New-York tribune., 1885-07-17
An INSTRUCTITE EXHIBIT

| ngton dispatches yesterday of the changes
| in the diplomatic and consular service
| since Mr. Buyard became Secretary of State.
| In four months scvcntyseven appoint
ments have been made, the aggregate
salaries of the new officials being S391,-
900. OF these sixteen are purely diplo-
| matte appointments. including thirteen Euvoys
Extraordinary and Ministers Pcnpotentiary
and three Ministers Resident. The remaining
sixty-one are mainly commercial offices, incud-
| ing focty Consus, twelve Consus General, one
| Charge d'Afares and eight Ministers Resident
and Consuls- General. This list shows what use
| has been made of this branch of the pnblic
service in the liquidation of the political debts
OF the Administration. The beginning of Civil
| Service reform in England was when consul
| ships and diplomatic offices ceased 10 be rccog
nzed rs political spoils. II was in that depart
ment that fidelity and efficiency first secured
| the privileges of fixed tenure and systematic
promotion. and officials having special training
| and prolonged experience in the service learned
to regard with Indifference the rise and fall OF
| Governments. The Democratic Administration
ha. not mastered the first letter of the English
alphabet of reform 1t parcels out the consul
ships and diplomatic Offices among needy and
ambitious partisans as tid-bits of political
| patronage.
| The apologists of the Administration have
| characteristic way OF answering the charge that
| these appointments have been made on the
| Jacksonian principle of giving loaves and fishes
| To hungry camp-folowcrs. They assume that
| there were more changes during the first four
| months of President Gartield's Administration
than there have been during corresponding
pcriod of President Clcveland's Administration.
This ictiiio1s result is apparently reached
either by doubling the number OF Republican
appointmcnts and by ignoring those made in
consequence OF promotion, or else by scaling
down the register of Democratic appointments.
The facts we're clearly stated in our Washington
dispatches When Mr.. Blaine was in Office
forty-one new appointments were made involv-
ing n salary list of $lSO,5OO. Under Mr.
Bayard's administration of the same Office
nearly twice ms many changes have been
ordered and the salary list is more than twice
"A large. Many of President Gariield's nomi-
| nations were required either to supply vacancies
| or 10 effect transfers due to promotion. Secre-
tary Bayards plan is different in scope. He
creates vacancies by requesting expert
| enced officials to resign, and fills them by pro-
noting inexperienced Democratic politicians
| and place hunters. The expedicnt of counting
| every transfer, promotion and nomination To
| Gl an actual vacancy in Mr.. Blaine's day as
political appointment due to the vicious
patronage system il a shallow device for covei-
ing I'D the present Democratic raid on the con-
sulships.
A glance at the list Of Democratic appoint
ments will convince any sincere friend of Civil
Service reform that the Administration is
| rapidly breaking up the Consular service by
filling il with place e-hunters without reference
to their business qualifications for importan
posts. The credit for initiating practical re-
form of this branch of the service is due largely
TO Mr.. Evarts. When he was Secretary of
State new candidates were recruited chiefly
from the business classes and promotions were
ordered on the ground of efficiency and expert
cnce. Comparatively few changes were made
by President Arthur, and the improvement of
the service continued steadily. President
Cleveland has gone back to the spos system.
lie has dismissed experienced men, who have
held their places under successive Admin stra-
tions, and is sending abroad camp followers of
the Democratic party who in one way or an
other have made themselves useful in politics.
This may be good way to pay political debts
1t is not reform, Civil Service, administrative
or any other kind nor is it conducting the
Government on sound business principles.
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