New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-23

THE CUSTOM HUME INFLoIIuh IiO"'
The Select Committee upon the operation
of the Civil Service law, of which Senator
Hale is chairman, begins in this city to- morrow
an investigation of the New-yo rk custom
House. The labors of this committee have al
ready been productive of much good in I'M
eartbinp the scandals of maladministration in
the Federal offices in Philadelphia, and similar
field awaits it here. The committee ought to
have the hearty cooperation. not only OF
Government officials, but of citizens generally.
Such an investigation can do no harm TO men
who have nothing to fear. If there are no
abuses, the committee cannot bring them to
light if there are abuses. every honest man
should be glad to help TO expose them.
The abuses in the administration of the law
in the New Y ork Custom House have long been
notorious. so much 30 that this inquiry has
been urged by prominent members Of the
Civil Service Reform Association who could
not be suspected of political hostility to the
present National Administration. The prac-
tce of political assessments is still in full 1orce
and it ought not to be difficult for the COM
mittee to obtain an abundance of evidence
demonstrating this. 1t ought to be easy 1or
example, to discover in what Federal once III
this city large sums of money were raised anu
placed in the hands of trusty agents 10 DC
used in debauching the voters of Elmra IN
the interest Of Governor Hill. There can be no
question that the spirit, if not the letter, OF
the Civil Service laws upon this subject Is
persistently violated. The obvious remedy 1or
this state of things is to entrust the execution
of the law to men who believe in it and stand
by IT, instead of men who rdicule 1t and de1y
it. as MIR. Cleveland has done. If it should
be found that the law was evaded even then'
it would be time to consider whether the la"
could not be remodelled so as to catch some
of the slippery Creatures in its tolls who now
manage to wriggle through.
The attendance of ofice-holders upon con-
ventions. in violation of the Presidents order,
is as common a scandal here as it is in Mary
land or PENNSYLVANIA or any other State where
there are conventions to be manipulated In
MIR. Cleveland's interest. This has become so
much matter of course that it has almost
ceased to excite remark No convention has
been held anywhere this spring to elect dele
gates to renominate Mr.. Cleveland upon re-
form platform which has not been attended
by considerable force of Federal Office
holders One of the Presidents personal
organs has been trying to bring him to sense
of his position by reprinting almost every day
the text of his famous order and his other
deliverances on the subject of the "pernlclous
actiyityD of holders, but it does not sue
coed in even attracting his attention. There
is no probability that the President will say
anything to discountenance these practices be-
tween now and the 9th of November, but the
committee will perform public service in ex-
posing them.
When the committee comes to examine in
detail the workings of the Civil Service law,
it will be found that, as in Philadelphia,
Chicago, Indianapolis, and other cities, the
ort has been to secure as much political
advantage as possible by evasion Of it at the
same time that it is nominally upheld. When
an official is removed from the New-lork
Custom House, no one needs to be told that
he is a Republican when one is appointed, no
one needs to be told that he is Democrat.
The practice of giving so-called temporary
appointments to men who have never
passed examinations continues, IN spite
of the decision of the Civil Ser
vice Commission. The law has been
rudely stretched at times to allow favorite
"heeler'' to be cared for This was certainly
done when man who had been appointed
paymaster of the laborers force appropriated
the money to his own use for time, and
being first suspended, was appointed to
clerical position in another department; also
when an examiner was dismissed for drunken
ness, and was reinstated in violation of the
law to please Boss Mclaughlin; also when
numerous " confidential clerks'' were appointed
by palpable perversion of the law, to perform
ordinary clerical duties, because they could
be appointed to such positions without exam
nations. These are few Of the cases that
have become notorious through the news
papers, The committee can doubtless have
many more for the searching.
VAR SCARE FOR PEACE