Foreign Policy and Affairs

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Public reaction to the assassination of President Garfield forced congress to pass the Civil Service Reform Act. The law established a three-person, bi-partisan panel to develop exams to hire federal employees based on merit. The act initially covered 10% of federal employees, but became the basis for most of the Civil Service of today. Reformers had long been calling for an end to the "spoils system", and the assassination of President Garfield provided the needed push to make the change. Arthur, who himself had been a product of the spoils system, became a vocal supporter of the reform. The new law called for open competitive exams for all jobs classified as civil service jobs.

The Mongrel Tariff was a patchwork bill that called for an overall 1.5% reduction in tariffs. The change resulted from recommendations of a commission appointed by President Arthur. The commission recommended duties be cut sharply. Special interests intervened. As a result, the final bill only reduced tariffs by a small percentage. Passage of the bill marked the beginning of an on-going struggle over the issue of tariffs.

The River and Harbors Act called for appropriation of 19 million dollars for internal improvements on fivers and harbors. The act was considered pure "pork barrel" legislation. The legislation was vetoed by President Arthur, but immediately overridden in Congress.