Year: 1876

A thorough reform of the civil service Is
| perhaps the most vitality necessary and i'm
portant of all the reforms demanded by SEN
sible citizens of both parties and the most
urgently required by the situation OF the
country. On the speedy execution OF this
reform depend the hopes of all the other re-
forms for want of which the country suffers
A reform of the civil service will at once
cure the Southern discomfort, because 1t
will prevent federal Office holders from inter
fering with the local politics OF those States
1t will give Congress, the President nnd ms
Cabinet time for thoughtful action and legls-
lation, because it will relieve them OF the
constant pressure Of q multitude OF o1hce-
seekers 1t will be most important source
of economy in the public expenditures, be-
cause it will allow the government business
to be transacted by experts-by careful,
capable, honest men, who will be conscious
that SO long as they ere honest
and competent they need not fear
being displaced, and that If they
ore dishonest, careless or incompetent they
will be dismissed no matter what are their
politics or their 'friends." 1t will purify
all parts OF our public life and political
society and make ''politics" an honorable
profession, into which the best minds OF the
country will be drawn. as they ought to be;
for surely tho government of this nation
ought to be in tho hands of the ablest men.
and not in those only of tho most adroit
and self-seeking politicians.


Well, this being granted, let US see what
the two Presidential candidates think OF
this supremely important issue OF civil SER
vice reform. The inquiry is legitimate
and important one, for it will depend more
upon the next President than upon Con-
cress whether we shall see this reform carried
ont effectually; and in this matter we have
right to ask not only what the candidates now
profess, when they are naturally anxious to
suit themselves to the public demand, but
what is of much greater importance what,
if anything, they thought and said upon it
formerly, before they became candidates.
Fortunately we have before rs, to help us in
this inquiry, two campaign lives" of Gov
ernors Tilden and Hayes, biographies writ
ten, of course, from friendly and even par
tisan point of view and directly intended to
conciliate the favor of voters and the public.
We have looked accordingly through these
volumes to discover what have been in
former years the opinions and actions Of
Messrs Hayes and Tilden on this important
subject. At present, of course, both favor
civil service reform. They come at the
subject in different ways, but both alike
profess a determination to help it. Both
agree that it is necessary to the perfection of
the reform that the Presidential tenure shall
be confined to one term, and though Gov
ernor Tilden does not, like Governor Hayes,
distinctly pledge himself to reject renom-
nation his words are SO strongly in favor Of
single term that it cannot be supposed he
would, if elected, allow himself to look to
second term.


So far, then, the two candidates are on equal
| ground. What remains is to inquire what
in their previous public careers they have
said and done to show their intelligent zeal
for this reform. Mr.. Tilden has long been
engaged in politics as the ruler of conven-
tions, the inspirer of platforms, justly
| prominent and influential leader of his party
We have been looking through his biography
| and we do not find any evidence to show that
| he has seen in former days the need of re-
form of the civil service. He was long a
powerful leader of his party in city politics,


and here in New York, if anywhere in the
| land, the civil service needed to be put on q


basis of honesty and capacity; but we do
not find that Mr.. Tilden urged this Again,


while his party was in q minority in federal
affairs it was frequently in power in the
State, we do not discover that Mr.. Tilden ut
any time urged upon it measures to reform


the civil service of the State. Since he has


become Governor he has, in his appoint


ments, mainly rewarded his old personal


allies-mnny of them men of ability, some of
them even men who were not jealous demo-


Gratis ; but he does not appear to have
acted upon any general desire to reform the


service, but rather. as is commonly charged


by his own political allies, with the purpose


OF forming personal following for himself.
| And while we are not of those who make


this charge we do not see in his course and


actions, either before he became Governor


or since, q distinct recognition of the abso-
| lutte necessity Of changing the manner in


which the minor officers of the government
are appointed, or of their tenure.


We come next to consider Mr.. Hayes.
| With him civil service reform seems to have


been familiar subject ever -since his entry
| on public life. He came into Congress after


the war, and while there he supported the


bills Of Messrs Jenckes and Trumbull in


tended to institute this reform. When he


became Governor one of his first acts was


to refuse to remove State officer in order


to make place for friend who had solic-


tied the Office, and he based his refusal on