The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-12
A CLEAN SWEEP.
conquering March of Democrats In
Pursuit OF office.
Pledges of Reform and the History
of Removals.
Senator HaIe's Speech on the Civil
Service.


in the Senate today. Mr.. Hale spoke in advo-
cacy OF it. He declared his object in offering
II waste secure an investigation with the
sincere purpose of bringing before Congress
| the present actual condition of the civil SER
vice Of the country and also the performance
| of certain high and low officials of the gov
| ernment At the commencement of Lin
| coins administration the public affairs were
| filed with adherents of that party which
was the exponent of the doctrine that to
he victors belong the spoils-under that ad-
| ministration the chief test Of fitness was 10y
atty. Not few of those appointed had
| within the last three years been turned out
| on the cold charities of the world to make
| place for men who never had any sympathy
with the principles OF which si.al Lincoln had
| General Grant anca l-<esident Hayes had,
| during their administrations, recognized
| THE GROWING SENTIMENT OF THE COUNTRY
| in favor Of civil service reform and had en-
| deavored to conform their appointments to
| tho reasonable demand Of that agitation.
The XLVIIth Congress Republican, had
| enacted civil service statute, and President
| Arthur had, with sincere good faith, APP
| pointed civil service commissioners and
| gave support and encouragement TO them.
| But he was content to do it in quiet way.
| If he (Mr Hale) were to make any contrast
| between President Arthur's course on that
subject and the course which had since been
| pursued, it would be simply to call attention
| to the fact that President Arthur made no
| proclamati0ns, no promises and no pledges;
but contented himself with carrying out the
law according TO its purpose ana spirit.
Yet he (Mr Hale failed to see any recogni-
| tiOn of the action of the leaders of the Re-
publican party in that respect on the part OF
the organization which claimed to represent
civil service reform.
Both the great parties, in 1884, declared
themselves, in their platforms in favor OF
civil service reform, but as the campaign
progressed it was seen that a considerable
body of men, who before affiliated with
oppose its candidate. AS soon as it became
clear that not only was this body OF men
bent on opposing the Republican candidate
but looking about for reasons to support MS
opponent, Governor Cleveland, the ca1dl-
date of theDemocratic party, had not failed to
observe this and accordingly profesSed ad-
herence to civil service principles in his let
ter of acceptance.
MR.. CLEvELAND's DECLARATIONS
had their effect. In the close States they
had influence enough ON the voters to be de-
cisiye of the result and Mr. Cleveland was
elected President.
Senator Hale quoted from an interview
with Cleveland, published in Boston in 1885,
in which Mr.. Cleveland is represented as
saying: 81 have tried to be true to my own
pledges and the pledges of my party. We
have both promised to divorce the offices Of
the country from being used for party SER
vices" There they had, as clearly as words
could give them the pledges of the adminiS-
tration to civil service reformers. That adj
ministration had been elected, as George w.
Curtis and others frequently asserted, on the
strength of such pledges. He Hale never
believed in the sincerity of these pledges,
because If the Democratic party believed in
any one thing more than another, ii was In
the doctrine that to the vict0rs belong the
spoils. The speaker had before him a table
showing the sweeping changes in all the de-
partments of the government up to the 11th
of June, 1887. That table showed that out
of 2,379 Presidential postmasters, there had
class postmasters, there had been 10000
changes. Out of 33 foreign ministers, there
had been 80 changes. Out of 21 secretaries
of legation there had been 16 changes out
of Ill COLLECTORS of customs, 100 changes;
and Of 30 surveyors of customs, all were
changed. OF 80 appraisers, two remained.
OF 13 superintendent of mints and assay
offices, IL were changed, and of nine assist
ant appraisers al were gone OF So col
lectors of internal revenue 81 were gone in
June last OF II inspectors of steam vessels,
eight were gone. OF 20 district attorneys, a
semi-judicial office, 65 had been changed. OF
80 territorial judges, judicial offices, % were
changed. OF the territorial governors, all
were gone. and of the IS pension agents, but
two remained. Every one of the 16 survey
ors general had gone, and of 224 local laDd
officers, 100 were gone. OF ten Indian in
spectors and special agents, but one re-
NAMED; of SO Indian agents but eight, and
OF 30 special agents of the General Land
Office but four.
At this time, June. 1887, the Democratic
administration had been but little over two
-. l&rAA Alr
speaker could make on the table referred to,
was to quote the editorial headings of the
leading Democratic newspaper when it ex-
ultantly published that list. These headings
we're:
The Civil Service.
Practical Exclusion of Republicans from
Employment under the National Govern
ment.
Only Small Class of Public Servants
Protected by the Pendleton Act
Changes Affected with as Little Derange-
ment of Business as Possible.
SpOilsmen not Satisfied.
They were not satisfied, said the Senator,
because of the small number Of offices still
in the hands of all public servants who did
not sympathize politically with the new ad-
ministration. Since that time, changes have
been going on and he hoped to have in few
days, q further table showing the cohquering
march of the Democratic party In pursuit OF
Office had continued down to the beginning
Of this year. This showing was amazing
He had not realized it, himself, until he had
looked into the figures. The country had
not realized it, The country did not appre-
ciate that under the banner of reform with
this watchward written on every fold Of the
administration, ruthless prescription and
these removals and changes in office had
been going on at rate unexampled in any
other administration in American history.
1t could not be said that most of those
changes took place because of the expira-
tion of the terms of incumbents, because
scrutiny disclosed the fact that mir -eteen-
twentleths of all cases whose changes Oc-.
CURED were places where there was no fixed
tenure Of office, but where the incumbents
were removable at the pleasure of the Presi-
dent. Secretary Lamar had recently taken
occasion to commend John Q. Calhoun for
his position against the spoils system and
felicitated himself ON the fact that he be-
longed to an administration which was car
rying ont, in that respect, the principles of
Calhoun Yet the stern facts which con-
fronted the Senate. in the department
si PRESIDED OVER BY LAMAR
were that every territorial governor had been
removed and also 16 out of IS pension agents,
every surveyor general, four-ifths Of the
local land officers, nine-tenths Of the Indian
inspectors and agents, 70 out of SO special
agents of the general land office and two
thirds of the special examiners in the pen
sion office. Yet Lamar stood to-day on
rrcord, by his uttered words, as against the
spoils system and posed as a reformer
Coming back to the question of Presi-
DENTAL postmasters, Mr. Hale said that in
the little space of time between the adjourn
ment of Congress and the Presidents visit
to the Adirondacks. he had made 81 removals
out of 223 postmasters who had been left
Only one appointment had been made of a
postmaster to succeed himself Passing to
the question of the participation of Federal
officials in political conventions and cleo
tions, the speaker referred to the meetings
of the New York, Pennsylvania and Mary
land State committees, at all of which,
prominent Federal officials had been active
Senator Hawley asked whether Senator
Hale was sure there had been no removals
in these cases.
The Senator replied he had yet to learn,
not only of any removals, but of any CEN
sures. In some cases, the officials had been
promoted, in no case had there been change
made, except accidentally or on account Of
something entirely disconnected with the
administration. lie did not know of a case
where the President had put a strong hand
upon any of these men, and made it seem
that he wanted to perform what he promised.
In fact SO gross had been the violation of
every principal of reform and of the pledges
of the President that even the Evening Post
of New York said of these things, that they
would be