The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-07-17
Another Act of Military Despotism.


One often hears of the "party lash," the
tyranny of party discipline and the absolute
subsection to their will which President
Grant and federal Congressman require of
subordinate government officers. "Off with
his head" is supposed to be among the mild
est of the sentences declared against the
offender who thinks for himself, regardless
of the opinions of his official superiors. We
are told daily that there is not even formal
observance of the new civil service .regula-
tions, and that good and competent men are
constantly driven from office to give place to
more plant or more corrupt instruments of
the reigning powers. Now there sits at the
receipt of customs in the city of Ellsworth
good man by the name of Sawyer. This
Sawyer is the editor and sole proprietor of
the Ellsworth American, a very respectable
weekly newspaper. 1t happens that this
editor and collector is not by any means
in sympathy with the appointing power. 1t
was only after good many grimaces and pain
full muscular contortions that he was able to
hoist the names of the leading Republican
candidates to the head of his editorial col
umns. And as for the Republican candidate
for Congress he "can't a-bear him." cleaving
rather unto that Mr.. Pike who is celebrated
throughout the State as the man who made
three distinct runs for the Democracy, after
he announced himself "ready for a revolu-
tion," and baked before he made the final
plunge. So we have the singular spectacle of
an editor returning daily to his Office, which
came to him through the partiality ofhis Con-
gresham, from the sanctum where he has
proceeded to berate that Congressman, who
isa candidate for reelection, in the severest
terms. And as for Grant, whose commission
he holds, and who possesses the formidable
power of sending the name of his successor
to the Senate, the bold editor shifts at him.
He finds many Of Senator Summers yarns
credible. He is truly happy only when he is
criticising the administration and advising
the Democrats that if they exercise ordinary
shrewdness they may carry the elections. In
short, to sum up in one word, he has become
the editor of Democratic sheet which is ca
pable of doing ten fold more mischief than it
otherwise could on account of its nominal
Republicanism. Here is a federal office-hold-
er pouring broadside after broadside every
week into the appointing power, without
any effort to restrain him or any threat to
remove him. .t
We do not find fault with anybody about
this matter. We rather commend the whole
transaction as creditable to all concerned-to
the editor, because of his independence, and
to the President and Congressman because of
their Discrimination to remove good officer
on political grounds. We call attention to
the case only for the purpose of showing that
the popular notion that the Grant managers
have banded together the federal office-hold-
ers for the purpose of securing his reelection
by any means within their power, chiefly by
corruption, is fallacy. Giving Mr. Sawyer
custom house from which to conspire with
Pixies, Rusts and other disappointed Office
seekers to defeat their reelection does not
look much as if the President and Congress-
man Hale used the federal patronage for the
promotion of their own interests. We hope,
therefore, that both may be reelected as prac-
teal champions of civil service reform.