The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-23
EDITOR CURTIS OPINION.
THE LEADER OF THE CIVIL SERVICE
REFORM MOVEMENT

Discourses on the Conflict Between Presi- |
dent and Senate-Some Abuses of the |
System of Recommendation and the
Way to Stop Them-Eaton's Views.
NEW YORK, Feb. 23--In a long inter
view with George William Curtis in regard
to the dispute between the president and the
senate that gentleman said that perhaps the
president was justified in refusing to make
confidential communications public, but his
refusal should only apply TO such as had al
ready been made to him. He should give
the people to understand that in future all
papers would be open for inspection. Then,
any one who had any information TO lay be
fore the president would know what to eX
pect No one could suffer by such an ar
rangement 1t would serve to make people
more careful OF what they said and for
whom they signed, and that certainly was
desirable
The signing of petitions for office had
grown to absurd proportions, he said. Many
prominent men will sign anything, and a
| governor of this state had told Mr. Curtis
| that lie signed every petition that was pre-
| sentei to him, hut whenever he signed such
| papers he wrote to the appointing power to
sag that the signature meant nothing at all,
| and that if he really wanted 70 help an ap-
| phcant he wouli write in private way.
| This was not fair to those who had secured
| the signature.
| Mr.. Curtis said that he agreed with Sana-
| tor Sherman on the right of the senate to
see the recommendations for appointment
| The senate was part of the executive power
| The constitution said that the presi lent
should nominate, and by and with the con
sent of the senate appoint certain officers
| As part of the executive power the senate
! had the right to know what influences, con-
siderations, and information had decided
the president in making a nomination. Its
action could not lie thoroughly intelligent
| ullsS it had such information.
The object OF the senate in demand
ing these papers was twofold First,
| il wanted to defend the character OF
the men who had been removed; second, it
| wished, il possible to throw dis,radt on
the president and to show that he had yio-
lated his pledges This latter was its prime
object The senate belonged to the opposi
ton party, and it had the right to attack the
presidents position ii its warfare was hon
orabIe The president could block the sen
ate's game by furnishing it with the infor
nation asked The senate hal said that the
information was wanted as secret iniorma-
ton 1t was pretty certain however, that
if anything likely to iniure the president
was obtained in this way it would speedily
become puplic.
Let the president try the senate's secret
session plan. If the information thus given
should leak out he could hereafter reply to
the senate's demand by saying: 4 shall
give you the information you ask, but
shall also give it to the public at the same
J time
!, The president, Mr.. Curtis thought, had
nothing to fear. Suppose that his reason for
removing postmaster was that he was
drunk, would tie publication of that fact
hurt the president Would not such action
deter othar postmasters from like oifenses:
In conclusion Mr.. Curtis said that he was
compelled to differ with the president as to
his prerogative Mr. Cleveland was, per-
haps. right in declining to make his action
retroactive and in refusing to turn over
communications intended as confidential
and in many cases so marked But his
course in the future was clear. He should
pace all communications on record, and the
writers should know that letters to the pres
iient are letters to the country, Mayor
owls idea was praisawoythy, he let the
people know that he felt nj liberty 10 make
| anything public, as he deemed bts5
hiT Curtis said a demand of this sort had
never been compiled with by any other
president from Washington's time to the
present, but Mr.. Cleveland was elected un
der peculiar circumstances, under a move
ment intended to reform politics A great
step for reform would be lis putting an ent
to "a secrecy that was not supported by tn
constitution