New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-13
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GRANT AND CLEVELAND.

The Civil Service Reform Association has
been holding its annual meeting. and exchang-
ING condolences upon the arrested develop
ment Of the reform which have now become
familiar. Mr.. George William Curtis repeated
the effort previously made in Harpers
Weeklyr to establish a parallel between Gen
eral Grant and Mr.. Cleveland, both of whom,
he SAYS "have failed as Civil Service Reform
ersp: and the excuse is made that Dir. Cleve-
land has also yielded to the pressure OF the
party. whereas Mr.. Curtis and bis followers
assured us in 1884 that the party would yield
TO tho pressure of Mr.. Cleveland.
But the comparison, which Mr.. Curtis en-
deavored to make as favorable to Mr.. Cleve-
land as possible, is very misleading. IheTe
is only technical and superficial likeness be-
tween the present situation and that which eX-
listed seventeen years ago. when PRESIDENT
Grant was authorized to prescribe such rules
and regulations for the admission OF persons
into the Civil Service Of the United States as
will best promote the efficiency thereof" Inc
proposed reform of the clerical service OF the
Government was very little understood at tnat
time. II was an idea in which the mass OF the
people took no interest. The politicians OF bo1h
parties were utterly opposed to it, and many OF
the leaders openly attacked it in Congress. Inc
brief experiment made under Grant was due TO
the persistency Of few reformers who worried
him and Congress into policy in which there
was no general acquescence and which could
not continue II must be said that If the mem
hers of Congress had shown as much earnest
ness in the matter as General Grant, the eff rt
would not at least have failed so speedily.
/ La.y al
time. however, and the conditions are entirely
changed. When President Cleveland came
into Office, this had long been one Of the leading
issues of our politics, and the successful en-
forcement of reform methods had become one
Of the recognized functions of the Government
The Civil Service law had been In existence
two years All the Government Offices having
more than fifty employees were subject TO II.
Political assessments were forbidden by inc
law, and had practically ceased. No political
party dared to meet in convention WITHOUT
pledging itself civil Service Reform, and no
candidate could be elected to any important
office who was believed to be unfavorable to 1t.
No Doubt there was a considerable number OF
voters who voted for MIR. Cleveland because
| they believed in his professions On this subject
| General Grant failed as Civil Service Re-
former, because public sentiment did not call
for tho change. President Cleveland has failed
in spite Of the fact that public sentiment does
emphatically call for it, in spite Of the fact that
it has successfully begun, in spite OF the 1act
that he was expressly pledged to continue 1t.
IL is only one among his failures that be has not
extended the operation Of the law, as any he
publican President would probably have done
! long before now, to Offices having less than
! Fifty employees. He has not even allowed ue
| law to be fairly enforced. He gets much credit
because the law is supposed TO be enforced. on
the ground, apparently that President who
does not interfere with the statutes of the United
States. but actually allows them to operate, Is
entitled to great praise. But, as the REFORM
Associations themselves have been Obliged TO
admit. il was not fair enforcement of the law
to put some Of the largest Offices OF the country
in charge of its avowed opponents. who went
to work at once to break it down. The pollu-
cal activity of office-holders has been fully re-
newed and political assessments as well. DC
mands Of a kind never known before have been
made for political services, as in the henna
circular, for example. President Cleveland
has undoubtedly removed many more Office
holders than Grant, both in proportion and III
the actual number. Considering the difference
between their relative situations, Grant ap-
pears better Civil Service Reformer than
| Cleveland.