The Writings of Carl Schurz/To L. Q. C. Lamar, September 28th, 1886

by Carl Schurz and others

 

TO L. Q. C. LAMAR^[1]

New York, Sept. 28, 1886. 

Your kind letter of the 24th reached me yesterday. I thank you very much for having made General Kryzanowski's case “special.” His physicians apprehend that he will not survive the coming winter.

When I congratulated you upon the restoration of Duddenhausen to his place, as an act of justice, I believed that his official conduct had been entirely blameless. I understood it to be so at the time of his suspension. Had I had any reason to think otherwise, I should never have said a word about his case. And I wish to assure you now that if any wrong is discovered with regard to him, I shall be glad to hear that he is treated according to his deserts, and call that an act of justice too.

Let me add that with regard to these things I have much more the character of the Administration at heart than the personal interests of the individuals concerned. It simply so happened that the Duddenhausen and Salomon cases^[2] 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 managers in party caucuses and conventions. An example is very much needed.^[3]

1. Secretary of the Interior.
2. Removals from office.
3. Lamar's long answer of Oct. 2, 1886, is printed in Mayes's L. Q. C. Lamar, 488-89. It began as follows:

   “My dear Mr. Schurz: I have received your letter and it has been both gratifying and interesting to me. I needed no assurance that you would not desire the retention in office of any unworthy man. I have absolute confidence in your disinterestedness, and know no act in your life that would give me the least misgiving on that subject.”