The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-07-13
Civil Service Reform.

oAVA SeEV4co 1Se4OIMs
1t is very amusing to note the course Of
the Bangor Wing in regard to the beau
tiful theory of civil service reform put
forth by its Presidential candidate, and its
practical appreciation of the same. In the
same number in which it issues the ac-
ceptancc OF Hayes, with his declaration
for civil service reform, the Wing prints
the following
REVENUE SERVICE PROMOTIONS. Gen. L.
u. SeWel, Of Bath, Supervisor Of Internal
Revenue for the District of New England, hay
ing been appointed Chief of the Special Agen-
cy. Division, rice 1aryan resigned, the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue has appointed
Special Agent Joseph III. Manly, of Augusta,
as Acting Supervisor for the New England Dis
trct. Mr.. Manly has established an excellent
record at the Department as an efficient and
energetic officer, and this unsolicited appoint
ment affords an evidence of the Commissioners
confidence in his ability which can but be graf
flying to himself and his friends. AS this act
ing appointment is in the direct line of civil
service promotion and based upon meriorlous
service, it will doubtless be ratified by regu
lar commission to the office.
The kind of reformation of the service
which the Wing endorses and which Mr..
Manly's promotion eXemplifes, may be
learned by going back to the days of the
Mai lie paper credits. 1t will be remem-
bcred that these pracies which were per-
petrated upon the people Of Maine by the
conniyance of Republican officials were
investigated by committee appointed by
the Legislature in 1870 In their report,
embodying the result Of their inyestiga-
tions the committee say
1t became early apparent that j. II. Marley,
EST, OF Augusta was closely connected with a
large number Of these questionable credits,
and it seemed very desirable to obtain his tes-
timony. Mr. Marley has been during the sum-
mer and autumn employed an officer in the
United States internal revenue service, and on
duty, it was understood, in PENNSYLVANIA. A re-
quest was made to the Secretary of the Treas
urv, through the COVE nor, that he be tempo
rarliy relieved from duty, for the purpose of
appearing as Il witness before our commission;
aud the comms>i Oner of internal revenue 50
fan comp led is to send Il request to the officer
at Boston to whom he had been ordered to re-
port, that he should attend before us. The re-
quest, If communicated to hm, has not yet
been complied with.
1t would appear from the above that
Mr.. Manley did not avail himself Of an OPP
portunity to explain his connection with
the business, and TO cXculpate himself
from the charges of corruption and fraud
generally attributed to him, as being one
Of the most notorious in the ring of sub
stitute-brokers operating in the State of
Maine. and of course we are at liberty to
draw our own conclusions theretrom. On
page 20 of the commissioners report we
find under the title assignment of men
soM by j, IL. Marley" that this patriotic
citizen, i'll order to help fill the quota of
men called for from his State to recruit
the depleted ranks Of the army in the
field, procured from some person a list of
25l names claimed to be names of recruits
in the navy, and under the existing law
allowing towns credit ior citizens preyi-
onsly enlisted in the navy, who We're sub
ject 10 enrolment. actually bargained and
sold those names to yalious towns, and to
other brokers, as his own property, after
however, procuring from the proyost-mar-
shall general in Washington an order by
which they could be put to the credit Of
the State. The commissioners found that
Tile men 1rere lsDt YeSiaehts 81 Nuj.c or
,t1joH& eHliStcd IN lf1iRe, 0Hd there lrns ma
l0r or geHeTW order by trhich they rouI3 be
i,ut to the credit Of fotcaS III -Uuine: but a
special order, however, was obtained from the
provost marshal general, under which the as
signment actua ~ made seems to be iustiied,...
Perhap, it is fairly interlabIc from whit we
have of Mr. Manlcy'S testimony taken before
another commission that he had some agency
in procuring this special order. 1t turned out
that he had very strong PEI sona interest in
procuring such order, for he seems to have sold
to Deering 4 Co. a firm Of brokers alone, l2l
of these men for $4,000. and if he sold the rest
at the same rate his gross sales must have
amounted to more than S10O,O0O
This is the official of ''cXcclIcnt record"
that the Wing endorses. This is the eN-
ample Of reform that appears concurrent
ly with the Presidential aspirants endorse
mcnt Of reform in the civil service How
much better than the old would be the
proposed new dispensation By Repnbli-
canism at Washington?