New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-12-31
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
Remarks of Senator Trumbmll in the
Senate Giving the Extraordinary Hiss
tory Of the Anair.

L
tory Of the Affair.
The presiding Offcer-The question is OF
the amendment offered by the Senator from
Rhode Island to the amendment offered 10y
the Senator from Illinois.
Mr.. Trumbull-Mr. President. feel like
cOngratulating some Senators on the pro
gress they have made within the last week
The resolution which l had the honor OF
Offering at that time was denounced by them
as mOnstrous and spoken of with amaze
ment. To-day it is talked of as very harm
less, and not amounting to anything: it is
| said it would not authorize an investigation
| of fraud or of anything else: it does not GO
| far enough. 1t is exceedingly gratifying to
| to find that Senators have made such pro.
| gress in favor of such investigation. What
new lights have shOne upon them am unable
| to say, but certainly some light either from
above or from the sovereign people. some
| how or other seems to have penetrated the
| minds of certain Senators, SO that they dis
cover now that that which was denounced
by the Senator IRON Michigan Mr. Chan
dler) as proposition to create a committee
possessed of all the knowledge. is now emf
nently proper. l believe he went on to say
| that the Almighty did not make any such
men any more; at any rate, if he did make
such men, forgetting that he himself was
still in the Senate, he said they were not
sent here. Laughter
Now. it is pleasant and agreeable to find
how the views OF Senators have changed,
and l am gratified at the discovery which
has been made by the Senator from Indiana
Mr.. MOrtOn), who seems to have received
peculiar light upon this subject, and he has
discovered that an inquiry into the meth
DDS OF procuring accountability IN public
officers or agents in the care and disburse-
ments of public moneys" land to what ex-
tent the expenses Of the service of the
country may and ought to be curtailed"
does not authorize an examination Of fraud
This word fraud" seems to haunt him.
Now, suppose you call it IAN abuse in.
stead of a fraud" l suppose the resolu-
ton would authorize investigation into
abuses; and if it should turn out. when the
committee makes an investigation, that
agents and officers having the care and dis.
bursement Of public money have been using
it imprOperly-if some agent or officer in
the custOmhOuse at New York has been
paying out public money for the purpose Of
hiring delegates to go up to the Syracuse
convention, do not suppose the Senator
from Indiana would call that fraud. But
II trustee having charge his money were
to use it in that way for improper purposes.
to convert it to use for which it was not
placed in his hands. very likely he would
consider that fraud. think the resolu-
ton is very broad and covers a great deal Of
ground, and was SO intended originally. The
motion now pending is to strike out from
the instructions proposed to be given the
committee these words:
land also to consider the exped;ency of
SO amending the laws under which appoint
ments to the public service are now made
as to provide for withdrawing the public
service from being used as an instrument
OF political or party patronage.
1t is said that is the civil service reform
and that is covered by a law of
Congress. The law of Congress has
nothing in the world to do with it. Mr.. |
President. The law passed March 3. 1871.
States to prescribe rules and regulations
for the admission of persons int the civil |
service. That is all.
Mr.. MOrtOn-That is not all.
Mr.. Trumbull-Well, l VIII read it; the
President is by it
Authorized to prescribe such rules and
regulations for the admission of persons
into the civil service of the United States
as will best promote the efficiency thereof.
in respect to age, health character. know
edge, and ability for the branch OF service
into which he seeks to enter
And for that purpose he is ''authorized to
employ suitable persons to conduct said in
luiries.' What inquiries. The inquiries as
70 providing some way to ascertain the tt-
less of persons who apply for office. to pre-
scribe the duties OF the commissioners, and
% establish regulations for the conduct OF
persons who may receive appointments in
he civil service. He is to appoint this COM
mission to help him in regard to ascertain
ng who ought to be appointed to the civil
ervlce by prescribing rules to ascertain
heir qualifications, etc. What has that TO
10 with assessments upon the officers of the
government here in the departments. and
throughout the country. for political pur-
,oses
What has that to do with the cases which
we're testified to in the report. which is on
ur tables, and to which attention has been |
allied, where officers in the customhcuse in
Jew York were assessed a certain amount
+ money for political purposes! What has
hat to do with such case a. will read TO
how the Senator from Indiana what the
and has been! Mr.. K. NJ. kelly-I hope
he Senator from Indiana Will listen to this.
ecause this is under that civil service sys-
IN which he thinks is the best on earth,
In. K. NJ. Kelly was collector of internal
evenue in the seventh district OF Ken
lcky. Mr.. L. Thompson was United
tates storekeeper in the same district, and
u the eighteenth day of February. 1870,
IT, Kelly, collie :, writes to Mr. Thomp-
|
tier:
UNITED STATES INTERNAL RgvEyrR)
electors Office, Seventh District. Kentucky. !
Lexington, February lS, 1870.
Inclosed please find check for $33 sc, and
ceipt of Louisville Commercial for $50.
mount assessed against you and deducted ;
ON your pay account, on the recommends ;
on OF Willard Davis, Esq, member of the ,,
epublican State Executive Committee, ;;
ON seventh district of Kentucky. Ad- !
'ess Publisher Louisville Commercials
Ouisville, Kentucky for your papers. !
r. NJ. KELLY, !
Collector Seventh District. Kentucky. j,
A. L. Thompson United States StOrekeeper.
That is IN official letter from the collect
;, written to subordinate s.orekeeper, /,
ficially designated as stOrekeeper. tell !
g him that, on the recommendation of :
eInber of the Republican committee of the I
ventl con gressiOnal district of Kentucky,
had taken $50 out of SOB SO that was I
ming to him, for the purpose of paying e
r papers. l understand this Mr.. Kelly I
as about to establish a newspaper This q
a sample of one of the abuses that ought j
be corrected. 1
Mr.. MOrtOn-I wish to ask the Senator {
e question. / want to ask him if the p
ing that he refers to was not a violation u
existing laws The collector had no r
INT to reserve that money. And can the T.
natOr make 1t any more Il violation OF the
" than it was at that time! Had not the n
IN a right to keep his money!
Mr.. Trumbull-It is no use to try to ii
yer up these things by saying they are c,
,lations OF law. Does not the Senate ri
derstand it, and does not the Senator d
m Indiana understand it, and does he al
t know that if that storekeeper, Mr.. "
OmpsOn, had not submitted TO it he Il
uld have been turned out Of office! cs
w long does he suppose the men that re- re
'ed to pay their assessments in the Gus S.
nlniiC of Nn,x- Nnl / ,r-ntrlA L.. u,