Presidents Behaving Goodly: Chester Alan Arthur and Civil Service Reform
Before he became President, Chester Alan Arthur had always been thought of as a party hack, and as a "spoilsman", that is, as someone who thought that the purpose of winning elections was so that the victorious party could dole out political patronage positions. Arthur had been part of Republican New York Senator Roscoe Conkling's "Stalwarts", the faction of the party that was opposed to civil service reform. The Stalwarts believed that government patronage positions should be awarded not on the basis of merit, but rather as rewards for those who supported the winning faction.
It was the spoils system that had resulted in Arthur becoming Collector of the Port of New York, perhaps the highest paying government job. The Collector was responsible for hiring hundreds of workers to collect the tariffs due at the nation's busiest port. Typically, these jobs were dispensed to adherents of the political machine that appointed the Collector. Employees who were hired for these positions were required to make political contributions (known as "assessments") back to the machine. The job was the most highly coveted political plum. Arthur held the post from 1871 until 1878 when President Rutherford Hayes fired him as part of Hayes' attempt to attack the spoils system.
Two years later, in 1880, the Stalwarts backed Ulysses S. Grant for the nomination as the Republican Party's candidate for President. Grant and his main opponent James G. Blaine both lost the nomination to compromise candidate James Garfield. Garfield's campaign management knew their man would face a difficult election without the support of the New York Stalwarts. It was decided to offer one of the Stalwarts the vice presidential nomination. Levi P. Morton was the first choice of Garfield's supporters, but he was told by Conkling to decline the position. They next approached Arthur, and Conkling told him to also reject the nomination. In a surprising show of independence, Arthur did the opposite and accepted the nomination.
Garfield won the election and Arthur became Vice-President. It was the first time he had ever held elected office. Then, a half a year after his inauguration, Garfield died on September 19, 1881, the result of being shot on July 2nd by Stalwart supporter Charles Guiteau. Arthur was now President.
Many people expected the worst from Arthur. They believed that he was going to become Conkling's puppet as President and that his administration would be one of the most corrupt in history. They also believed that civil service reform had suffered a serious setback. But they were wrong.
Conkling expected Arthur to appoint him to the position of Secretary of State. Instead, Arthur appointed Frederick T. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey. He balanced out the rest of his cabinet with men from all factions of the party. Most shocking to Conkling, Arthur became a supporter of civil service reform.
When Arthur became president, a scandal had just been exposed, in which contractors for star postal routes were greatly overpaid for their services with the connivance of government officials. Reformers wanted this fraud prosecuted and they feared that Arthur, as a supposed supporter of the spoils system, would not continue the investigation into the scandal. But Arthur's Attorney General, Benjamin Brewster, did continue it and hired notable Democratic lawyers William W. Ker and Richard T. Merrick to strengthen the prosecution team. Arthur forced the resignation of officials suspected in the scandal.
An 1882 trial of the ringleaders resulted in convictions for two minor players and a hung jury for the rest. A juror later came forward with allegations that the defendants attempted to bribe him. The judge ordered a new trial be held. Arthur removed five federal office holders who were sympathetic with the defense. Although the second trial did not result in a guilty verdict, this occurred in spite of Arthur's efforts to put a stop to the fraud.
Both Democrats and Republicans read the mood of the public and realized that what the public wanted was an end to the spoils system and a bipartisan effort began in favor of reform. In 1880, Democratic Senator George H. Pendleton of Ohio had introduced legislation that required selection of civil servants based on merit as determined by an examination. In his first annual presidential address to Congress in 1881, Arthur requested civil service reform legislation and Pendleton once again introduced his bill. When Congress did not pass it, Republicans lost seats in the 1882 congressional elections, as Democrats campaigned on the reform issue. In a lame-duck session of Congress, the Senate approved Pendleton's bill 38–5 and the House soon concurred by a vote of 155–47.
Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law on January 16, 1883. In just two years as President, Arthur, the former Stalwart spoilsman became the president who ushered in long-awaited civil service reform. Even after he signed the act into law, its proponents doubted Arthur's commitment to reform. Some thought he might veto the bill, but he had no intention of doing so. To the surprise of many, Arthur quickly appointed the members of the Civil Service Commission that the law created, naming reformers Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, and Leroy D. Thoman as commissioners. The chief examiner, Silas W. Burt, was a long-time reformer who had once been Arthur's opponent when the two men worked at the New York Customs House. By 1884, half of all postal officials and three-quarters of the Customs Service jobs were to be awarded by merit. Arthur praised the new system, stating that it was an effective "in securing competent and faithful public servants and in protecting the appointing officers of the Government from the pressure of personal importunity and from the labor of examining the claims and pretensions of rival candidates for public employment."
Arthur's integrity was not enough to secure his party's nomination in 1884, in part because of serious health problems that Arthur was experiencing. When he left office, the political commentators of his day praised him for his leadership. Muck-raking journalist Alexander McClure wrote: "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe." The New York World summed up Arthur's presidency at his death in 1886, writing: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation." Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration." While Arthur has become one of the most obscure presidents, more recent biographers have reminded us about Arthur's positive accomplishments. In 1975, Thomas C. Reeves wrote of Arthur that "the corruption and scandal that dominated business and politics of the period did not tarnish his administration." In 2004, biographer Zachary Karabell observed that although Arthur was "physically stretched and emotionally strained, he strove to do what was right for the country."
