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The inauguration of President Grant marks a turning point in the history and policy of the Government, and the people have abundant reason to feel confident that the new administration will speedily commence reforms which shall not end until the public service is purified of those corruptions and villainies which disgraced the last administration. The appointmont of Alex. T. Stewart, of this city, to the responsible office of Secretary of the Treasury means business. The most successful merchant of his time—his vast wealth places him beyond the possibility of temptation, and if he had no higher motive to guide his action, Mr. Stewart's social position and wealth are sufficient guarantees that he will endeavor to administer the affairs of the Treasury in an honest and economical manner. The revenue service, at the present moment, is filled with a set of sharks who are cheating the Government and robbing the people of their hard-earned substance. We undertake to say, that, if Secretary Stewart takes as g-ood care of the public treasury as he does of his own private affairs, he can save $50,000,000 every year, and to that extent lighten the burdens of the tax payers. Secretary Stewart cannot afford to do wrong—he has every incentive to do right and to give us a class of honest men in positions now held by swindlers and thieves. We venture the prediction that the business of the Treasury Department will be very much improved in its character and efficiency. The appointment of Ex-Governor Cox, of Ohio, to the position of Secretary of the Interior, is eminently a good one. Under his administration, we shall expect to have no more Dempsey & O'Toole contracts in the Patent Office; and we cherish the belief that the new Secretary will give earnest consideration to the pressing affairs of that bureau. The service of the Patent Office is now inadequate to the demands of inventors. Some of the employes are notoriously inefficient, and ought to be removed; and the Commissioner needs to have his hands strengthened by an energetic and able corps of examiners. There is work enough for all the new Secretaries to do, andPresident Grant has shown his practical good sense in selecting men who are untrammeled by strict party rules; in other words, while they are pronounced adherents to the political creed of the successful party, they come to their new duties pledged to no class of greedy spoil-seekers, but are free to do honest, fearless work for the country, irrespective of partisan selfishness. The politicians, it is said, growl; but the people, who make parties, are heartily sick of the corrupt rings which, for four years, have made our public service a scandal to the nation. We go for solid reforms, and for an honest, collection and application of the public revenues
