New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-12
HYPOCRISY LAID BARE.
MR.. HALE ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM"
HOW THIS DpMoCRATIc ADMINISTRATION HAS
BROKEN IT'S PLEDGEs-THE PRESIDENTS
DEADLY BLOWS AT REPORM-HIs LETTERS
IN BEHALF OF PELLOws-A RECORD OF
CANT AND DIssIMULA AiIoN-POLfTI
CAL ASSESSMENTS.

CANT AND DIssIMULA iIoN-POLTTI-
CAL ASSESSMENTS.
rBY TELEGRAPH THE rRrpuNE1
WASHINGTON. Jan..I1.-Senator Hale's speech
to-day reviewing and contrasting the preten-
sions and practices Of the Administration in re.
gard to Civil Service Reform attracted a largo
audience and was listened to with unabated atten-
tion from beginning to end. Mr.. Hale is not only
logical and incisive speaker, bnt he is always
ready in debate as his coloquy with Senator But
Ter tO-dy showed. Some of the Administration
Senators WINGED under the keen but courteous
personal thrusts Of Mr.. Hale who is a master OF
the art Of putting things He was especially
happy in his references to Mcssrs. Beck and
blackburn. Vest and Coclrell, German, voorhees,,
Ransom, and other Democratic Senator'S and his
enumeration OF the scalp Of Republican postmas-
ters which dangle at the belt of each Of them
But IL was when Mr. Hale brought President
Cleveland before the bar and contrasted his re-
form professions with his praetices-the letter ~
George William Curtis and the proclamation OF
July, 1886, with the letters of Edward Cooper
and the Tammany Hall rat ication meeting that
the Senator was most effective. But the whole
speech was repete with facts which exhibit in the
OF i6s s9t the na false
Mr.. Hales speech was TO his resolution Of De-
cember IL, calling for Select Committee to eX-
anime fully into the pr's condition Of the
Civil Service, Mr. Hale declared that his object
in offering it was to secure an investigation with
sincere purpose Of bringing before Congress the
country and also the performances Of certain
high and low officials Of the Government
THE REFORM OF REPUBLICAN ORIGIN.
The XLVIIth Congress Repubican) had
acted the Civil Service statute, said the speaker
and President Arthur had appointed the Civil
Service Commissi ners and gave support and en-
| couragement to them. If he dale 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 10
the fact that President Arthur made no proclama-
tions no promises, pledges but cOntented him
self with carrying out the law according to IFS
purpose and spirit. And yet he tllalel had failed
to any recognition of the action of the leaders
part of the organization which claims TO repre-
sent Civil Service Reform. Both the grcat parties
in 8S4 declared themselves in their platforms IN
favor Of Civil Service Reform: but a. the cam
paign went on it was seen that considerable
body of men who had before affiliated with the
Republican party had determ med to oppose its
that not only was that body of men
bert on opposing the Repgbcan D., can can
port his opponent. Governor Cleveland. The
candidate of the Democratic party had not failed
to observe this and he accor llngly profesSed adj.
hcrcnce 10 Civil Service principles in his tier OF
| acceptance Mr.. Clevclands declarations in that
respect had en- ugh effect in the close States to be
decisive of the result
Cleveland, published IN B'st in 1885, in which
Mr. Cleveland is represented as saying:
pledges of my party. We both promised TO divorce
the offices Of the country from being used for party
services.
There, said the Senator they. had as clearly
as words could give them the pledges OF
the Administration TO the Civil Service Reform
ers. That ADMINISTRATION had been elected las
| Mr. George W. Curtis and others had frequently
asserted on the strength Of such pledges.
| SWEEPING CHANGES IN THE GovgR>MtNT.
| He 1Iale) had never believed in the sincerity of
these pledges because il the Democratic party be-
| Al. Il
was in the doctrine that ito the victor, belong
| the spoils' lie had before him IL
table showing the sweeping changes in ali
the Departments OF the Government up 10 June
| June, il, 1887 That table showed that out Of
2,370 Presidential postmasters there had been
| masters there had been 40,0 600 changes ont OF
33 foreign ministers, 32 changes; out of II sccIe-
taries of legation, changes out OF ii collectors
of customs, 90 changes; 81 surveyors of customs
were all changed not one of the six Naval Officers
| remained ; of 36 appraisers but remained; of 3
| superintendents Of mints and assay offices there
! had been 1 changes the assistant appraisers
were all gone of the 50 collectors of internal Rev
enue S4 had gone in June last of the inspect
| Ors of steam vessels were gone of 20 district
attorneys "a sem-judcial office. 65 were changed;
| of 80 Territorial judges judicial Offices 22 were
changed. OF Territorial Governors all were gone /:
of pension agents but 3 remained: every one OF
| the surveyors general was gone: of 22i local
land officers 90 were gone; of 0 Indian insP ctois
and special agents but one remained; of so Indian
| agents but 4; and Of S3 special agents of the
| General Land Office but 4. At this time June
SS7) the Democratic Administration had been but
| little over two years in power.
| Since that time changes have been going on and
he hoped to have in q few days a further table
showing how this conquering march Of the Dem,
ocratic party in pursuit of office had continued
down to the beginning of this year This showing
the said, was amazing; The country did not ag,.
its watchword written on every fold of the Admin
istraton. the ruthless prescription and these re-
movals and changes in office had been going on at
American History.
MR. LAMAR AS A REFoRMER.
Secretary Lamar had recently taken occasion
to commend John c. Calhoun SAID the Senator. for
his position against the spoils system and had fell
citated himself on the fact that he belonged to an
Administration which was carrying out in that
respect the principles of Calhoun. And yet the
stern facts which confronted the Senate in the
Department presided over by Mr.. Lamar were that
every Territorial Governor had been removed:
also out of pension agents every surveyor
general four-ffths of the local land officers:
ninetenths 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 Pension Office And yet Mr.. Lamar stood to-
day on record by his uttered words as against the
spoils system, and posed as reformer
Passing to the question OF the participation OF
Federal officials in pol tical conventions and cleo
tons Mr. Hale referred to Tie meeting & o. the Sew
mittees, at all of which prominent federi omci"is
had been active participants.
Mr. Uawlev asked whether Mr. Hale WIS sure
that there had been no removals in these cases
Mr. Hale replied that he had yet 10 learn, not on
ly of any removal but OF any censnres' In some
cases the officials had been promoted, and IN no
case had there been change made except accident
ally or on account Of something entirely discon-
nected with the Administration. lie did not know
a case where the President had put strong hand
upon any Of these men and made 10 seem that he
wanted to perform what he promised.
THE PRESIDENTS FELLOWS LETTER
The President said Mr.. Hale had
not hesitated himself to deal deadly
blows at the cause Of reform Mr.. Hale
referred to the recent municipal election in New
Yorl, when Mr.. Fellows and Mr.. Nicoll
candidates for the office of District-Attorney, and
in which campaign all the papers, the Civil Service