The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-28

StmmOns bo COlloctOrs
| The Republic has continued with more OF
less success for nearly Q century without
hearing of Simmons. We have no doubt il
could still continue without caring much for
him. But suddenly Simmons comes upon US
from Boston in all the magnitude Of solemn
political principle We have had many sur
prises from Boston-in fact, Boston is itself q
surprise in some respects. But the Simmons
surprise surpasses anything of its kind since
the Tea Party, which was just one hundred
years ago.
As we understand the Simmons surprise it
is this Simmons is an active young mon
whose profession is politics. republican-an
office-holder, willing to hold Office, and only
anxious about the rank and the pay In the
dialect of politics, Simmons has been ''faith-
full" 'true." "untiring" and '1oyaL" He
has ''run" his conventions and "ixed" his
wards and managed his caucuses, and alto
gether we may safely assume that what
Simmons does not know about running and
fixing and managing is not worth learning.
Accordingly he has been nominated and con-
frmed to be Collector of the Port of Boston.
If anything seems perfectly proper in these
times it is that Simmons should be Collector
of the Port of Boston. For Summons seems to
be the ripest development of political utility
that New England has produced for many
years. But suddenly Boston assumes an angry
attitude, and all the country is called upon to
testify to the outrage of this selection. In
the first place Mr.. Dawes comes to the front
with an alacrity which, had he shown it dur
ing the Credit Mobilier villany, might have
diminished his income but destroyed the
fraud Then we have all the ''solid men Of
Boston" in high anger, Judge Bigelow, E. R.
Nudge, what an expressive Boston writer in the
Tribune calls 'the Elite of our business men"
The Hoar brothers are in arms. Governor
Clifford, notwithstanding his bad health, is on
his way to Washington. Mr.. Sam Bowles burns
and means; and 50 gentleman we again
quote the Tribune ''remarked this morning
that he did not believe there were twenty
merchants of standing in the city of Boston
who were not earnestly aroused on the sub
ject"
Now, while we have no doubt there are twenty
thousand men in Boston any one Of whom would
make better Collector than Simmons, and
while there are imaginary conditions of society
in which such an appointment would be
impossible, as things 60, we are for
Simmons. For, as we have said, who has
run and fixed" and managed" more
zealously9 And are not these tie accomplish
ments which our public service demands? It
may be said that he will ''run' and six and
"manage" for one politician and not for
another. Why should we care about that
Are not all these public men as much type
of the time as Simmons? And why should we
oppose the '.ixing" man of one statesman
only to provide for the '.dxing" man of
anotherp As to this cant about ''solid
men" and 'the elite of our business men" it
is simply moonshine. The s'solid men, and
the ''klite' are more responsible for the con-
dition of affairs which terminates Simmons
than any other. They neglect their duties as
citizens, they stand aloof from politics, they
permit the ignorant and designing to control
the suffrage -they simply make money and
care nothing for the public welfare What
right have the Boston muslin-and-beans
"<lie'' to interfere now, to intrude upon the
President their tardy protests and convictions?
The President may say, and say truly:-''Gen-
Nemen, you are strange to me in public life.
never see or hear Of you in Boston when cleo
tions are taking place, or when political con-
ventions are in session. If you mean to have
collectors after your own heart why do you
shirk your duty as citizens and abandon all
voice in public affairs to the Simmons class2
I take the tools as find them, and 1 find
nothing better in your Massachusetts politics
than Simmons True, there is Butler Sim
mons and Hoar Simmons, and Dawes Sim
mons, but, with submission, you must let me
choose my own particular quality OF Simmons.
Now instead of coming to me and asking me
purity and reform and honesty, instead OF
devolving upon me the duty OF revolutionizing
the politics Of Massachusetts,, go home and
do it yourselves. You are lazy and indiffer-
ent and unpatnotic and selfish, you neglect
your obligations as citizens, you are immersed
Ia AAAOAOy -50tuAS, yOu oAVW LILO CtAtc
to pass into the hands of Simmons,
you permit Simmons to come to Con-
gress, to hold elective Offices, to become
the expression of the dignity of Massachu-
SETS, and then come crawling and whimper-
ing to me to change all You must know that
without the Simmonses who control Congress
and the States could not conduct public
affairs for week. No, gentlemen, you have
made me the slave of political utility by your
apathy and selAshness. Since am its slave
take as good specimen as can finland
that is Simmons. If you have q better
name him, but do not talk to me about virtue
or pubic morals. Gentlemen, my trade is to
govern these United States, and cannot do
it with virtue and public morals, because they
will not aid me. must have Simmonses and
one simmons is about as good as any other"