Year: 1877

Gail Hamilton has written nothing better in her
series of letters Of "ciyiservice reform
than the following from her latest;


am happy to believe that Secretary Schurz ut
terly mistook the temper of the American people
when he allowed any civl-service reform what
ever to remove Miss Meade from Office for any
cause whatever.


Look at it, Miss Meade is the sister of Gen
Meade. Have we forgotten what Gen. Meade was /?
It WILL perhaps, never be claimed for him that he
was IS great military commander as Grant, or
Sherman or Thomas, or Sheridan, or perhaps, as
Mcpherson but history will faithfully record that
lit fell to Gen. Meades lot to fight and to win the
most critical the most fateful, the most memorable
battle of the war that he fought it when the spirit
of the rebellion was at its height when Lees army
proud in its prestige and arrogant in its power, had
dared to invade the free north; fought it when to
lose would have been to see Independence Hall un-
der rebel flag in thirty-six hours, Baltimore in
bloody revolt, and the capitol at Washington OPEN
led to the session of Confederate congress fought


it when United States vessel Of war lay at anchor
his Cabinet in case Lee should overcome the SOL
Idiers of the union. Then and there, my country
men, on the woeful field of Gettysburg, ON those
three historic days. the American union was saved
preserved by the generaship of Meade and the lion
hearted bravery of those who fought under him.


And when recall those three midsummer days of
suspense, when, even in the shadows of our noun


ains we felt only the shock of battle, and life and
death hung the Issues of an hour; when recall
the solemn and speechless JOY of Meade's great
victory, and when remember how history might


have been rolled back aud the destiny of continents
and races changed by his faltering; when think
of that modest hero, gentle woman in his man.
ner tender as a child in his feelngs--I cannot be


evc it is the will of the American people that while


the grass is hardly yet ripened and withered his


grave, his sister, dependent for her bread upon her
labor should be turned out of her humble place in
the interior department. in the name of civil SER
vice reform.


count % tho small dust of the balance all reports
in any reform paper, from any source whatever,
sof all unitness whatever. | question their truth,
and, iftruc, they should not be pleaded European
methods Of civil service are held up to our emnla-
\ tion and England and the German empire arc
IS pointed out as models Of administration for US.
y do not for moment concede that they are better


than ours but docs Secretary Schurz think that the
IS government Of England would under any pretext
y whatever deprive sister Of the Duke Wellington
% Of her means of subsistence or that minister of
y the German empire would dare to dispacc the SIS
Il ter of Won Moltke from the comfort in which any
= other minister had placed her? Yet Waterloo


held not for England, nor Sedan for Prussia. so
I grave moment as Gettysburg for the United States
d where three days long natons fate hing darken-
Z ing in the smoke Of battle


n think that Gen. Jackson, head aud front OF tile
Nvicious spois system through he were, understood


far better the nature of people, of whose will he


had been made the executive and that Mr.. Sehurs
o, himself all armored in unseltish patriotism and
Ss high of duty, might find his account in stud,
ling the characteristic anecdote of him often re
= lated by our old Salem neghbor, Col. Miller, tn,
Z gallant "Tll try, sir!" Of the war OF 1872 1t wa
y he who first advised Con. Jackson that Georg,
Croghan, the splendid hero Of Fort Stephenson gh
81 in 1873, who with ahandful of men maintained


against athousaud Britishsnd Indians,a position tina