The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-18
DIR. ELIOT'S DILEMMA.

The dispatches quote DR.. Charles W..
Eliot, President Emeritus Of Harvard
University, as denying that he recent
ly criticized President Taft for placing
the fourth-class postmasters under the
civil service rules. DR.. Eliot claims to
have been misquoted In that, and that
he had not singled out President Taft
for censure; that he did not men"
tion President Taft's name at
all. He admits however, that he
said as he was quoted as saying,
that "the fourth-class postmasters are
patronage appointees, and he defends
this statement by saying that this Is
not new, but they always have been
patronage appointees
But since it was President Taft who
made the order which placed the fourth
class postmasters in the civil service
list, and since that order was criticized
by DR.. Eliot, it is difficult to see the
force Of his denial that he criticized
President Taft. The denial would ap-
pear, In fact, to be mere bubble.
What DR.. Eliot said at a hearing in
the Massachusetts State House was re-
ported rs follows:
I greatly regret to criticize President
OF the United States, and greatly regret
that a President OF the United States
should issue such an order as that issued
just after the election. The fourth-class
postmasters were patronage appointees
They are to be continued In office now
simply because OF the application Of the
spoils system. The blow has been struck
from the capital at true civil service.
This appears to be SO nearly identi-
cal with what DR.. Eliot now admits
that he said, that no serious charge of
misquoting can be considered DR.,
Eliot holds that tho issuing of the
order placing the fourth-class post
masters in the civil service list was an
application Of "the spoils system. !"
That in itself is criticism Of the
President who issued it, and renders
negatory the denial which Dr.. Eliot
makes; for it is clear case that he
criticized President Taft for issuing
that order, although be did not mention
his name. The criticism necessarily ap-
piled to President Taft, because the
matter criticized was from President
Taft. 1t is curious to see that DR..
Eliot would engage in such a shifty
evasion as this.
1t is to be noted further, that DR..
Eliot does not deny that he stated
that President Taft issued the order
complained of "just after the cleo
!. I,,l xt1- of oaE he
order WAS issued three weeks before
the election; and hero DR. Eliot was at
fault. The New York Tribune further
finds him at fault on the general propo-
sitiop. 1t notes that in an address
which Dr. Eliot delivered at the an
nual meeting Of the National Civil
Service Reform League in Milwaukee
on December 5th and 9th last, he called
attention to the President IS order and
did not at that time find that il was
"an application of the spoils system. y
| On the contrary, he approved it, using
these words:
| President Roosevelt and President Taft
| both believe in the merit system as pro-
noting honesty and efficiency In the Ma
\ aGTllnlSlEaUOn,
| tensions to the classified service. Prosi-
| dent Roosevelt put into the classified
| service the fourth class postmastcrs east
of the Mississippi and north OF the Po-
| tomac and the Ohio, and President Taft
has recently added all the rest Of the
| fourth-class Postmastcrs,
This approving reference to President
Taft's order was made by DR.. Eliot
early in December, rs stated The ref
orence to ii was clearly by way Of
approval, and he at that time recog-
nized that President Taft IS order was
carrying out the merit system and
promoting honesty and efficiency in
| the National administration IT was
ono Of the important extensions TO
The classified service, - President Roose
Welt had extended the tenure of certain
fourth class postmasters by putting
them in the classified service, and Presi
dent Taft completed the good work by
putting all the rest OF the fourth class
postmasters IN the same service.
The National Civil Service Re
form League, al the meeting al
which DR.. Eliot thus approved
President Taft IS order, adopted g
resolution which, referring to the
record OF the year passed, said
"'Iu the Federal service the chief gain
is the extension by President Taft ot
the classification Of fourth-class post
masters over the whole country. plar
which had been tried previously Will
success IN tho more thickly settled
portions. -
DR.. Eliot appears to have been il
full accord at that time with this &c
tion of tho Civil Service Reform League
in approving President Taft 3 order. Il
looks a good deal as though DR.. Elio
had changed ground on this matter, haC
taken n dose of the old spoils idea him
self, aud that this made him revolt a
, President Taft's order which had beer