what I wrote you some time ago: If your Secretaries boldly and positively say now what, after the experience they have had, they doubtless think, that without the merit system they cannot manage their Departments as efficiently and honestly as they wish to manage them, and that there ought to be no further exceptions at all—the battle will be won by that simple declaration; the pressure will cease, and the clamorers in Congress will not dare to pass any adverse legislation because the public opinion of the country would be overwhelmingly against them.
Your Secretaries thus have it entirely in their power to relieve you, as well as themselves, of all trouble by speaking out frankly and resolutely against further changes. Every appearance of indecision would encourage further attacks.
I am sorry to find in the newspapers as well as in my correspondence, increasing complaint about violations of your removal order, accompanied with very disagreeable reflections on the good faith of the order, which are based upon the supposition that these violations are permitted to go on with impunity. There are probably many cases of groundless or exaggerated complaints; but some, I fear, are not at all groundless, and I believe there is nothing so much calculated to endanger popular confidence in the honesty of the merit system as such violations of orders if they actually do pass with impunity. I do not like to advise harsh measures. But it really does seem as if these violations of your orders could be stopped, and that the shaken confidence could be restored, only by making conspicuous examples of some of the offenders, according to the rule which demands their dismissal from office. Their disloyalty to you, with which they bring discredit upon your Administration, certainly deserves it.
Will you permit me a remark upon a subject which
