Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-29
GRANT AND THE Hs.AcKnAsre
EkS.

~ ~ -
GRANT AND THE Hs.ACKMAtIe
EES. "
The article from the New York Nation,
q Radical journal, giving the correspond
ence between Gen. Barlow and the Exec
utive Committee of the Radical party OF
New York, win not fail to attract atien.
ton, as it is additional proof to that fur
nislied by Gen. Cox, late Secretary of The
Interior, of the manner in which black.
mail is levied for the purpose of sustain.
ing he present administration. This
correspondence affords fair insight into
the reforms of the civil service to which
Grant so pointedly refers in the lately
published letters concerning Gen. Cox and
the McGarrahan case, This correspond
ence and that between Gen. Cox and the
committees from Ohio and Pennsylvania,
show conclusively that the Grant admin
istration has been sustained by system
of blackmail which reaches the office.
holders throughout the country, and it Is
by this means that corruption fund is
raised to buy up votes and to otherwise
manipulate elections in favor of the Radi.
cal party. There is peculiar
feature about the case of Gen.
Barlow, to which the Nation di.
reefs special attention. Two per cent.
being the ordinary rate which the Federal
officers were obliged 10 refund from theil
income into the hands of the Radical Cen
trail Committee, the amount of one thou
sand dollars required of Gen. Barlow rep
resents a capital of fifty thousand dollars
as the assumed, or "ascertained, y income
of the United States Marshsl's Office IN
New York. Inasmuch as such sun
could only be raised in the Marshal's of.
flee by fraudulent practices, and as The
Radical Central Committee, of course,
knew this, it levied tax on the dishonest
income of Federal officer, and thereby
sanctioned dishonesty. The Radical par
ty do not bear the name of the party OF
progress and great ideas 10 no purpose.
Such name imposes particular obliga-
lions, and the Radical Central Com
mittee of New York has fulfilled them.
1t may not be amiss in this connection
to show how unequivocally Grant has en-.
dorsed this system of blackmailing by his
subordinates. When Gen. Cox was called
upon by committees from Ohio and Penn
sylvania TO furnish the names of employ es
in his department that they might be as
sessed, for the purpose of raising fund
to aid-the Radicals in carrying the cleo
tons in Ohio and Pennsylvania, he posi-
lively refused to furnish the names, and
gave the following reasons for his refusal:
at is absolutely essential that il should
be understood by the clerks and employees
that they hold their places subject TO re-
mOval for lack of efficiency or integrity,
and that no subscriptions TO political funds
or show of political zeal win secure their
retention if capacity or industry be lack
ing"
''Many of our clerks have all they can
do to make bare existence out Of their
salaries; any compulsory assessmentwOuld
be political immortality, and productive
of infinitely more mischief than benefit
We can 30 more real service 10 the Re
publican party by raising the qu@ifica-
tons of civil employees, and putting each
clerk upon his merits alone fer appoint
ment or promotion, than by the expendi
ture of many times the amount of money
they could possibly afford to contribute. >
''Such assessment is directly antagOn
istic TO The civil service reform, which
believe TO be so imperative necessity
that the Republican party, as the proper
party of true reforms, cannot longer de
lay to make it part of their platform, and
is an innovation in bad direction. The
circular of the Congressional Committee,
levying one per cent. of their salaries,
with 81 intimatiOn as understood by those
receiving the circular, that failures TO pay
would endanger their places, is the most
demOralizing thing which could have been
thrown into the Department.
Grant knew of this correspondence, and
yet when the issue was presented directly
to him he refused TO sustain Gen. Cox
That the issue was rTesented to him is q
matter of history, for in rendering his res
ignstiOn of the Office of Secretary of the
Interior, Gen. Cox said:
''My views of the necessity of reform
in the civil service rave brought me more
OF less into collision with the plans of our
active political managers, and my sense
of duty has obliged me 10 oppose some
of their methods of action through the
arrangement. have no doubt whatever
that public sentiment will sooner or later
fully sustain these efforts at what ] re.
gard needed reform; but / ought not
to overlook the fact that for the present
they involve opposition which it
may not he for the interest of this
Administration 10 provoke; and as my per-
sOnal tendency ls TO be rather more than
less persistent in the course TO which /
am committed, deem tiny duty to place
in your hands my resignation of the of
fee of Secretary of the Interior, to take
effect as soon as You can conveniently
determine upon my successor.
Grant did not say to Gen. Cox that he
was right in the position he had taken
against the blackmailers, and that he
would sustain him, but promptly accept.
ed his resignation. He has done every
thing he could 20 sustain the corruption
lists, even 10 the virtual driving out of his
Cabinet of a man who was too honest to
yield to their demands.
PRUSSIA AND THE POPE.