Cox was appointed
Secretary of the Interior by President
Ulysses S. Grant upon his March 4, 1869 Inauguration. Cox served from March 5 to October 31, 1870, a total of 575 days in office. Cox was an effective advocate of civil service reform and introduced a merit system and testing for appointees. His nomination was accepted by reformers and he was immediately confirmed by the Senate. Grant initially gave Cox the freedom to run his department as he saw fit "focused on public service as an advocation, not a career." However, after Grant failed to back him up against Republican politicians who thrived on the patronage system then rampant in the Interior Department, Cox resigned. As Secretary of Interior Cox was considered an independent thinker. This countered Grant's instincts as a military general believing Cox was acting insubordinate to his presidency. Grant's own view on Cox's resignation, possibly unfairly, was that, "The trouble was that General Cox thought the Interior Department was the whole government, and that Cox was the Interior Department."
Implemented civil service reform After the
Mexican–American War the United States acquired more territories and the Interior Department expanded enormously. Cox's responsibilities varied widely, and he administered the Patent, Land, Pensions, and Indian Affairs Offices, the Census, marshalls, and officials of federal court, and was in charge of transcontinental railroads. The growth of the Interior Department had also expanded a spoils system of patronage that many reformers believed was corrupt. The distribution of federal jobs by Congressional legislators was considered vital for their reelection to Congress. Grant required that all applicants to federal jobs apply directly to the Department heads, rather than the president. This gave Cox the authority and opportunity to reform the Interior Department's personnel system. Secretary Cox was an enthusiastic advocate of civil service reform and upon assuming office he was the first federal department head to implement a civil service merit system in a federal department. Cox's reforms were to limit the spoils system and check the expansion of the federal government's power and influence. Cox fired a third of the clerks unqualified to hold office, and he instituted examinations in the Patent and Census Offices for most applicants, while he requested clerks working in the Patent Office to take the examinations to prove they were worthy to hold office. Many clerks resigned on their own rather than take the examinations. Cox even declined to give his brother a job in the Interior, saying he did not want to be charged with nepotism. Cox's moralistic approach to civil service reform would eventually clash with President Grant's practical use of patronage appointment powers. By mid-May 1870, Cox's reforms clashed with the patronage driven political system and its leaders. Congressional Republican committee leaders demanded that Cox give departmental employees the "opportunity" to give political assessments. Cox responded that "no subscriptions to political funds or show of political zeal will secure their retention." Cox made contributions voluntary, but the ability to pass civil service examinations would remain mandatory, to keep their jobs. Cox said that mandatory contributions would be distressful to the employees families financially. The breaking point came between Cox and Congressional patronage powers, when Cox implemented a 30-day paid leave policy on federal employees at the Interior Department, in part used for the fall campaign. Workers would not be paid for extra days off after the 30-day limit. Prior to electric air conditioning, the hot Summer of 1870 caused employees to use up most of their 30-day vacation time, leaving only a few days of paid campaigning. Many clerks complained to party leaders Senator
Zachariah Chandler and Senator
Simon Cameron, saying they could not campaign, putting the blame on Cox's 30 vacation policy. Cameron was reported to have said, "Damn Secretary Cox ! We'll see the President about this fool business." The pressure from party leaders worked, and on October 3, 1870, Grant overturned Cox's 30 day vacation rule.
Dominican Republic annexation treaty Even before Grant became president, an annexationist faction in American politics desired control over the Caribbean islands.
William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson, having purchased
Alaska from the Russians and attempted to buy the
Danish West Indies from the Danes, began negotiations to
purchase the Dominican Republic, then referred to as Santo Domingo. These negotiations continued under Grant, led by
Orville E. Babcock, a confidant who had served on Grant's staff during the Civil War. Grant was initially skeptical, but at the urging of Admiral Porter, who wanted a naval base at
Samaná Bay, and Joseph W. Fabens, a New England businessman employed by the Dominican government, Grant examined the matter and became convinced of its wisdom. Grant believed in peaceful expansion of the nation's borders and thought the majority-black island would allow new economic opportunities for freedmen. The acquisition, according to Grant, would ease race relations in the South, clear slavery from
Brazil and
Cuba, and increase American naval power in the Caribbean. Grant sent Babcock to consult with
Buenaventura Báez, the pro-annexation Dominican president, to see if the proposal was practical; Babcock returned with a draft treaty of annexation in December 1869. Secretary of State
Hamilton Fish told Cox in a private meeting that Babcock had no authorization to make such a treaty. Going against his normal protocol of listening to each Cabinet member, Grant revealed Babcock's unauthorized treaty to his cabinet without discussion. Grant casually told his Cabinet he knew Babcock had no authority to make the treaty but he could remedy this by having the treaty authorized by the United States Dominican Republic Consul. All of the Cabinet kept quiet until Secretary Cox spoke up and asked Grant, "But Mr. President, has it been settled, then, that we want to annex Santo Domingo?" Grant blushed and was embarrassed by Cox's direct questioning. Grant then turned to his left looking at Secretary Fish and then turned to his right looking at Secretary of Treasury
George S. Boutwell, puffing hard on his cigar. The uncomfortable silence continued until President Grant ordered another item of business. The assembled Cabinet never again spoke on Santo Domingo. Grant personally lobbied Senators to pass the treaty, going so far as to visit
Charles Sumner at his home. Fish out of loyalty to Grant authorized and submitted the treaty. The Senate, led by the opposition of Sumner, refused to pass the treaty.
