Year: 1873

An Associated Press dispatch from Washing
ton states in the most matter-of- fact way that
changes are soon to be made in about twenty
"consulates in order that Southern men may
abe appointed TO them, the President having
recently expressed his desire to give office
"tO O larger number of his Southern p0lit-
"ical friends" 1t is a very ordinary oc-
currence, and yet the announcement hath
somehow a quaint flavor. 1t reminds one
of Capt. Buddington and Capt. Tyson and
the Polaris and Joe and Hannah and
the ice foe and the open Polar sea. Of
a warm day it is as refreshing as the sudden
and unexpected passage of an ice cart. 1t Is
natural enough, of course, for the President
to remove twenty cOnsuls to gratify- his
"desire to give Office to q larger
"number of his Southern political friends !"
that is entirely reasonable and proper,
and accords precisely with the idea
upon which tho Government is administered.
If tho President has Southern political
"friends,n what less can he do than remove
some consuls who are not Southern political
friends and give them the places. 1t would
be very singular state of things indeed If
the President were to have Southern pOliti-
"cal friends who did not hold some Office.
Far be it from us to criticise such removals
or appointments. But what makes it cool and
refreshing is that it recalls so many pleasing
memories.memOries of platforms and reSOlu-
tions and stump orations on the subject Of
Civil Service Reform, of Advisory Boards, and
Rules, and competitive examinations and Mr..
George W. Curtis.


All, those were days of promise that this
announcement brings to mind-when Presi-
dent Grant in his message told us what things
were in store for us as soon as he should get
the Civil Service Reform perfected; when all
the orators glowed with enthusiasm, and the
organs waxed fervid over it, when the Ad-
yisory Board sat and sat and sat, and invented
rules, and then added some moro rules, and
then changed tho old rules, and then came
together and read them over and printed
them, and added some supplemental rules,
and then in several beautiful sentences told
us all about how beautiful it would be when
it got fairly to work, and-ah, how well we
remember it all, and how the very first work
ing of it in the appointment of Collector Casey
was hailed with delight by an enthusiastic people.
But, overjoyed as we were at the wonderful
success of it, we really had no adequate con-
ception of what it would do for us when the
whole reform should be in practical operation.
We are now just beginning to enjoy it,
Twenty consuls removed at one swoop so
that the President may "give Office to larger
number of his Southern political friendsl"
And that 3 only the beginning of the Reform
And in warm weather too With the Presi-
dent at Long Branch What may we not ex-
pect when the weather is cooler, and the
President at Washington, and he has moro
political friends-as he is liable to have at
any moment-and the new Advisory Board
gets its new rules printed


Just now, too, there is published, with sim
gular regard for the fitness of things n very
touching correspondence between Mr.. Curtis
and tho Advisory Board; sort of sauce
piquante to the announcement referred to
above. The Advisory Board. which has just
had session and adopted some Iaoro rules.