The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-22
A BOSTON ScnndnIs

the corruption In the civil service, "a well
rs its rapacity and its universal spread
through every smallest detail OF that
service, going down, RS MI. WEBSTER once
said, "to low water mark" we Will mar
rate an occurrence that took place IN Bos-
ton last autumn IN the District Attorneys
Office of that virtuous city.
Congress passed IA law several years ago,
mainly Tor the protection of fishermen and
coasting vessels, which were liable to be run
over in thick weather by the increasing
number of ships and steamers navigating
our waters and the high seas. THIS Inv
prescribed the constant use OF the steam
whistle in foggy weather by all vessel
propelled by steam. But in order to fully
cover the subject, the law also prescribed
that AL sailing vessels should provide
themselves with fog horns 60 he blown in
"a similar manner. So far Us fishing boats
and vessels went, and to a great extent
the coasters also, this had been All inn
memorial practice adopted for their own
safety They were above all others the
class to be protected, and no law was ever
needed to compel them TO provide the
means of self-presorvation. Wherever
| you found n fisherman or coaster you
| always found "A fog horn.
Now mark the progress OF events under
this simple law fora simple purpose. Some
| cunning Yankee, or otherwise, went aud
| constructed fog horn, which for some
reason was denomnated n Van Trump
horn, the price Of which was ilxed at six dol
lars, when the price OF the ordinary fisher
mans horn was less than fifty cents. The
hor Ia, a
| was in no sense better, than the old-fashion-
eli lshrrman's horn which for two centuries
and more had rcVcrberated along the fog
bound coast. Of Massachusetts and Maine.
| But It's impudent protector found no d fl
Guilty in getting Il circular issued from the
| Treasury Department prescribing its use,
under IA penalty established by the law, OF
| Two hundred dollars. OF course this could
| have been ut no other period Of time than
when that department was differed by
that iuimltabic brace OF worthless, BOUT
WELL aud RICHARDSON. Whether the job
was engineered by SASDoRN, or JAYNE. or
! BEN BUTLER, we do not know; we only
know the fact that this preposterous and
| oppressive circular was lssuel under their
reign. Under IT, every miserable fisaer-
man and one-horse coasting vessel that
could be reached, was pursued by the busy,
sneakhg agents OF the proprietor OF the
Van Trump fog horn, who, shaking the
Treasury circular over their heads, de-
manded aud received from each victim the
sum Of SIX dollars; and AL for nothing,
except to line tn. pockets OF those legal
lied harbor thieves.
When Nr. BRlsTOw came in, his alton
ton seems to have been drawn TO this
larcenous circular, ma he revoked II
by issuing another which destroyed the
formers oIrnsivefcnturcs. But the chaps
who had worked l,iis litNopriya;e quarry
so long, were like n dog deprived OF his
bone; they hated to lose 1t. And what
they got before by legal means, they
determined now TO get by foul ono
BEARD of Boston, owned the Van Trump
horn. He showed the new chcular to COL
lector SIMMONS of that port, and asked the
Collector for Instructions to cont. ue his
eXactions on the coasters and fishermen.
Tho Collector perus-d the circular ana de-
clared he would do no such thing, for the
circular Of Nj. BRisfow dill not justify il,
and he would not allow his Office to he
used for any such dcsplcable purpose. He
condemned the rapacity IN unequiyocal
terms And here let as say that this is
DEN buffers Collector SIMMONS, over
whose appointment Boston responsibility
made such fuss. lie was the only muu
who preserved an honest and respect
allie attitude on this occasion. Not
being able 10 succeed with the Collector,
BEARD tried hi hand in the District At
torncy Office, whose head is an ex- iudge,
SANGER by name. In SAHGER, Nh BEARD
found Il willing instrument iuasmuch rs
! the proceedings brought fees 10 his office.
Accordingly, 10 advance lis fog-hoIIi spec-
ulation by intimidation, BEARD complains
cl Of two little coasters, each of less than
one hundred tons burden, belonging to the
eXtremost confines of the IemO'est Down
East, ami SASGER ordered them seized ia
BOSTON. One OF the vessels escaped by
night but the otheI the Native American,
oil Calais was taken possession ofby the sen
ing officers, ana lbelled The captain had
Eightfully refused TO buy Van Trump
horn, for the double reason that the Treas
ury circular did not require IL ana he al
ready had a good fog.horn on board His
defence was perfect, but 90 defend himself
against Il suit brought by the United states,
with his vessel in the hands OF the Selling
officers, was too costly a job for him,
though he might be sure TO be successful.
lie had, there fore, to submit to this out
rageous biackmailing proceeding of the
District Attorney and buy OF as cheaply
rs he could.
Aud now comes the sequel. These greedy
plundoreis of poor hard working men,
BEARD and SANGEV, had evidently sup
posed, IN Selling a humble little coaster
from the outskirts OF New England, that
they had found victim whose cries could
never reach headquarters. But it SO hap
pened that one of the owners of the seized
craft was useful supporter of the Repre-
sentative in Congress from that Eastern
district. Mr. EUGENE HALE was told me
story. aud requested to 90 to the Secretary