The Portland daily press., 1874-03-24
New York Letter.
RefOrmer-SOmethinga about Mr. jayne
The Dodge. Phelps & Co. Case, ETC., etc.

schurtz and the Moities-A Sketch Of a
Reformer-someihing about Mr. Jayne
The Dodge, Phelps & Co. Case, etc., etc.
New YORK, Mar q, 1874.
MIR. Schultz is pursuing his attack upon the
moiety feature of the revenue system with
Characteristic vigor and enthusiasm. He is
born reformer. All his life, he has been hunt
ing down and chasing out some abuse or other
Originally hard money and free trade demo-
crat, he attained his majority about the time
when the suspension of specie payments IN
1887, had driven sold and silver out OF clrcula-
ton, and set afloat the shinpasters OF every oe-
nomination, from a sixpence to hVe uoi'afS,
which gave the country its first experience OF
free banking The democracy were divided at
that time on the financial question, INTO raul
o.1s .pd conservatives, the former denounclng
oil forms of paper currency, and the latter de-
fandinp the State bank system. The radicals,
to whom their opponents applied the nickname
of s1ocofocos'' insisted that the failure of any
bank to pay specie, worked forfeiture of It's
charter. The conservatives favored and succeed
ed in promoting such State legislation as sus-
pended for q time the penalty of non payment
in coin. Foled in their efforts to destroy the
State banks, the loco-focos had recourse to all
possible contrivances for bringing their issues
into dscredit. 1t was favOrite recreation OF
Schultz at that time to gather up bank notes OF
the denomination of one and two dollars ana
stamp upon them various depreciating notices,
such as s'ths irredeemable rag is the price of
the poor mans labor" ''the State makes laws
to protect wealth and Cypress poverty! "A
living promise!" "a transparent cheat!
"Worthless stuff to swindle honest toll out of
its lust rewardr' Sometimes the inscriptions
took pictorial form and represented Dives in
purple ald Lazarus in rags-or BARRIERS poe
suggesting a new process for shaving the peo-
pie. The bills thus ornamented. as they circu-
lated from hand to hand, did such effective du-
ty in the way of instructing the masses in the
science of political economy, that the banking
interest became alarmed, and persuaded the
legislature to enact law imposing the peial-
ties of fine and imprisonment upon any person
detected in mutilating, defacing or affixing any
inscription or device upon bank note. Thus
ended the first chapter in the reformatory ca
reer of this impetuous radical.
Not long after, Mr.. Schultz made raid up
on the market monopoly. In those days it was
unlawful to sell meat in any place except in
the public market. He prevailed upol several
parties to open shops in various parts of the
city taking the chances Of prosecution, and
promising them the best legal assistance in dis
putting and testing the validity of any local
statute which interfered with free traffic in
Tba ma a nrO1nuUQd and
the crusaders were summoned to the courts to
answer for their open defiance of law. This was
what their gallant leader anticipated and de-
sired, and he fought the battle against monop-
ally with all the dash and energy of his nature as
| we'll in the courts as in the broader forum of
| public discussion, until he completely triumph
| ed, and the meat shops multiplied all over the
city, restrained by no other law than that Of
competition.
The transition from Democracy to free soil.
| ism-if indeed that can be called transition
which is merely the expression of preference
for reality over sham--was perfectly natural to a
man SO devoted to popular rights as Mr.. Schultz
had always proved himself to be. His subse-
quent gravitation to the Republican party was
simply inevitable From the hour of its birth
| he has been one of the most earnest advocates
| of its principles one of the most generous con-
| tributors to its successes. He might have en-.
| joyed its highest honors, had he aspired to
them, but he has never sought Office and fire.
quently declined it. The first position he con-
sented to accept, was the arduous one of Presi-
dent of the Board of Health, and in the exer-
else of the important functions Of that exact
ing sphere of usefulness, he developed degree
of energy and executive ability which placed
him at once among the public benefactors OF
the city. When he had got the Board well or
ganized, and in perfect working order he re
signed, much to the regret of all good citizens.
Since that time municipal and State nomina.
| tions have been pressed upon him, but he has
| refused them all. He might have been chosen
Mayor at the last::charter election if he had moi
t,rrvrrrr,teri4y -,l-vIincd ith- -tlae-ex-
ception of the few weeks service he rendered to
the nation as head of the Vienna Commission,
he has held no office since he retired from the
Health Board And yet, few men have been
so active in affairs. AS municipal reformer,
he has displayed the same untiring zeal, that
has characterized his whole life. He was the
wheel horse of the Committee of Seventy from
its birth to its dissolution. He is recognized
authority on all matters affecting the welfare
of our unwieldy municipality. whether of po-
lice, of finance, of pavements, of markets, OF
street cleaning or of sanitary regulations.
That such man, appearing before Con-
gressional Committee to demonstrate the
workings, and set forth the oppressive char.
acter of the revenue laws, should command
the deepest attention, and be received with
| profound respect, was certainty from the
| beginning. Mr. Schultz has frank. ingenious
face, an impressive manner, great readiness
and felicity of expression, and an earnestness of
| speech which leaves no room for doubt of his
sincerity and disinterestedness. If he had
been bred lawyer he would have been ire
sistible before jury. A New Yorker by
birth, with touch of the Yankee acquired by
collegiate course at Waterville, Me-, his
broad humanity has made him cosmopolitan,
and his ideas respecting free trade have nat
urally enough tended to beget in time an in
tolerance of all restrictive laws. He presents
but one side of the question. In fact he secs
but one. Yet he pays high tribute to the
personal integrity of the three leading GUS
toms officers of the port when he declares that
he would be willing to make either one of
them an executor of his will. The examples
he cites of the hardships endured by impor-
ters, do not appear even. from an ex-parte
view of them, so remarkable as indications of
the rigor with which the statutes were en-
forced, as of the lamb like meekness with
which they were submitted to. No instance
is shown in which an inculpated party elected
to throw himself upon jury of his country
men for redress Notwithstanding everybody
knows that as between the government and a
citizen the latter has the best chance in legal
contest.
The leading importer of New York is Mr..
Stewart. For forty-six years he has been the
largest contributor to the national revenues, by
the payment of duties, of any man in the
land. His opinions of course are entitled to
great consideration. He is very strenuous for
an inAexible administration of the laws which
punish undervaluation and other evasons of
taxes on imports, and objects to any innovations
that shall not be equally effective in protect
ing honest merchants. Mr.. Clafin substan-
TALLY praes with him Roth tbaca poptIo,, ~,