o. that time L
had beeoms more deeply than ever interested in
the practical Application of the new system, It's
great utility ana easy proce ses had gained the
cOmmendatiOn of the President united more
large the party in its power and secured from
a committee of thirteen members of the Demo
cratic House of Representative a unanimous re-
port ecaring the great usefulness of the law and
rules, and commanding what is described as ''the
scfentious work of the Civil Ssrvice Commission.
That had been done which the enemies of re orm
had declared to be impossible The law and the
ules were ylndicated, but there were impaac j.
cal meth DIS which were not fully matured, and 1
remained to take part in their development
Nhenl a rev months later, was. about to insist
on being relieved, those friends uissuaded me by
urging that there world De n critical period in
case a new parry should come into pow er, and
be charged, if resigned, with fleeing from the
perlls o tnat or sis. II s clear enough that no
excuse rom my long service and no declaration
OF my confidence in the reform policy of the
presidential candidate, and statesmen of the
Democratic party would relieve from the damag-
| citizen could scorn the imputation, but as a
pubic otficer, and as being in a private way
somewhat identified with the cause of civil service
reform, L had no right to make au opportunity
I9r US natural IRA enemies IN either party 70 such
| WHY / could not tender nv resignation, and
should have refused to do so had il been re-
qaested, at q near the time of your accession to
once, fer should regard as perniciOps
precedent utterly utterly rePugnant to the spirit
the s91 oee G1s a cS sfrviss sct to tTea.
as political, hence one to be filed at the begin
| nlng OF each presidential term. These con-
rla until the reform policy of your adminfstra-
sbon' bn',a 50 % clearly defined in your declaration,
as President as it had teen a your acts as Gov
ernor Of New York; That time has arrived No
candid man could longer pretend to regard that
the t, hve months of your administration, during
when whieh t1e civil service act and rules have been
enforced with as much breadth and frmne 8 as
| under President Arthur, has not only added
new evidence of the utility of the new system,
upon which l congratulated the country, but had
made more definite the settled purpose
| of your administration TO faithfully enforce
both the law and the rules in the future. The few
changes you have made in the rul IS have but add
ed TO their justice and efficiency So far have
been able to learn, there is not member of your
cabinet who has not, the result of his expert
enee 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, and from those at the head of
| the many offices, in the postal and customs SER
| wee TO WHICH the examinations extend in all
| parts OF the Union, and whether they be Repub-
| ucans holding over or new officers from the other
party, there has come no reason for believing that
the merit system is not welcomed IS a great bene-
Mt TO the public service, great influence for hon
Office Now that the principles ofjustice on which
the system is based, its tendeney to suppress pat
ronage mongering and official favoritism its great
announcement OF the public schools, and its
support of hi gh character and manhood in poll
tics are now being more rapidly comprehepded
| by the people than ever before, / feel sure that
il is the near future to have not only a greatly
enlarged, but an almost unchallenged enforce
| ment. 1t is really a a issue between the people
and the polticians-a contest for a spois system
| of office on one side and for a merit system OF
{ nd for the free opportunity of every citizen Z
via an office for himself by his own merits; OF
the former for the exclusive right of great
hun ired thousaad pl ees they control, and
sll the as ments they can extort to
thsmselve;, nd to keep their party in, power
| against the will Of the people, Between
number of tndid nd patriotic citizens do not
refer To these iaets, dsci i've of the perpetuity
if they were otherwise. or the prospect as dis;
coufagtng; my remaining as commissioner would
avail any hing: But wish to leave no doubt OF
reform policy, and no friend of reform has the
least reason for tninking ought to remain in my
absolute aud the contest already over in that part
of the government to which alone AL Legitimate
authority and responsibility for appointment
and removals rest, ana in which alone the thor
ough information ded for correct judgmen
other words, were it not for the. in
| reference of Congressman and politician
ee Sspy Of bs and o 9TH.
officers having the appointing power, there woulC
VOW be no opposition worthy of notice to meri
|
few exceptions, be those only whose participation
in appointments and removals is an absolute
usurpatiOn and intermeddling by which th
counterpoise of the government has been i'm
pair, d and its perpetuity iG be qg Threatened
To that usurpation, to the self Nams of thos
and the distribution of offices / are its mo
tive force, open competition writ for ap
| sessments are fatal President CIR, - approved
| civil service rule to arrest that intermeddling
| Concede to the President and other appointin
| officers the liberty which the constitution an
laws contemplate, all those who have the bes
means of making wise choice between tn
| spoils system and merit system to be the judge
= | and repeat, the hnal decision is already give
and the contest is already over: Presiden
v | Grant decided that issue, and his last o
. | hcial declaration to Congress on the subjeC
: declar d it "a source of notification that Con
| gress had refused an appropriation he had in
special message requested in aid of the contir
r ued enforcement of the merit system, which
declared to be beneficial. President Arthur, i
each annual message after the civil service ac
partment-a Judgment which, he declared, e1
Il | pressed the view of every member of his Cabinet
In the daily acts of the present administratio
the same Judgment Is approved and indorsed.
q is posSi that number of Congressman a.
politicians of the dominant party, with a cor
c siderable fol owing Of othee-seekrs, may, no
:, an enlightened public opinion. repeat the foil
= of those of ny own party in 1874, by resisting II
Il their own administration on the reform issue.
such is to be the fact, this is not the pla {,
,, more disastrous than the Republics
u restoration of the spOils system again
# the advice of President Grant. Such course,
less of the good results of the civil service act,
| any experience in its adm m'nistration. Ii al
part might have in such a contest could f
e better serve the cause ofretorm in the exercise
that full liberty which is hardly compatible wi
'e the propriety of my present Office and 1 have G
oSede % Gi se1Tan with bohaN fahs sSoN
Is To the President.