Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 4.djvu/486

452 cases came to my special notice. I have nothing to ask for but to be enabled to say that the President's pledges have been kept. I trouble myself little about the rest. There is probably no unofficial person more interrogated and appealed to about the doings of the Administration than I am. Moreover, as a member of a special committee of the Civil Service Reform League I shall soon have to help in making a report on the progress of the reform, the course of the Administration as to the matter of removals and appointments included. We can report only the truth, and nobody can be more anxious than I am that the truth should show the Administration in every respect faithful to the President's word.

I think it would have been well, had the Administration at the start adopted a rule to put the reasons for every suspension or removal on record. Many suspensions would then not have been urged by the politicians; many, if urged, would have been refused for a very obvious and exceedingly strong reason; and the Administration would in many cases have escaped the suspicion of having made removals on mere political grounds, or of having made the removals first and hunted up reasons for them afterwards. But for the adoption of such a rule it is not too late. It will always be a salutary measure in itself.

The Administration has done many good things and these good things are evidently the source of its moral strength. It ought not to suffer a weak spot to exist in its armor.

This morning I made the acquaintance of the new collector of customs here. I do not think the President could have made a better appointment. What we are now looking for is to see him turn out some of the officeholders who, in defiance of his circular, have appeared as