It was the spoils system that had resulted in Arthur becoming Collector of the Port of New York, perhaps the highest paying government job. The Collector was responsible for hiring hundreds of workers to collect the tariffs due at the nation's busiest port. Typically, these jobs were dispensed to adherents of the political machine that appointed the Collector. Employees who were hired for these positions were required to make political contributions (known as "assessments") back to the machine. The job was the most highly coveted political plum. Arthur held the post from 1871 until 1878 when President Rutherford Hayes fired him as part of Hayes' attempt to attack the spoils system.
Two years later, in 1880, the Stalwarts backed Ulysses S. Grant for the nomination as the Republican Party's candidate for President. Grant and his main opponent James G. Blaine both lost the nomination to compromise candidate James Garfield. Garfield's campaign management knew their man would face a difficult election without the support of the New York Stalwarts. It was decided to offer one of the Stalwarts the vice presidential nomination. Levi P. Morton was the first choice of Garfield's supporters, but he was told by Conkling to decline the position. They next approached Arthur, and Conkling told him to also reject the nomination. In a surprising show of independence, Arthur did the opposite and accepted the nomination.
Garfield won the election and Arthur became Vice-President. It was the first time he had ever held elected office. Then, a half a year after his inauguration, Garfield died on September 19, 1881, the result of being shot on July 2nd by Stalwart supporter Charles Guiteau. Arthur was now President.
Many people expected the worst from Arthur. They believed that he was going to become Conkling's puppet as President and that his administration would be one of the most corrupt in history. They also believed that civil service reform had suffered a serious setback. But they were wrong.
Conkling expected Arthur to appoint him to the position of Secretary of State. Instead, Arthur appointed Frederick T. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey. He balanced out the rest of his cabinet with men from all factions of the party. Most shocking to Conkling, Arthur became a supporter of civil service reform.
When Arthur became president, a scandal had just been exposed, in which contractors for star postal routes were greatly overpaid for their services with the connivance of government officials. Reformers wanted this fraud prosecuted and they feared that Arthur, as a supposed supporter of the spoils system, would not continue the investigation into the scandal. But Arthur's Attorney General, Benjamin Brewster, did continue it and hired notable Democratic lawyers William W. Ker and Richard T. Merrick to strengthen the prosecution team. Arthur forced the resignation of officials suspected in the scandal.
An 1882 trial of the ringleaders resulted in convictions for two minor players and a hung jury for the rest. A juror later came forward with allegations that the defendants attempted to bribe him. The judge ordered a new trial be held. Arthur removed five federal office holders who were sympathetic with the defense. Although the second trial did not result in a guilty verdict, this occurred in spite of Arthur's efforts to put a stop to the fraud.
Both Democrats and Republicans read the mood of the public and realized that what the public wanted was an end to the spoils system and a bipartisan effort began in favor of reform. In 1880, Democratic Senator George H. Pendleton of Ohio had introduced legislation that required selection of civil servants based on merit as determined by an examination. In his first annual presidential address to Congress in 1881, Arthur requested civil service reform legislation and Pendleton once again introduced his bill. When Congress did not pass it, Republicans lost seats in the 1882 congressional elections, as Democrats campaigned on the reform issue. In a lame-duck session of Congress, the Senate approved Pendleton's bill 38–5 and the House soon concurred by a vote of 155–47.
Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law on January 16, 1883. In just two years as President, Arthur, the former Stalwart spoilsman became the president who ushered in long-awaited civil service reform. Even after he signed the act into law, its proponents doubted Arthur's commitment to reform. Some thought he might veto the bill, but he had no intention of doing so. To the surprise of many, Arthur quickly appointed the members of the Civil Service Commission that the law created, naming reformers Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, and Leroy D. Thoman as commissioners. The chief examiner, Silas W. Burt, was a long-time reformer who had once been Arthur's opponent when the two men worked at the New York Customs House. By 1884, half of all postal officials and three-quarters of the Customs Service jobs were to be awarded by merit. Arthur praised the new system, stating that it was an effective "in securing competent and faithful public servants and in protecting the appointing officers of the Government from the pressure of personal importunity and from the labor of examining the claims and pretensions of rival candidates for public employment."
Arthur's integrity was not enough to secure his party's nomination in 1884, in part because of serious health problems that Arthur was experiencing. When he left office, the political commentators of his day praised him for his leadership. Muck-raking journalist Alexander McClure wrote: "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe." The New York World summed up Arthur's presidency at his death in 1886, writing: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation." Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration." While Arthur has become one of the most obscure presidents, more recent biographers have reminded us about Arthur's positive accomplishments. In 1975, Thomas C. Reeves wrote of Arthur that "the corruption and scandal that dominated business and politics of the period did not tarnish his administration." In 2004, biographer Zachary Karabell observed that although Arthur was "physically stretched and emotionally strained, he strove to do what was right for the country."