Indian affairs After the
Piegan Indian massacre in January 1870, Secretary Cox in March 1870 demanded that Congress implement definitive and lasting legislation on Indian Policy. President Grant, who desired that Indians become "civilized," had created the
Board of Indian Commissioners in 1869 under his Peace policy. Cox defended the integrity of the Commissioners appointed by President Grant. The massacre indirectly helped keep the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Department of Interior, rather than be transferred to the Department of War. Cox believed that industrial progress such as railroads and telegraph lines were no excuse to break treaties with the Indians. Cox believed that Native Americans derived no benefits from frontier towns that took away pasture lands from the buffalo herds, an Indian food staple. Cox believed that keeping promises to the Indians, rather than breaking treaties, was essential for peace. Cox, however, viewed Indians had low intelligence, were conceited, and made poor diplomats. In 1871, after Cox had resigned from office, Congress and President Grant created a comprehensive law that ended the Indian treaty system; the law treated individual Native Americans as wards of the federal government, rather than dealing with the tribes as sovereign entities. In early 1870, Sioux Indians in Wyoming, under the leadership of Chief Red Cloud and Chief Spotted Tail, were upset as white settlers encroached on Indian land. To avoid war, Red Cloud asked to see President Grant, who along with Spotted Tail, were allowed to journey East to Washington. Cox looked forward to their visit, hoping to convince the Sioux chiefs of the federal government's commitment to Indian treaties, and also to impress them with the power and grandeur of the nation, so they would be fearful of making war. Arriving in Washington, the chiefs had conversations with Cox,
Ely Parker, and President Grant. On June 1, the chiefs were given a tour of Washington, but failed to be awed into submission. On June 2, Cox was scolded by Spotted Tail for not keeping the
Treaty of 1868. In response, Cox lectured Spotted Tail that complaining was not manly, and that the Grant administration's Indian policies had positive results. Spotted Tail jested to Cox, that Cox would have slit his throat if he had to live through the troubles Spotted Tail was forced to endure. On June 3, Red Cloud took a similar tack as Spotted Tail, emphasizing he would not give up the old ways. Red Cloud asked Cox for food and ammunition so his people could hunt and not starve, railed against broken treaties, and forcing Indians into starvation. Cox put the chiefs off and told them they would speak with President Grant. On June 7, Cox attempted to placate the Indian chiefs that President Grant, the "Great White Father", acted not out of fear, but had the desire to do the right thing. Cox told the Indians they would get all they asked for, except for guns, and Cox personally promised to see the treaties were kept to the letter. Meeting the Indians, President Grant was warm and welcome and emphasized the same sentiments as Cox. Grant gave the chiefs a formal State Dinner at the White House, that proved to emphasize a clash of two cultures. The chiefs were given fine foods and wine but were especially fond of strawberry ice cream. Spotted Tail was reported to have commented that his white hosts ate far better foods than the rations sent to the Indians. At their final meeting, Cox offered several more concessions, and allowed the Indians to give names of agents they would prefer to act as interlocutors with the government. Cox also promised to give the chiefs seventeen horses. Red Cloud apologized to Cox for his rudeness, while Cox promised to promote Indian interest. Before returning to Wyoming the Indians visited New York City, and the
philanthropist eastern papers demanded a more generous Sioux policy. Cox sent the Indians the promised seventeen horses and arranged for a group of reformers to accompany the promised goods. The arrival of the aid package did much to calm the situation and war was averted. One historian noted that the Washington visit was a success, while Red Cloud adopted a policy of diplomacy rather than war.
McGarrahan claims and resignation In August 1870, Secretary Cox came into conflict with President Grant over the fraudulent McGarrahan claims. Grant wanted the McGarrahan claims either settled by Congress or if Congress failed to do so then his administration. Although Grant believed there was fraud in the matter he wanted the McGarrahan claims settled. Cox, however, in a letter to the President, told Grant that he wanted nothing to do with the McGarrahan claims, believing that McGarrahan was entirely fraudulent in asking for a patent on land claims in California. Cox stated that one of McGarrahan's attorneys was instructed to bribe Cox $20,000 for him to approve that patent. McGarrahan had applied for a patent on California agriculture land to be bought up at a low price. However, the land was actually used for gold mining purposes. Cox appealed to Grant not to have Cox appear before a District Court in regards to the McGarrahan claims and to hold a Cabinet meeting over the matter. Cox believed that the District Court had no jurisdiction over that matter and that the Department of Interior had sole jurisdiction. When Grant gave no support to Cox over not appearing before the court, Cox saw this as an additional reason for not continuing in office—though civil service reform was the proximate cause of his resignation. ==Liberal Republican revolt (1870–1872)==