Evening star., 1927-05-14

luSL his ire ana
u Arthur became President
because Roscoe Conkling couldn't do
to Garfield what he had done to Presi-
dent Hayes. 1t may even be said that
this was what elected President Cleve-
land three years later and turned the
Republican party out Of office for the
first time in "a years.
ut was the fight over Conkling's
insistence that he should be consulted
about the collectorship of the port of
New York that split the party, and
turned Guiteau's mad brain toward
murder as means of getting his
name in the papers. That is the ac.
cepted story of Garfield's assassination.
Arthur's accession and the overthrow
of the Republican party in 1882 and
1884. And ii is true as far as it goes.
But what is never mentioned, and
what you are going to mention now,
Is that this fight did not begin with
Garfield and was no sudden outburst
consequent upon his Inauguration. 1t
began with Hayes. The only reason
why it did not split the party in 1878
instead of 1881 and give the presidency
to the Democrats was that in Hayes
time Conkling got away with it and in
Garfield's time he didn't. Garfield out
witted him, thing Hayes could not
do, and in his rage Conllling resigned
from the Senate and smashed up the
party for dozen years. In the melee
Garfield was murdered and Arthur
and Cleveland. neither of whom would
otherwise have been President, came
successfully to the White House.
Holds Conl1ling Right.
"The curious thing is that though
Conkling was blameable for a fit of
passion which brought about such tre-
mendous results, he was right and
Garfield wrong on the principle of
the thing. 1t was Garfield, not Conk-
ling, who started an innovation in
politics. Hayes had tried to start it,
Conkling's autocracy and imperial ar
rogance are always spoken of. but
IL we are to look at the deeds of the
men and not their manner. it was Gar
field who tried to be autocratic and
Conkling merely stood on his rights.
Strange to say, this fight, already
several years old when Garfield be-
came President. began over that very
Arthur who was destined to become
President because of it. When it be-
gan Arthur was a local Republican
boss in New York City, running
machine patterned after Tammany,
and never dreaming. of national fame.
Before 1t ended he had crossed Gar
fields grave to become Chief Magis-
trate of the United States and officially
the head of his party in the whole
Nation.
1.-THE trouble, as / say, commenced
wfsA Hayes. He was the first civil
service reform President, and Conk-
ling. Republican Senator and boss /
of New York State, hated such reform
ers.- He called them 'man-milliners'
and Miss Nancys.' But Hayes ideas
of civil service reform were peculiar,
to say the least. That reform meant
the appointment of men to Office for
fitness and not through influence, but
Hayes came from Ohio, so did his
Secretary of the Treasury, John Sher-
man. and it was notorious that if a
man came from Ohio he needed no
other recommendation to get job |
from Sherman or Hayes.
Sherman Given Patronage.
ssrhe immensely important political |
patronage. of the Treasury was placed
in the hands Of Sherman; all the most |
lucrative appointments were reserved
for Ohio, and neither the President
nor his, Secretary of the Treasury
could see beyond the borders of that
State when they talked so eloquently
about the necessity of introducing the
civil service system into the Govern
ment. Some of the dissatisfied Repub-
lican Senators did not hesitate to say
that President Hayes idea of civil
service system was a scheme by which |
every Ohio politician could be put on
the Government pay roll and kept
as matter of course that no Ohio
politician would ever resign.
''The feeling created found its ex-
preston even in the cabinet. At
meeting early in the life of the admin
istration the President announced
three or four personal appointments
he intended to make in the diplomatic
service. He had not consulted Secre.'I
tary of State Evarts, and the an
nouncement took the Secretary by
surprise. He calmly replied, Mr.
President, have never had the good
fortune to see the great Western re-
serve of Ohio of which we have heard
SO much The President did not catch
the quiet sarcasm of his Secretary of
State until some of the other members
OF the cabinet smiled and then all.
broke into a loud laugh in which the
President belatedly joined without
much sign of merriment.
Senate Rejected Roosevelt.
"Early in the administration Sher-
man removed Chester A. Arthur as
collector of the port of New York.
Apparently not matter of great mo-
ment except TO the victim of the of
fetal ak, but 1t was to have the most
momentous consequences. Without
consulting the New York Republican
Senator, who was Conkling, the Presi.
dent appointed Theodore Roosevelt az