The Indianapolis journal., 1890-05-12

| He Acknowledges that This Administration
Has Some Merit but Is Still Unfair.

He Acknowledges that This Administration
Has Some Merit but Is Still Unfair.
Philadelphia Press. k
Mr.. George William Curtis, in his semi
annual speech upon ciyil-service reform. Is
fairer to himself and the Republican party
than he was six months ago. He was
ready to concede it nothing then. After
creditIng the Cleveland administration for
years with all its desires in reform, MIR,
Curtis was willing to credit President Har-
rison's administration only with its alleged
deficiencies. He had been willing to Judge
the Democratic party by its professions.
He rigidly insisted on measuring the Re-
publican party by its practice, and its
practice alone.
This was not fair to the Republican
party, but it was still more unfair to Mr.
Curtis. With his past record and his
present position, Mr.. Curtis, of all men In
public life. raises the hope and justifies
the presumption that he will be fair and
just to the party which once honored and
has never ceased to respect him. We have
right to ask that man who claims to
detach himself from party in order to serve
great reform shall be scrupulously fair
progress. Mr. Curtis was grievOusly I'M
fair to Mr.. Curtis in his position then. He
is fairer in his present speech before the
Civil-service- e-rcform League.
IL think the nomination of the present
Civil-service Commissioners was admira-
ble," says Mr.. Curtis now, "and l learn
| with the greatest pleasure from the best
authority that the reformed system is hon.
estly applied in the departments at Wash
ington." We wonGer If Mr.. Curtis, or any
one else, thinks that this was true in the
| Treasury Department under Higgins. THE
late debate in the House of Representa-
| tives'-witha Republican majority, be it re-
membered-has removed, in Mr.. Curtis's
opinion, "apy doubt of the hold of reform
| upon public opinion Six months ago Mr..
| Curtis was citing obscure papers to show
| that the Republican press was opposed to
the reform. We are glad to see that he
| quotes now from the leading Republican
| journals of the land, all of whom are. we
| believe, almost without exception, strong
supporters of the reform.
| Still, Mr.. Curtis is not satisfied with the
progress of the past year. Neither, we pre-
sumo, is President Harrison. No one CLAIMS
| that everything is for the best with the
best of all reforms. A century of steady
| habit under the spoils system is not to be
changed in decade-not even by the Re-
| publican party. 1t has done all that has
been done thus far. 1t. passed the act. 1t
began its administration. A Republican
| President-Mr. Curtis being judge-is the
first to give the act an efficient commission,
of which Mr. Curtis says Nothing could
/ Whoever dreamed of saying that or any
| thing like that, of Mr.. Cleveland's commas
sion9 The classified service, which the Ie.
| formers charged was prostituted under
4
fourth of its appointments, is now vlgi-
| lantly watched by an able commission, and
| the partisan appointments which filled the
| departments at Washington under Presi-
dent Cleveland are not repeated. Even
| Mr.. Curtis is satisfied with the present ad-
m1nistration in Washington. where its in
| tiuence is most direct.
This is not all Mr.. Curtis demands.
| Neither is it all that should be DONE If
| Mr. Curtis ever expects to see an admins
/ xuif fOr aic 10
| years will be prolonged to period which
| will long bless the country with his elO-
| quence. his lofty aims and his high ideals,
but which,: we fear, neither he nor the
Mr.. Curtis. 1t is true that the present ad-
ministration has turned out three fourths
as many postmasters as the last. President
| Cleveland found the administration of the
postofiice efficient above praise. The vast
majority of small postmasters. originally
| selected as Republicans, had been retained,
as their political backing faded. because
they were good postmasters. President
! jority furnished by alleged friends of the
| reform, might have left these men in Office.
He did not. He made clean sweep. He
left the pOstotfice Democratic. He sowed
in every small office and in every town a
| heritage of political hate. He did gross in
justice to thousands of men who had for
| years faithfully served the governm ment of
which he was the head. He made reprisa Is
inevitable and. asin the railway mail service
and at scores of other points-as Mr.. Swifts
reports show, for instance-hls appointees
were notoriously incompetent he made re-
form necessary.
Both reprisals and reforms have followed.
We arelnot prepared to justify both on the
same ground. We believe that many a re-
moval and new appointment will be a
source of weakness rather than of strength
next fall, The post0fhce. like all the bust
ness departments of the government, onght
to be kept jealously out of politics. They
will be In time. and by the Republican
party, and the Democratic party viii oc
cupy and accept It's reforms as its opponent
moves on to higher standards. But we
take things as they are. We accept
what has been done. We appreciate the
advance which has been made and we de
clare. without fear of contradiction. that
there never was time when the progress
of this reform was more clear or its triumph
more certain than after. the first year o.
President Harrison's administration Year
ly. President Cleveland left the reforms tc
which he pledged himself. Yearly, we lool
to President Harrison to advance, and the