The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-23
How A ppsintmeass are Made In Wsshingt"a


A correspondent of the N. z. times, writing rom
Washington, makes very serious charges against
the president and his intfmasess Aocotulng 70
this writer applicants for Office are syslemaucNy
made 70 pay money as the conditIO1' OF success
and made to pay at every step OF the way:
"We will suppose that & gentemsA m urom .ne
State of Indiana, for instance, comes 20 ;ntn,ast
ton aud presents an application for aPPe ntueE
IS collector Of internal revenue for - dtsA c' IN
bis State which is vacant. His papers o. ~
dorsed first, by the leading business men o. MS
district, without gard TO politics second, BY MS
representative in Congress, who is Republican
the applicant, though not a Radical, being s1e
porter Of Grant and Colfsx third, by neor oosn
OF his senators. He is happy in the thought thAt
such en- Endorsement il certain 10 procure him the
Office; and so it ought, but 1t don't. The appaica-
ton is laid before the president. and by him re-
ferTed 10 the secretary OF the treasury Perhaps
IL receives the indsrsemcut OF the latter, and goes
back to the president. The csndidate waits
patiently for a week or two, goes 20 see the
preside Mt often he dare. and the president
promises that he shall have the position. When
he gets thus far be Is happy for the second time
he hse Andrew JohDsons promise.
" But he waits patiently few days longer, un-
Ill he gets thoroughly tired ard disgusted, and is
just about TO know the reason Why when he -
introduced accidentally OF course.) tOa gem
tleman who iu all probability can aid him materi-
ally in the right direction. Perhaps this gentle-
man is a member OF the presidential house,
hold and perhaps he isn't; perhaps he 10 only a
newspaper man, or claim agent, or an attorney,
without practce,) OF an ex-army officer, or
poor devil of some other sort, getting his living
by political sweat cloth operations. The apPli-
cant soon learns that his friend can secure the
appointment for him with little or no delay, bat
he must have retainer Of five hundred dollarsp
and, in case he is confirmed, five hundred dollars
more.
- After so much labor and expense, the candi-
date is 10th 10 abandon the effort, the Office Is toll
erably lucrative, and he concludes to go in and
fight it out on this line.' The friend with so
much influence at the presidential mansion goes to
work and the ofiice'seeker is soon reJoced Dy
having his name sent TO the Senate.
Now he is happy for the third time-aud he
blissfuy fancies bis troubles are DER. His name
goes TO the finance committee. and there hsngsi
| il dent come back when he thinks il ought. He
forgets that a nomination by Mr.. johnson IS. with
the Senate, pTiHd fdcte evidence against his po-
litjca orthodoxy, and that work is required here
as well ss elsewhere But he goes to work hnallys
only to End charges filed against him with the
| committee, 70 the effect that he supported Mr.
johnson in the Philadelphia convention move
ment of 1866. .
| yexatious and groundless charge, when he meets
another friend' in the corridors OF the Capital,
brass. mounted with impudence, but very inhnen-
tial with the senators. He confers with him, aud
learns that assstqpce' Is necessary at that end Of
the avenue as well as at the other. and the sum OF
| $3.50 is agreed upon as compensation for 'assis-
tance TO be rendered in procuring contlIma-
| ton. In a day or two the charge OF political
| heterodoxy Is Withdrawn. senators are assured by
| brother senators and other parties-influences
| evoked by the potent two hundred and hty-that
the candidate is entirely sound and beyond all
| question emnently d. for the place. Therefore
ne is confirmed. Now he is supremely happy.
"Just as soon as he gets his commission which
| will be right away, of course he proposes to
shake the ashes of this political Sodom IRON his
feet and depart for his home. But he don't get
| his commission right away He waits one, two,
| or three days, mere impatienty than ever He
| goes 10 see the president. and comes away with
out knowing just exactly whether the secretlry
| of the treasury, or the president, or somebody
else rs at fault. He very correctly reasons that
| there ought TO be no delay, but there is, never
thelcss. He waits two or three days more, and
| yet no commission.
"He is now ripe for the third sDd last ap-
| proach One of his friends whom he has made
| acquAinted with the situation, informs him that
| there is hitch somewhere, but that he can aid
| hum and perhaps cause the commission to be is
| sued at once. Utterly In the dark as to where
there eau now be any hitch he complies with
| this last demand because he is growing desperate,
and be is determined to get out Of this as soon
a. he can. So be promises another couple hun
dred,' the friend runs up TO the White House, and
down comes the commission from the president,
through the secretary OF the treasury, TO the
commissioner Of internal revenue, the same az
ternoon, as if such official celebrity we're the rule
instead Of the very rare exception"
LEI no one doubt the truth Of what have
| written. Victims are too numeroBs, The Illus
tration is rather moderate than overdrawn. can
furnish the names, and dates. and bgures, aud
| facts of a score Of just such casss which have
come to my knowledge within the past six months
The practice here narrated has really become the
regular, and the opposite the irregular method ci
| obtaining Office"
The correspondent who tells this strong storI
appropriately signs himself X. X X He woult
do an important service for the public II he wonl'
supply 20 that public, as be says he can, TN
names dates and figures OF a score OF cases, o
at least of one OF two. Then the public would be
: lieve what now they will pass over as a sensa
tional report.