The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-09

haps uawillinely, ON both adss, ia, The
dispensars and the recipisnts, but neos the
less certain to insure the rssalk I1De vas
when il was deemed hiEh9 hosee - ssrvs
the public nc home i'm The Staesss than IN
what Rudolph called the "laboratories oil
departments" bat now the rush and struG-
gle il from Congressmen down to borough
constables, to secure the smallest Federal
appointment, and often by agencies and
means most despioable and degrading. And
then the tyranny TO which they are sub
iected How the proud inheritor OF Amer
lean freedom can bear official yoke M sac
rifice Of principle and manhood, passes
comprehension. Solve me liberty; or give
me DEATH" was the impassioned ejaculation
of HENRY. Degenerate sons of noble sires
now crv. "G,ve me Office, even TX coupled
with slavery and the sacrifice Of liberty"
dow else account for the ready response 70
the questions propounded In Richardson's
Treasury Circular, wherein the clerks are
INTERCEPTED as to oil their personal anti o.
dents, without q dosen protests OIL indig-
nant manhood. How prophetic was the
language of the Rhode Island Legislature,
through It's committee, against changing
the mode Of governmenment from the con-
federation to the Constitution, that yielding
to the federal authority power to asses Hs
revenves, without retaining to the States
the appointment Of the c6csrs, would end
10 the destruction OF the rights OF the
States and the liberty of the citizens.
It's truth In realized. Widespread
POPULATION absorbs one dollar OF in
come TAX for each dollar collected /; ofhces are
sold votes arc bartered for gain the ON
GERS Of State, from the highest 20 the low
est, are 10 the scramble for money. getting /;
the rich are getting richer, and the poor
poorer. And yet the people, good, patient
donkey, unmurmuringiy pay their taxes,
direct and indirect, ~ though honesty pre-
sided over the distribution Of the vast fund
contributed by patriotism and labor to
grease the wheels Of governmental How
long, oh, Lord, shall their eyes DO holden,
that they cannot sect
The President hes returned 10 his Capital,
or rather, to speak in kingly plarance, the
Court has returned TO Washington, and all
the courtiers are dropping In one BY one.
Some of the subordinates still liDgsr i'm the
rural regions, while some others are bot
starting out to engage in the active business
Of the approaching elections i'm Pennsylva-
MA and Ohio, and other States. / can 70
member the time when, IL q departDeei
clesk was found to have intsrfsred in cleo
tons bis bead would have fallen. Nov. moo
only 10 It not crime, but, TO 10 10 dsiy,
and the expense Of lost time 10 thrown on
the Treasury, and party assesses q tax ON
all its elements to defray the expense ot
travel to and fro, and ali are expected 70 70,
or take the consequences. Among the big
ger guns who are going, or haze gone, b
Columbus Delano, COMMISSIONS Of Inter
nal Revenue, John Alligon, Register Of the
Treasury, and others, TO take the stump in
Pennsylvania in the interest Of John w.
Geary, Republican candidate for Governor.
That subordinates shall use federal posi-
ton to influence State elections is bad
enough, but it is even worse when the
President and bis Cabinet step down into
the arena Of party, ~ was done In the case
OF Tennessee, and is beng done in Pennsyi-
vani and Texas and Mississippi, to prevent,
by the purchasing power OF federal Office,
the people of the States from freely choos
ing their own rules. at will not, and il
cannot come 70 good"
lbeheve this thing OF holding Office here
and voting ut home 10 fraud upon the
States. Men come here, take Office, remain
IN public employment for ysars,-mark, In
the pursuit Of purely private interests, 10
much as the mechanic who comes here and
takes employment-votes here at the local
elections, holds municipal Office, and are in
every way q citizen Eere, and yet will 70
to their original States and vote away the
interests Of those who have never 'spent
their substance in riotous living" But no
mechanic cao~do so unless he happens to
have his washing done at his place of domi-
Gil And this is law
This brings me naturally to the indica-
tons Of Star Chamber Court, ~ in the
days Of Charles |. The foundation OF this
idea Is in the action Of the Attorney Gener-
al It was this officer, in the person Of WIN.
NJ. Evarts, and MIR. Hoar, who presumed to
fritter away by construction the eight-hour
law passed by Congress; and it 10 Mr.. Hoar
who now, at the request Of Gen. Sherman,
sustains that officer In arrogsting power to
suspend or remove attorneys from prosecu-
ting claims for American citizens before the
War Department, and who has 80 far or
gAEized his court as to hear arguments from
two attorneys IN favor Of the defendants.
This is pretty good nucleus for . court Of
star chamber, and IL may eliminate in one.
It msy seem very querulous and MI that,
but l deny the right Of Congress or the
head Of . Department to abrldge the legal
right of citizens to pursue their own inter-
ests. II have q claim upon the Govern
ment pending In . Department, | have
right to prosecute the recovery Of that
claim in person or BY attorney, ard no on
Ger OF the Government has right 10 say
shall not do it in person. And il the right
to do it i'm person cannot be defeated, how
can my power Of attorney be disregarded
The one right 10 just M perfect as the 9TH
er, and denial Of facility 70 the agent 10 de-
nial to the principal.
The Commissioner Of Pensions, perhaps
actuated by o praiseworthy desire to como
mze the labor Of his Office, has made rule
to require all communications with bis Office
to be in writing-thus preventing all per-
sonal applications FIR information. Such q
thing was never heard Of before, and must
meet stern rebuke from all who have bust
ness with that bureau.
You knew our dead Sylvis, with that far.
reaching sagacity for which he was eminent,
in the New York session Of the Labor Union
introduced resolution asking Congress to
organize Labor Department Of the Gov
eminent at Washington, like the Treasury,
war, OtateS &c Luz proposition PROVOKED
laugh, which he promptly and sternly re-
buked, as be meant no jest, but work. He
proposition was adopted, and was reafirmed
at Philadelphia. We must push it through,
not because Sylvis proposed it, but because
the great interests Of labor will never re-
ceive proper attention until 1t is founded.
II ink of il. Hon. B. f. Butler, (and per-
sonalIy like Butler ss little perhaps as any
living man, in a late speech at Worcester,
Massachusetts,, on Capital and Labor, re.
Dukes the lawmakers for giving capital 80
much power over labor, and referred to the
fact that at the last session $l40, 1000 were
appropriated to agriculture, and over
$4,000, 900 to capitalists-one railroad re.
celving $3,773,OOO, and the bonds Of that
road are not now worth q shilling on the