The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-10-18

those States. He seeks to magnify into
dangerous importance the harmless societies
of the colored people for the obv GUS purpose
Of furnishing pretext and an excuse for the
existence of the Ku- Klux and for the bloody
disorders which all the world knows have
occurred in those States. He alternately at
tempts to persuade and threaten the colored
people into the conviction that their future
safety depends upon cutting loose from the
Republican party of the North, and throw
ing themselves into the arms and under the
domination of their enemies and oppressors.
Leaving cut few vague, formal expressions
of regard for the rights of the colored people,
the speeches might have been made by
Wade Hampton or Gen. Forrest. He repre-
sents the people of the North who have
gone TO live in the South az carpet-baggers,
adventures and robbers; he employs every
exaggerstion that can make the State gov
ernment, of the South odious, contemplate
and powerless. In short, these speeches,
while pratingof reconciliation, and "shak-
ing hands across the bloody chasm," in
every part are calculated to beget violence,
passion and hatred to the Republicans of the
south, and, as all candid men must admit,
are brim-full OF aspersions upon the Adm n
istration of Gen. Grant.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Mr.. Hendricks, in his speech at New AL
bany few evenings since, had much to say
upon the subject OF civil service reform, and
manifested zeal all the more notable be-
cause it is entirely new. During the ten
years that Mr.. Hendricks was in Congress
b had nothing to say or suggest upon that
subject; he was apparently well contented
with the existing civil service system. His
sudden conversion and remarkable enthusi-
asm have led him into a number Of state
Il. IL l. Il
justified. For example, he said:
"A year ago last March Congress was COM
PEELED to pass a law, in order to satisfy the
public demand, requiring the President to
appoint a commission to investigate the sub
ject of frauds. Gen. Grant appointed seven
of his personal and political friends. That
committee went to work. They had three
things first, was there fraud in the public
service? secondly, what was the cause of
that fraud and, thirdly, what was the
remedy"
Now, regret to be compelled to state that
in all this there is not one word of truth.
Cong ess passed no such law and made no
such requirements Of the President, and the
Civil Service Commission made no such in
vestigation, nor had they any authority to,
in regard to the Administration of Gen.
| Grant. Congress did pass a law authorizing
the President, in his discretion, to appoint
a commission to examine and make recon-
mendations and advise with him in regard
| to the subject of civil service. The question
they were to consider was what reforms, il
any, could be effected in a system which had
been in operation from the very hour when
the Government was formed in 1898. The
admi nistrston of Gen. Grant was not before
that Commission for examination any more
| than the administrations of Washington or
| Jackson. No witnesses were examined
and the whole question was as to the theory
of civil administration.
Mr.. Hendricks then read the following ex-
tract from the report of that Commission:
1t ia not easy to compute in figures the
exact economical differe. ce between good
and a bad system Of the civil service.
But it is calculated by those who have made
a careful study of the facts, that one fourth
of the revenue of the United States is an.
nually lost in the collection. and for large
part of that loss a system of the service
which is fatally unsouni may reasonably bt
held responsible"
Mr.. Hendricks then assumed, upon tn e
authority Of this extract, that 800, 900 ,00(
of the revenues Of the Government are actu
ally squanderei and stolen, and dwelt upor
this fact at great length, and with extreme
Indignation. The ex ract was rudely torn
from the context, and the whole report shows
istration of Gen. Grant than to that of Mr.
Buchanan or Thomas Jefferson. To complet,
the evidence of the mOnstrous perversion
| Mr.. George W. Curtis, the author OF the re-
port, states that the calculation referred L
in the extract was made in report submitted
to Congress during the administration OF An
drew Johnson in 1868, at time when Mr.
Hendricks, then in tho Senate, was one o
his chief advisers, and was remarkably wei
satisfied with the civil service system.
The volume of taxation durin Johnson
Administration was more than 5000 200, 00l
greater than it is now, and yet during tn,
last year of Grants Administration SS5 600,
900 more were paid into the treasury thar
during the last year of Johnson's admins
tration. While less than $500 5000 Of tn,
public debt were discharge dduring the Ad
ministration of Mr.. Johnson, that Of Gen
Grant has paid off in three and half year
more than S34O 1000, 900. In every direction
the Administration of Gen.Grsnt has accom-
plished great reforms, saving to the peopl
hundreds Of millions Of dollars; and Gen
Grant is the first in the line of Presidents Il
inaugurate benefcent reforms and change
in the system of civil administration.
GREELEY AND THE ADMINISTRATION.
Gov. Brown, Carl Schurz, Senator Trum
bull, Messrs. Hendricks, Voorhees,, CT Il
omne QenhS, bring multitudlnous charge
against Gen. Grant and the Republican par
~ on account OF the reconstruction policy
the Ku-Klux Bill, the suspension of TIE wri
of habeas corpus in the disturbed district
of South Carolina, the prosecution of tn
Ku-Klux, and the general dealings of tn
Government with the disturbing elements il
the South, the election law, which they des
ignate the "Bayonet Bill" and all tina
class Of legislation intended to protect th
purity of the ballot-box and to give securit
TO life, liberty and property in the Southern
States; but their criticisms are all answer
ed, and they are overwhelmed and stultif,
themselves when they support Horace Gree
ley, who has been the advocate and defende
of all these things which they condemn
He has justified from time to time every &C
of Congress that has been passed in regar
to the South. He justified the election Law
the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus
the prosecution Of the Ku-Klux. He de
Tended the amendments and Denounced tn eli
enemies; in short, he has furnished an al
gument and an answer against everythin
they say. How these things were right i
Horace Greeley and wrong in Gen. Grant,
is for An honest man to understand. Tn
truth is, this coalition is the most demoral
izing event IN American politics; it is, j
fact, a declaration to the world that there
no principle or integrity in politics, and
n substance an attempt TO abolish all di:
tinctions between right and wrong IL is n