Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-07-29

pleasant, but for the purpose of seeing If Senator
Merrimon had been practicing the tricks of Mr..
Wood Of New York. we have devoted little time
to several copies of this blue Book" We had
scarcely entered upon this investigation when the
matter was taken up in the Senate by Messrs.
Dawes of Massachusetts and Cragin of New lamp
shire.
Mr.. Cragin first called attention to the most no.
table increase of the civil list in the Navy Depart
ment in two years. He finds by actual conn: that
the number of civil employees in that department
is l45 instead of 10, l05 given by the ex-Confed
crate Senator! 1t will take any one who can tell
the difference between a civil ard naval officer but
few moments to make that count and no one
can make more than li5 civil employees in that
department. This is accuracy! Why the names
of III the officers of the navy, the naval cadets
the retired lst-all will not aggregate 10, los.
We cannot go through with all Of Mr.. MerIi.
mons inaccuracies but will make use of state
ments of both Senators Dawes and Cragin re.
speeding the increase of officers in the postage
vice. By the figures of Mr.. Merrimon, the civil
employees of the Post Office Department number
ed 4l,3i6 i'll 1869. In 1875, six years later, the
Senator's friend" makes he number 65,726-an
increase of more than "A, 900 which is incredible.
How is it to be accounted for 10 this manner.
In the first place, in the Register issued IN 1870
there the names of seven thousand mail con-
tractors given by States. The register of 1869
does not contain the name of contractor. In the
list of Maine contractors we find the name of Mr..
Lttlefeld, Clerk of Courts three four times
while that of the venerable stage contractor
V. ID. Pinkham Of Augusta, appears a half dozen
times. Both are democrats, vet MIR. Merrimon
counts the two as equal to ten republican officers,
because their names appear that number OF times
in the list! Again in the Register OF 1870, under
the head of special mail service there are nearly
two thousand names. These men were paid sums
ranging from fifty cents to ten dollars for special
and temporary service in connection with the pos
tai department. This list does not appear in the
Register Of 1869. Under the head of ''spec ial
mail agents" there is list OF employees number
ing about four thousand. This class is made up
OF those who carry the mails from depots and main
lines TO the offices. They are paid from So to
$500 year according to the service. They have
always been employed, but the Register OF 1869
does not contain one ofthose four thousand names !
Here are 1900 least, of the increase accounted
for in the postal department. What has been
shown TO be true of the Navy and Post Office De-
partment is true Of the Treasury aud Interior.
To make up his APO civil employees in the
War Department. Mr. Merrimon or his "lriend"
has added AL the officers of the army and West
Point Cadets in 1879 and left then ont III all the
earlier years.
The Regi ster was intended to give the names Of
those whom everybody would fix upon belong
ing to the civil list and officers holding commls-
sions the service ofthe United States. Until 1850
this plan was followed, but after that time some
gentleman ambitious to make a larger and more
complete volume, thought it might be convenient
TO have the name of every man inserted who was
employed at all by the government. by SO DONG
he has added five hundred pages to the work, 50
that every man who is employed day or a week
as mechanic, appears as federal office holder
and goes TO swell the ranks of the army which the
democratic shouters denouIce because their names
are not en- the official lists.
The fact that Mr.. Merrimon aud his friends have
attempted TO deceive the country must be evident
to all 1t is no ordinary mistake for "iriend" OF
a Senator to insert in the civil list Of the Navy
Department more names than are on the navy
rolls. The man who does this is both fool and
a knaye. The "friend" who lied so magniiicentlv
| about the navy and army civil list could hardy
fail to lose good an opportunity for fraudulent
counting in the thousands of names in the
postal department. The whole thing is fraud,
and count OF the names in the Biennial Register
will show il to be Ii is of the Conieder-
ate lies Of the campaign. 1t is easily spoiled.