The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-03-19
The Boston COllectOrship.
from The Nation. Feb. ee.l

pOintment OfSimmons as Collector of BOs-
ton. There is, to be sure, very little to be
said in favor of his selection. He is a
t, young man of about the age of thirty-five,
whose circumstances rendered ii impossl-
BILE for him to continue his education be-
yond the age of twelve (though it is stated
by his friends that he afterwards read law
between the hours of and a. m J, and 70
whom a naturally energetic disposition
early pointed out the field of predatory
politics as one in which he was most likely
TO shine. He has since spent some of his
time as a revenue detective, some of it as a
Supervisor of Internal Revenue, the duties
of the post being chiefly to arrange ward
meetings; and as he is quite illterate, and
in appearance good specimen of the street
rowdy, Mr.. Simmons is not exactly the
person we should ourselves select to sue
ceeds Mr.. Russell as Collector of Customs
in one cf the chief ports of the United
States. Still, we do not know that there
is much more reason to consider him fit
for the post of Supervisor of Internal than
Collector of External Revenue. Indeed,
according to the Boston Aduertiser, Mr..
Simmons was, as Supervisor, $50 grossly
negligent or incompetent that John ID.
SanbOrn, following around in his tracks,
almost without effort discovered several
hundred thousand dollars worth of taxes
due the United States that had escaped no
tice," these large amounts being "chiefly
such as the most ordinary efficiency might
have secured-namely, legacy and success
sion taxes, and taxes on railroad dividends"
and the Adrertiser SAYS that as it was the
duty of Mr.. Simmons to collect these taxes,
and rs the Government employed SanbOrn
on a contract giving him half the proceeds,
the United States lost hundred thousand
dollars by the manner in which Mr.. Sim
mons performed the duties of his office.
The appointment, however, was one of
a kind which was on the Butler cards six
months ago quite as plainly as it is now
that it has been played. Butler has been
endeavOring for some ten years, not. as
some people seem 10 imagine, to persuade
the people of Massachusetts that he is a
noble and virtuOus citizen, deserving their
suffrages for high office, but to get control
of the political machinery of the
State through the local machinery
of the United States; and he has
not worked in very underhand
manner either. 1t was announced at about
the time of his defeat three years ago that
the next movements to take place in Wash
ington and Massachusetts politics were
the resignation of Boutwell, as Secretary
of the Treasury, and the installation in his
place of Buffers friend Richardson; the
election of Boutwell, to the Senate as the
Butler candidate, and the temperance OF
Butler himself as a candidate for the nOmi-
nation of the Massachusetts Republican
Convention. These things all happened.
Boutwell, cid resign,- Richardson did ac-
cept, and Boutwell, was elected to the
I Senate, notwithstanding the opposition of
Mr. Dawes. Butler reappCared as candi-
date for Governor, and having been mar
| rOWlV def. ,.lteI no naturally puOnpb bpUlu
again. One Ofthe things made evident by
the contest was that Simmons was Buffers
right-hand man indeed. this was made so
evident that the Republican Convention
passed Il resolution directed at him, and
virtually calling upon the President to re-
move him from office. Obviously. under
these circumstances the thing for Butler to
do was to place Simmons in some secure
position OF honor and profit. from which,
with the United States authority behind
him. it would be difficult to Oust him, and
where he would have great political power.
The position of Collector was clearly the
position. 1t was still less a secret that the
politics of Mr.. Thomas Russell were of that
uncertain stripe which would naturally
lead him to adopt any arrangement which
might seem to be for the best interests OF
the party of Human Rights: it was his
influence OfwhiCh both the Butler and the
anti-Butler party had been most afraid
thrOugAt the campaign: and it had been
for long time well understood among
the politicians that Butler and Russell
were not irrecOncilable foes. That Butler
should go quietly to work and elect his
local legislature and make his arrange
ments with Mr.. Russell and his friends at
Washington (who, it must be remembered
are no others than the President of the
United States and the Secretary of the
Treasury of the United Sites, to say
nothing of Mr.. Boutwell,, eX-Secretery of
| the Treasury and active Senator from
! Massachusetts, and about half of the AlaSsa-
chusetts delegatiOn), was not unnatural
either. The curtain rises on the vacant
collectOrShip and the appointment of Mr..
Simmons. There is nothing so very
strange or unnatural in this. 1t is said to
be an insult to the people of Alassa-
chusetts, but why should the peO-
pie of Massachusetts not be insulted
When ''TOm' Murphy was ap-
pointed some years ago Collector of
the port of New Y Ork, that was generally
| considered an insult to New \ ork and if
Murphy was good enough here, we cannot
see why Simmons is not good enough
there. Insulting the people, is in fact
the way i'll which the machinery of the
Government is carried On-by COnkling
| in New York, by Casey in New Orleans,
| by Butler in Massachusetts. If tle. inhab-
itants of Massachusetts had J$<Pawoke
from a sleep of half a century, %were all
newly arrived from some foreign country,
they might indeed be surprised at a good
many things they hear and see; but why
should it surprise or dismay any one of
the present day to see the ins and outs OF
the little game we all know so well?
The population of Massachusetts is not,
as the good people of that State seem to
suppose, the quiet, orderly, religious, hO-
mOgeneous agricultural community, COM
posed of church-members and governed
| by deaconS and descendants of the first
settlers that it was a hundred years ago.
but thriving, energetic, populous mod
ern manufacturing State with highly di-
versitied industries, large and continually
growing cities; each man bent on making
money, and relying for good government
much more on the traditions of the State
than on his own eXertions; the gulf be-
tween the very rich and the very poor con-
tinually widening, and, in all the thriving
cities, a large and continually increasing
number of operatives and other sorts of
laborers who look with jealousy on the
people of wealth and position who used
TO administer the affairs of the State, and
| WIZ WISH W DC Nv bAftliif ctl
forward, blunt man who - has no non
sense about him''-whO will give them
what they want-mOney without work,
profits without capital, good republican
government without their taking too much
trouble themselves to be good republi-
cans.
The general apathy of the people of
Massachusetts while Butler is working and
/, making the strategic arrangements which
are the necessary preliminary TO the deci-
sive battles of bis campaigns, compared
with the dismay which they exhibit when
he actually makes his colps, is something
curious. They certainly cannot expect
him to remain idle, and, as the Republican
organization in such States as Massachu-
sets is that which wise and prudent poll
ticians make use of to further their de-
signs, of that he naturally makes use.
1t is hardly probable indeed that
be will ever organize COuupuOnist
party By that name, holding meetings TO
Which none but corrupt men are admitted,
issuing platforms pronOuncing in favor OF