The evening times., 1899-06-10
4 Reply to Mr.. Gage.

Reply to Mr. Gage.
There are two heavyweight champions
today whose limbs are sore and who:e
speaking countenances resemble Mr.. AL
gers most popular brand of refrigerated
beef. We refer to Mr.. Robert Fitzsimmons
and Mr.. Lyman J. Gage. Our business Is
with the latter.
u was our painful duty this morning to
show him how much better 1t would have
been to continue his earlier policy OF abb
stention from strife than needlessly to
| start out with the determination to find
trouble. 1t is pity. because Mr. Gage
| is a novice in this sort of thing, and Wis
IDLY acts like one in cutting loose at the
start. at such notoriously well-loaded in
stitutions as the leading press Of the
country and the Civil Service Reform
League. Perhaps the Secretary Of the
Treasury imagined that when in effect he
denounced that association. composed of
gentlemen at least his peers in social and
business position, as falsif1ers and SANDER
ers, that would be the end of the matter.
In fact, it was exactly the beginning. and
and one We know Mr.. Mckinley. as a
practical politician, will greatly dep,ore.
Friends like Mr.. Gage are sometimes more
dangerous to the objects of their. devo-
tion than the most vengeful enemy
could be. Did not the inspired prophet
and holy man exclaim in his despair:
| Lord, deliver me from my friends; my
| enemies ! can take OF myself. thanks!"
The Civil Service Reform League is not
showing the submissive attitude evidently
expected of il. Through its secretary. Mr..
George McAneny, it gave out in New York
last night a general reply to Mr.. Gage.
promising to pay its further respects TO
him in detail as soon as possible. The
League statement is as follows:
There is no statement in the address OF the
Civil Service Reform League to which the inter
view OF Secretary Gage relates, that Is not based
on the cl.are.t facts.
The estimate of the number Of offices the Pres
ident has taken from the classified service is made
up Of official figures. The characterization OF the
great majority of the exceptions as unnecessary
and retrogrcssive is borne out by sound argu-
ments and by actual experience
The assertion that the law has been violated
and ciTcumyented in many branches OF the serv-
ice under the present Administration. and that
have been condoncd by wholesale, may be sub
stantiated, not only by the facts in the Leagues
possession, hut by reference TO the official ilcs
and reports Of the Civil Service Commission il
self.
The terms Of the amendments affecting trans
fers and reinstatements without competitive
animation, regarding which much has been
said quoted literally. The announcement
now made behalf of the Administration that
the opportunities for evasion of the law. which
these amendments offer not to be avaled of.
is gratifying. but does not lessen the necessity
of pointing out how dangerous those opportuni-
ties
These few brief. courteous. and pointed
paragraphs especially the last one, ought
to demonstrate TO Mr.. Gage. as well as to
the President, that it would have been bet
ter not to stir up the animals in the re-
form cage at present. What the League
secretary says is more than echoed gen.
orally by the press and people. 1t is, in
deed, highly edifying to have the assur-
ance that nothing could induce the Admin
istration to take advantage of the oppor-
tunities provided by the spoils order, and
promote unclassifed laborers to high posi-
tions in the classified service without ex-
animation. Unfortunately the public has
grown cynical with regard to Administra-
tion promises and its alleged virtue, and
now is asking what could have led Presi-
dent Mckinley to dare its criticism and
certain indignation, by carefully and pain
fully hammering out definite plan which
IL acted upon would completely eviscerate
the merit system and make three damaged |
and useless jumping Jacks of the Civil |
Commission? The obvious answer |
to this conundrum is that while our Chief |
Magistrate may have schemed and done |
all this solely with a view to the mental |
exercise it would give him, it would be dif- |
ficult to find any thinking citizen of the |
Republic who could be made to believe II. |
Our much esteemed friend. Mr.. Gage, is in
for it now. He has invited an issue which,
personally, he might and should have avoid |
ed, and we have not the least doubt that he
has been assured of that fact before now at |
the White House.
We are unable to state what will happen /
in the Administration family circle, but we
are inclined to the opinion that the old
muzzle for which there has not been any
use since the eviction Of Uncle" John
Sherman. will now be brought out, rubbed
up, and strapped over the automobile vocal
organs Of the Hon. Lyman J. Gage.