New-York tribune., 1876-03-14

Meantime IT. il well enough for quiet and
! tboupbtfnl people not to be msled by Mr..
Pierpont's poetry about the weapon and the
snowflake and the freeman's will. They have
been fighting up in New-lIampshiro from
the force of circumstances and OF habit !;
! and the fight has had little reference
| to the disclosures of Republican cor
rup,lon or the absurd laundering of the Dem
| ocrats in Congress- The telegraph Will not
| tell MS to- night what effect recent events have
had or are having upon the people, but it will
| give lis some data from which we can learn
which party had the better management and the
| more money in New Hampshire.
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| SEN1TOR GORDON on EXCISE Reform.
The speech of Senator Gordon last week on
the necessity for reform in the internal rev
cnue service provoked II great display oil that
| partisan rancor which breaks ont in Congress
nowadays upon the most trivial pr0Vocatloh.
He drew startling picture OF tho prevalence
of fraud in the collection of the excise taxes,
and pointed his remarks with some strong al
lusions to the ruling party. 1t was hardly
20 le expected that Democratic Senator
should speak upon such a subject at all
without holding tho Administration respOn-
sible for the corruption which 1t has
fostered; but we must do Mr.. Gordon the
Justice TO admit that he made no unfair at
tacks. He said nothing that was not in the
main true his speech was not partisan ha-
erangue; it was plain statement of notorious
evils and q suggestion of practical remedies; [;
and 1t closed with an appeal to Senators to
forget for time that they were members OF
political parties with a great political contest
before them, and remember only that they
were Americans with q republic to save,
reputation to redeem. This how
ever was not to tho taste OF the
Republican majority Mr. Morton's reply
was both partisan and insOlcnt, and Mr. Sher-
mans was little better. They both resented
an attack upon dishonest gaugcrs as an attempt
20 pull down the Republican party, and de-
nounced the demand for honesty as a rebel
outrage How can we expect the party TO re-
form itself from within when its leaders are
| allowed 10 speak for it in such tOnesF
The country will receive Mr.. Gordon's com
plants III a better spirit than the Senate. He
| presents an array OF figures to show that since
| 1864 the Treasury has been deflaudcd out OF
| the stupendous sum Of eight hundred millions
of dollars by corruption and delinquency in
| the collection of the tax on distilled spirits.
| II is not necessary to test the correctness OF
| his statistics, for there is no dispute that the
| internal revenue service is now and has been
| for years scandal to the nation. When we
| find every dlstller without exception in the
| great centers of tho whisky manufacture en-
gagged in cheating tho Government, and
vast organization of rascality embracing
| nearly all the revenue officers i'll tho West
| and extending through the departments at
Washington, we do not need figures TO con-
vince us of the magnitude Of the swindle.
| And yet Ill Great Britain tax of So 80 per
| gallon is collected on distilled liquors without
| difficulty, and, as Mr.. Gordon says, not y
| shadow of suspicion rests upon the British
revenue officers. We shall hardly be told that
Englishmen are more honest than Americans
The cause of the startling difference must lie
then in the system of collection Mr.. Gordon
explains it in a terse sentence when he says !:
"Tbe reason is this: England appoints her
officers solely to collect her taxes, while here
"they arc appointed to collect the taxes and
&" to aid the party which happens for the time
{" to have the appointing power" And headds:
SO fully does Great Britain appreciate the necessity
Of removing her officers from the temptations
cOrrupOnS Ol party tnat tnty ~
long TO any political organization and vote by one OF
them for member OF Parliament would send him in dis
grace from the service Here not only may he belong 10
party but he must belong to party, and to the parry
from whom he holds bis commission. Not only may lie
vote but must vote, and vote for the party and work
for the party and pay for the party and he refuse TO
vote and work and pay for party his official head
falls into the asket sir, before OF Englands cit-
zens considered competent to hold the very lowest
position In her revenue he must be nominated by
the treasury examined by boards of Ocers put out to
tuition, and reeXamned I'D TO qualifications and charac
ter This, say IL required for the applicant FOR tho
lowest Office before he step upon the first round Of
the official ladder with salary almost contemplate in
amount and witt duties less important than those Of
ordinary clerk. But what IA the here political
partisan, without any experience, without any tralnng,
without any examination, often alas without any quail
Acatlons save the influence he bring to the party,
cps at upon the topmost round OF the ladder; s
clothed with irquistOTis power; sent forth upon his
mission for tho party and trusted with untold millions Of
the peoples money and the Government revenue.
Tho remedy which Mr.. Gordon proposes is
to organize q corps of revenue agents, "ex-
alted above the exigencies of party suprem-
"acy and removed from the temptations to
"party support These revenue officers should
"hOld their positions, like the officers of our
"ArIny and Navy, during life if need be, or
| during good behavior, placed upon moderate
"salaries, and removable By the head OF the
Treasury only for incapGcity and disreputa
bic conduct That is the true cure for cor
Tuption i'll the revenue service, and 1t indicates
the proper course in all other branches of the
administration of our Government. But it is
idle to think that the party which has re-
Gently thrown the Civil Service Reform bantling
into the kennel will listen TO proposals OF so
sensible measure; nOr has Mr. Gordon's own