Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-07-28
Commissioner wells.

A newspaper occupying q rank which
may be fairly called second in Importance
among the Republican newspapers in the
United States says, in its issue of Saturday
last:
Technically, perhaps, Mr.. Wells was
not d~ismissed-his Office expired yesterday
by limitation. The country will put a
renee. The expiration of the office was
aninciient which might have been averted,
and would have been averted had not Mr..
Boutwell,, in obedience to the monop-
olists, desired his removal. There can be
no escape from that fact. And it Is one
which will bring no credit to the Admin
istration, and 40 strength to the Repubh-
can party"
This is very easy and generous way
of dealing with the fact that the office of
Special Commissioner of the Revenue ex-
pired by law. 1t was an office which
ought to have been continued, or oughtto
have been permitted to expire, as its utii-
ty and the ann of its performance
demonstrated its capacity to be of practi-
cal benefit, or proved it to be a mere sine
cure. No intelligent man in the country
will doubt that Mr.. Wells has tried to
gather facts and statistics which would
enable Congress to legislate in~telligently
upon the financial problems coming before
it. There may well be differences of
opinion concerning some of the cenc1u-
sions he has reached, but only blind, n
harsh, mt unreasoning malevolence will
make any challenge ofthe integrity of his
motives, or of the great value OF his Inves-
legations as a statistician and financier.
We ask Republicans, not simply be-
cause they are Republicans, but because
they are taxpayers and because it is a
matter in which they, in common with
all taxpayers, are interested, to think
,,aoE,r- &c kAo 4Haor-aks1r, oAo4a or1OfaI
In welI-considered and guarded language,
it is, in fact, a direct assertion that the
"monopolists," a class of men numbering
but IN Insignificant proportion of the pop
ulation of this country, have determined
to kill one of the most faithful, hard
working, and valuable civil officers inthe
country. The moderate terms in which
the assertion is made does not touch its
significance.
What are the allegations of fact IN the
quotation? One is, that the Secretary of
the Treasury of b United States has
made determined war on the continuance
of the Office of Special Commissioner of
the Revenue. Another is, that he has
pursued such action in obedience to the
demands of the "monopolists." Who are
the "~monopolists ?' What are the " mo-
nopolists," that their interests and their
wishes should operate to strike down an
office which has proven itself to he of
direct, immediate, practical, INT great
benefit to all men in the country who
wish to get a clear and practical knowl-
edge of our systems of taxation and of our
national resources? Be it remembered
that we are quoting from the Republican
newspaper second IN prominence and
circulation in the country, and that its in
dignation in witnessing the retirement of
Mr.. Wells, and the action of the men who
have abrogated his Office, and have en-
deavored to kill him, has served to over
ride its partisan tactics.
Somewhat less of honesty and of whole
some plainness of speech might be ex-
pected from it was there an e~lectioneer-
ing campaign in progress, but it is an ex-
cellent symptom of Improvement in pub
lie opinion that in the absence of those
selfish and partisan motives which too
often control the political press of the
country, when h day of voting is not
far ahead, there is a capacity and DISPOSE
ton to speak of dishonesty and corrup-
ton in civil life in about such words as
honest men ought to put together in deal
ing with the things.
The extract draws the matter very mild
in treating of the retirement of Mr.. Wells.
The multitude of small men and mean
men, commencing with MIR. Grant and
working downward-so far as position
and salary are commemorative could be
spared from civil life with benefit to the
country, may fairly be called legion, but
of these MIR. Wells is not one. His in
clination to work and his capacity to