ed the report. I replied that I had received it. "Had I acted
upon it?" I said that I had not. He then proceeded to say that the
claim was a good one,--that Mr. Delano had examined it, and had
concluded to pass it, but as he left the office rather suddenly he had
neglected to act upon it. Finally, he expressed the hope that I would
act without delay. I had already decided the case adversely upon the
ground that the allowance was unauthorized. Therefore I had only to
endorse the word "disallowed" with my signature and to return the
report to the commissioner. I learned that the commissioner was
engaged through the agency of Ward in making a contract with a
Connecticut firm that was in my opinion at once improvident and
irregular. This act led me to determine to end the difficulty at once.
I went to the Executive Mansion and asked General Babcock to go to
Long Branch and say to the President that the business of the Internal
Revenue Office was in such a condition that immediate action was
necessary. As a result the President returned that night and early
the next morning he sent for me. I stated the facts, and he said he
would send for General Pleasanton and ask him to resign. At the
interview Pleasanton asked for the reasons. The President said: "The
Secretary is not satisfied with your administration." Pleasanton
replied: "I think I can make everything satisfactory to the
Secretary." The President replied, naturally: "If you can, I am
content." Then for the first time Pleasanton came to my office
without a request from me. I invited him into my private room, and
when he had related his interview with the President, I said:
"General, if this were a personal matter we might come to an
understanding, but your administration of the office has been a
failure from the first and you must resign." This ended the interview.
He refused to resign and the President removed him. He appealed to
the Senate in a lengthy communication, but without effect. Pleasanton
may have been, and probably was, a good military officer, but he did
not possess the qualities that are essential in the discharge of
important civil trusts.

Neither from my experience in Congress nor in the Treasury Department
can I deduce much support for the doctrines of the class of politicians
called Civil Service Reformers. From their statements it would appear
that every member of Congress was the recipient of an amount of
patronage in the na