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Show THOMAS'S RESIGNATION. j ' T- ' The Commissioner's Letter to the President, and the Latter's Iteply. Washington, October 26. Civil Service Commissioner Thoman has tendered his resignation re-signation and it has been accepted by the President, to take effeot November next. -. The following is the correspondence: "United States Cira Sebvice Commission, Commis-sion, Washington, Oct. 20, 1885. Sib: Respectfully Re-spectfully referring to a conversation had with you on March 10th, in which I expressed ex-pressed the wish to be relieved of my duties as a member of the United States Civil Service Ser-vice Commission, and also to the apparent fact that it was not' then your ' pleasure to consider my request, I have now the honor to tender formally my resignation and earnestly ear-nestly beg your consideration of . the same and its acceptance. While thus asking re lease from so honorable a trust, I desire to record my gratification over the proved practicability and remedial effectiveness of the reform procedure. Tried veterans in political warfare view with amazement the facile, though radical, departure from the familiar methods of the spoils system of distributing dis-tributing patronage. Strenuous and sincere arguments, and also deliberate perversion, mark the opposition of the different groups of antagonists, and yet it must be concluded that a majority of the political leaders in either party is in accord with the Pendleton law, if its original enactment and emphatic endorsement by a subsequent Congress were honest legislative expressions, and not the coercion of moral cowardice by popular sentiment senti-ment nor partisan legerdemain. In the great task of administrative reform, which you have undertaken in accordance with personal per-sonal and., party, pledges, - the - people will give aid. - It has been my pleasure within the last two months to visit quite a number of Statea and Territories of this Union, and it was my good fortune to meet with many of their citizens. It is gratifying to know that the people confide in the unequivocal un-equivocal intention of "the President to sustain sus-tain the merit system in the civil service. They had condemned the evils of the former methods, and long experience had made their knowledge accurate. They welcomed the inauguration of the new system. The distinctive features of reform appealed to a typically American sentiment which recommends recom-mends and advances merit. With the precise pre-cise details of the new procedure their acquaintance ac-quaintance was not so intimate. To this day they are fast succeeding, and the result will be a cordial approval. The inception and maintenance of great retorms are with the people. I believe the fundamental funda-mental idea of civil service refarm is characteristic charac-teristic of the American thought. The popular popu-lar hesitation over, the acceptance of the statutory details suggests merely a safe con-' servatism. In the early stages of the reform there was a response throughout the nation. Political contests assumed a new tone. Old time methods of corruption were discouraged discour-aged and "bossism" was grappled with fresh vigor. The improvement is yet marked. If the vicious elements still seek ob trusion into elections, the chances of their sucoess have been lessened. The reform spirit is militant and advances toward complete success. Corruption Cor-ruption by official patronage has been removed, re-moved, and with the imparting of a purer life to official circles the power of the private pri-vate purse to purchase political honors will be less dangerous. Public . appreciation ap-preciation of the fact that this reform does not trencn upon panisansmp came late. It was studiously maintained that the civil Bervice was to be composed of men who should abjure certain rights of citizenship. With a gradual but inevitable refutation of this false view, the outlines of the reform at last stood forth in clearness. It is a reform which views the civil service as a vast business busi-ness agency. Its search is for the best obtainable ob-tainable merit. In business which is not political it enforces no tests of party. With confident trust in the success of your administration, ad-ministration, I am . - Your obedient servant, . Leeoy D. Thoman. To the President. . '" Cleveland's eesponse. Executive Mansion, Washington, Oct. 24th, 1885. ToHomLeroy D. Thoman, Civil Service Commissioner. My Dear Sir: I have received your letter tendering your resignation resigna-tion as a member of the Civil Service Commission, Com-mission, which is in furtherance of an inclination in-clination expressed by you very soon after my inauguration as Presi dent. The resignation resigna-tion thus tendered is hereby accepted, to take effect the first day of November next. I congratulate you upon the fact that in the office'which you relinquish, you have been able by sincere and earnest work and by steady devotion to the cause of which you have had charge to'do so much in the interest inter-est of good government and improved political po-litical methods. Yours sincerely, Geoveb Cleveland. ' An Associated Press .reporter called this evening upon Commissioner Thoman, who, replying to the question as to his future intentions, in-tentions, said: 'I will not be idle a moment. I have some private business matters which will occupy my attention for a short time and then 1 expect to resume me pracuuo uj. law." It is said Judge Thoman has under consideration consid-eration a proposition from a large corporation corpora-tion in New York City. His only reply to the question on this point was: "I do not feel at liberty to say anything on that subject sub-ject at present." . - |