New-York tribune., 1894-10-25
As TO TIE OTHER COMMITTEES.

Finding It impossible 10 ignore or 10 rcfuic
the damning revelations of he lcNow invcstl'
CATION the Democratic boss attempts diversion
Of the issue; just H. the darkcy who was caught
with "A chicken under his coat vrtuously pro
tested that he hadn't stolen watermelon all
summer. II is true. Mr. Hi admits that the
Lcxow Committee has discovered some lrplcaS
ant things. But there are or were, other com
mttccs whose investigations have 10y their
frutlcssncss demonstrated the sancliiy ~ Dem
ocratc government. That j. th" rule. The work
of the Lexow Committee i merely the proven.
bal exception that proves its truth: proves that
Republican Investigations have been failures.
and that the Democratic record on the whole.
is bright with the Beauty ~ Holiness. SO.
speaking at Bnghlmton the other day the Sen
ator delivered himself Of this high old blending
Of criticism and pancgyric:
The various committees have prosecuted their
work and the results have been 80 meagrc and dis
appOntng (Oiher than those OF the LeNOw Com
mitee) that they have attracted little or no atcn-
iion. Their failure Is virtually conceded. and moth
ing was discovered because there was nothing To Boz
exposed; and the result is a VnlllAton of she Wis
dom the honesty and the purity OF the aImlnlstra-
tion OF public Affairs on IN" part - IN" various
Democrats departments and cities Investigated
our Republican friends. in their iii-cyncealei part-
san Joy over the disclosures OF the LeNo" Com
mttee, absolutely silent the efforts ana re-
suits Of all their other committees.
Is it SO; When the sun shines men do not
see the moon and stars. In view of the appall
ins disclosures Of the LcXow investigation II is
not strange If revelations of Democratic dcvtry
elsewhere are for the time half overlooked But
since Mr.. Hill himself recalls them 10 attcn
ton. let us see just how "mcagrc and disap-
pointing" they really are
one Of these other committees so Slightingly
referred to consisted Of Senators O'Connor, Sax
ton and McMahon. 1t met AT Albany, in the
middle Of July, TO investigate charges preferred
by the Civil Service Reform Association against
Governor Flower and the civil Service Commits
sion. The result WIS complete substantiaton
Of the charges and Il conviction Of the Demo
cratic administration Of II gross and wilful vio
laii0n Of the letter and spirit Of the Civil Ser
vice law. 1t was shown that under the direction
or with the cOgnlzance and approval, of the
Governor the Commission had reduced the Civil
Service system TO Il farce The law requires Ger
tain classes Of places to be filled through com.
pctitive examination, while others are privileged
To be filed without such examination. This
provision was cvadcd, wholesale, by the simple
device Of changing places from one list 10 an
other. When Il place became vacant the ap
pointing officer would choose his own man for
It, without examination, and then have the place
arbitrarily transferred from the competitive to
the privileged schedule. This was done in hun
dreds Of cases AT the pleasure Of party spolls
men. Such examinations were made wcr,
utterly farcical; the papers were marked at ran
dom or not marked AT all: and appointments
were made without the least regard 10 the man
ner in which the candidates had passed the cx
animation. The Commissioners made no efforts
to maintain the law supervision Of the rule of
cities virtually ceased, the rules relating TO pro
motion for merit, etc. became quite obsolete
and the formal reports of the Commissioners
were filed with gross missatcments The Dem
ocratic Controller could have stopped much OF
this rascaty by stopping payment Of salaries
TO men Illegally appointed; but would not And
1t was not until II Republican Controller. Mr.
Roberts. assumed office that il check was ap
piled to these vilanous practices and the cor
rptionists made "a general scramble for cover -
Does Mr. Hill think the failure" OF this in
vestlgation "is virtually conccdcd"? Are its rc
suits "meagrc and Disappointing? Or has bc
left ii out Of his reckoning! He should NOT
have done so for he has an especial pcrson,l
interest in 1t. The fact was disclosed that tbi.
systematic debauchmcnt OF the public scrvic,
was begun while he was Governor and wos
actually begun by him. himself. when he dclb
eratcly removed from office faithful Commits
sioncrs for no other reason than that they
sought to maintain the law and therefore stood
rs barrcr between his hcnchmcn and the
spoils they coveted 1T was shown" SAYS the
secretary Of the Civil Service Reform Associa
tion and truly. that whenever any Commits
sion had begun to work toward the proper en-
forcement Of tho law II was summarlly dis
missed"
Such is the showing Of one of the other com
mttecs." But perhaps Mr.. Hin thinks 1t doesn't
count. since it has TO do with Civil Service Re
form, for which hc has nothing but contempt
In that case it may be of interest to recall a
plank Of the Democratic platform on which Mr.