Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-21
Is GRANT a SINCERE MANI

ration for the country.
Is GIANT A SINCERE MAN?
The people of the South have just
cause to doubt the sincerity Of Presi-
dent Grant. He has often promised
them reforms which he never inaugu-
rated; and when citizens of the South
appealed to him for a redress of
grievances, he generally heard them
patiently and promised the remedy
sought. but did nothing more. But
his want of sincerity is not confined to
his treatment Of the people OF the
South. He has repeatedly declared
that he is an earnest friend OF civil
service reform, and on April Is, 1872,
issued the following Executive order:
political assessments, as they are
called. have been forbidden within the
various departments, and, while the
right of all persons in official position
to take part in politics, Is acknowl-
edged, and the elective franchise is rec
ognized as a high trust, to be dis
charged by all entitled to its exercise,
whether in the employment of the gov
eminent, or in private life, honesty and
efficiency, not political activity, viii
determine the tenure of Office.
q. S. GRANT.
by the President.
HAMILTON FISH, Sec'y of State"
The Nelu York Evening Post confesses
that SO stoutly and persistently have
these assertions of purity been made,
that it has sometimes been on the point
of believing them by sheer force of
their reiteration, "but," says that
journal, 'our faith was slightly shaken
few days ago, when it was reported
that the Federal officers in this city
were calling on their subordinates for
political contributions, and the report
was not denied" But the fact that
Republican magnates have stoutly and
persistently lied in reference to this re-
form seem to be confirmed by events
elsewhere. The following document is
prof in point:
"ILLINoIs REPUBLICAN UNION
STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE HEAD
QUARTERS, ROOM %, PALMER House,
CHICAGO, Sept. 80, 1S74.-Postmaster
Cerro Gordo-Dear Sir: We beg to call
on YOU for the sum of sixteen dollars
tSI6) to assist ID carrying on thepresent
campaign.
Nearly ninety per cent. of this
money is to be expended IN your own
Congressional district, where it is very
much needed.
please send the amount to w. II.
Barlow, one of the members of this
committee, at Efhngham, who Will re-
ceipt to you for the same.
"Win you please forward this sum at
once? and oblige. yours, respectfully,
DANIEL SHEPHERD, Sec y"
1t is stated that a similar circular
was sent at the same time to all the
country postmasters IN Illinois.
A similar system of assessments has
been adopted in Virginia, and among
others, the hands in the Maynard at
Norfolk were notified that they had
been assessed certain amounts for
electioneering purposes, which they
were urged to pay over at once. The
same system is VIGOROUSLY pursued in
other States
Is any better evidence wanted that
Grant is an insineere man? Heis pub
licly ard officially pledged to prevent
this system Of assessments, yet he does
nothing in that direction. The Nelc
York Ereniag Post declares very en-
phatically that mo farty can long
maintain itself upon lying pretences,
and President Grant cannot do less
than either confess himself hypocrite
in respect to the subject of that order,
or else dismiss all his officers who
either perpetrate or submit to this
shameful System of blackmail, which is
worse than any that disgraced the
barest-legged Scotch Highlander Of
two centuries ago"