The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-10-09
Radical PIunder.

TNM1S910ueE OOu81dPB aGoPPN& "a
Harper TO the President, The accounts
of the Springfield office being behind
hand and snSHi& &qnD pref ing Patt9e
collections of one month were used
to conceal the deficit of the month be-
fore; but the Illinois delegation raj
lied toathe support Of their creature.
4la the defale estRSF hiddlefA! 81
ST Annonths longer 4ssSems q n 3gl
equity Harper's bondsmen would
have right to recover from the Com
missioner Who didsnot IN s1st tloiss lnti
vestigating HarHeEfsf aceeuntS the
President who continued the default
81 Ii Office, or the Senators and Con-
ctessmen who conspired to secure
his retention; but those confding
farmers viii doubtless have to pocket
sogp s.1g ,O O!aJs;tIvhaf u le1 & pu5lielk.
party. The eE-C -CpllectoE appears, to,
have cofithitted his Maiden depredaL
ton last fall so asI 10 con tribute Sc, GOO
or $1,000 to the campaign fund to re-
elect Mr.. Grant, sum so enormously
aforementioned 10 7hisoImeans that, its,
acceptance il, any, case not of a politi-
cal nature might ebe eonstrB ed IN d.
criminal court as a receiving of stolen
goods. knowing fthezaaaDae stosshageI
been dishonesty obtained, Then Mr..
Harper,s deputy struck a baIance and
found his chief S46y 600 IN debtfto. the
GovernFneait. 4. MrstHAfperFh hpff1Wed
the amount, made his accounts good,
repaid the foan out Of the mex m 6iitFf's-
colIeoti0nss and continued this frandus.
lent sfinancie1inglt till further noneealss
ment was impossible. MFSaSmithi
then allow ed EMrloi HarpeFtO depaFt,
.obIigfngly ipAyiagaeu $1l000sof the
GoVertfh heff's funds to- HARPER prf-
vate creditors at the request of HafAi
per. made lust as Hhrper took fight
1T ia to be hoped that Mr.. Grant may.
promote Mr.. Smith, in acc6rdance
with the. principles of his system of
giyil-seryice reform, to fill the vacan-
Eey left by Mr.. Harper's departure.
The lynx-eyed agent who was sent
from Washington to examine dar-
ber's books also deserves the passing
tribute of a kick. He admits that he
found the Collector about $4,000
short, but this was balanced by large
amounts which certain distillers were
alleged to owe to the Collector, SO the
acute agent took another drink with
EAr. Harper and reported all qniet on
the Sangamon.
n Mr.. ChaHnceyng J. Fl illeEs thet POST
master at st. Louis. abuses his ofica
in a meaner and minor fashion. Being
% politician and an insolvent, and
Fthns deserving doubly well of the
Republican party, he was offered his
choice of seven Federal appointments,
and elected to scarf his broken for
tunes in the Postofice. He enter
tained the President during the, West
ern tour of the latter;1 at a Aiec0st of
$500. True, the house in which the
lboozing and banqueting took place
was ornamented with the red flag be-
tokening the coming Sheriff2s sale,
and the liquors they consumed prop
erly belonged to Mr.. Filley's credi-
tors butt that made no difference to
President or Postmaster. Then Mr..
FiIley went to Washington to obtain
e isigI 3 ! p: 4 e q !
portunity to play draw-poker with
Professor FarWell. Then he proceed
ed to select his carriers, and to show
mis- stern integrity copied and had
published a letter alleged to have
been sent him by some local Nesbitt
who wanted position and was will
ing to pay Mr.. Filley 500 year for
! the appointment.
Alas that. fatal facts should come
ITO .HghG . fWAilesF Filley was ma Hi1oIlH
ing that very letter he was also pre-
pairing two papers for each of his
clerks, one being an order on the
Eehashier for per cent. of the clerks
Epay, the order being retroactive after
the approved Congressional manner,
asnd the other a letter of resignation.
There was no more coercion than
would be employed by a highway
man, foE-the clerk gould SIGN which
ever docnffent he pfeased. Nor was
the Postmaster devoid of generosity,
for when one clerk had not at his
leredit, being a recent appointee,
enough salary to meet the assessment,
Mr.. Filley merely confseated what he
had, and not only forgave him the
balance. but loaned him Con note) half
the amount taken wherewith to meet
This hohsk IhillsIl fIshenf the fnk Ter BET
ffng noised abroad, Mr.. Filley induced
Ibis docile clerks to sign and publish
kletteP in which they declared that they
had given their little all cheerfully
and without coercion, adding that Mr..
F'illey had established an additional
claim upon their respect and esteem
by the dignified silence with which
be had met his slanderous accusers.
Not only had they eaten of the obscene
prisoner bnEi they hsnkere deiafterl
more. We submit to Mr.. Filley that
nowhere in AinsWorth's history of
sFurpin or Sheppard can be found
pFecedents for compelling the man he
has just robbed to testify to his good
Mr.. FfilgysR aiE AfrIshdO,offer
three explanations First, there new
er was any assessment levied second,
1t was only Just that the clerks should
foot tlfe Sill lfof MP.e GrAifts gre and
Mr.. Filley's fare, because Mr.. Filley
couldn't and the expenditure was in
Cured for their good I Third, Senator
Morton made Mr.. Filley raise the
money for the Ohio campaign fund.
None of these reasons can be consid-
cred satisfactory. The public will
wonder why the impecunious Morton
covered his back pay into the Treasury
when the party purse in Ohio was so
low that the clerks mite had to be
ssxacted so far west as st. Louis. The
public will wonder under which of
the several regulations promulgated
by the many Civil-service Reform
Commissioners the posF-office clerk
has to. stahd Eeatt61aIr GrAA AhdEa
crowd of Congressional, official, and
jourRalistie head BeRtsu nd the-pub-
lic VIII not wonder that the clerks, alf1
of lWhese SALARY isseeyered att the pis-fl
tolls mouth into g Fed erala L rec lunch
fund.- his bond being eHactsdl for the
advance Of half Of the money he had
earned d should occasionally splund eFl
the ma islis Iol.sg Had ss1sl iifIef issiai
q ReaHysH would zap pear as If the
leaders Of the. Rep9 blieaIf party; COM
vinced that itsileasei of power is abottl
to terminate, were prudently stealing
hay before the st ii phes / IT. is !, the
practice of apshiftlessaand sluttishs ten-sI
A.....