Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-08-01
Gem BoyntOn's washington Correspondent
Cincinnati Gazette.


in the treasury will show.
Two sisters resided in an eastern
state before the war. One married
in Maryland, the other in Iowa. The
husband of each entered the union
service. The Maryland officer rose
to be inspector general of his diyis-
ion. While in active service he was
and died in prison in Geor-
gia. The Iowa officer was gradu-
ate at West Point, and brilliant Off
Ger. lie died in the service, far from
his wife, in Texas. Each widow had
two children. Both were without
means of support. Both were ap-
pointed in the treasury department;
one in 1868, from Iowa, and the other
in 1869, from Maryland. Both were
competent and efficient clerks. I'm
der Sherman's blood-relation order
the Maryland woman was dismissed.
Upon hearing of this, the Iowa sister
proposed. that she should be removed
instead, since through the kindness Of
her dead husbands friends she had
been relieved of the support Of one
child, and so she was better able to
bear dismissal, and to struggle along
than her sister, who had two children.
But here the very sublimity Of the
spurious civil service was brought
into play, and the touching request of
the sister with only one child to call
for bread, in behalf Of the sister with
two to feed, was denied, because for
sooth, though both were good clerks,
the one with two children was little
less efficient than her sister, and so
must 60 in order that the interests of
the government might be held above
all private interests.
| Two brothers lived before the war,
one in New York, the other in the
south. Both entered the union ser.
vice, and fought through the war.
The New York officer was killed
and left an orphan daughter who was
given place in the treasury depart
ment. She had never met the uncle
from the south until after the war
when he, too, was appointed to the
treasury, and removed here with his
family. Under the recent order the
orphan was selected for removal
when the brother with family or
his hands, and with no prospect il
any direction for employment, resign
cd, rather than sec the daughter O
his dead brother thrown on the worlt
with no means of support. And ont
great department ola government TO
which this father and brother ha.
died looked coldly on and saw sucl
results follow its orders.
The neicc of a former secretary o
the treasury, now a lady in middle
life and widow of an officer who die
in the service, was in the capacity o
counter, supporting herself and he
aged mother. She was one of tn
most efficient in the force. Last win
ter or spring there came on visit I
Washington a young lady from
) western state whose family is in goo
. circumstances at home, and who's
brother is in government servic
here. She was charmed with th
s life, and, against the wishes of he
t parents and brother, she insisted upo
q obtaining place in the treasury,
order that she might enjoy life at til
capital. She appealed to the membe
: of congress representing her distric
It and he in turn went to the depar
n ment and obtained the promise OF
place for her. The soldiers wido'
. with the old mother to support ws
turned out to make place for tn
l. congressman.
The widow of soldier from Ne
England state was removed in tt
= same way, simply to make place fl
9. another far less deserving. She W,
IS an excellent clerk. Her husband ha
, been brilliant soldier. He was 81
= selected to go on raid which yOun
g Dalghren made to Richmond, an
l. was twice captured and taken to rel
ell prisons in such expeditions. b
n her influence" had gone from pow
and it was easy to make the pla'
a that was wanted, by dismissing he
VI 1t is useless to multiply cases.
IS number have already been given
J. this correspondence. Columns mig
h be filled with narrowing details {
the workings of this regulatiO
|against blood relations. The abo,
n facts, stated coldly as they are shout
g be enough to stamp the rule with Il
. fanny But what should the commel
be when all is summed up, upon Il
facts that the secretary who made
t. and who enforces it against the wes
o and defenseless with relentless vigo
+, has brothers and brothers sons, nepl
e ews and cousins, in the governmeI
q employ, and numbers of them in Il
e service of the treasury, too! VIII
l. shall be said further in view of tt
!, fact that an assistant secretary Of tt
o treasury has brother and SON
G the treasury service. Doubtless q
j. these relations of the men who stan
= at the head of the departments al
e competent and efficient officers. The
|, have prominent positions and liber
! salaries. They are not the widows {
e orphans of union soldiers, toiling Q
O with the lowest pay that the treasuI
gives. They are for the most part
!. easy circumstances, some Of theI
wealthy. The secretary himself
far more able to support them all
a the third generation, in ease and con
- fort than are those poor widows (
n soldiers whom he has dismissed,
g give even bread to their children.
l. the rule is good against any on,
!; it should &C enforced against the nj
y merous relations of those who mad
u it. Until it is, it remains a mocker
q and disgrace, both to those who COZ
, ceivcd it and to those who allow
to be thus unequally enforced. tn
r cases cited are such as apes
,fl with power to all whose hearts eve
went out to the soldiers of the uniOr
u Further than this there is not bray
4. man who fought under the confedel
I, ate flag who will notutterly condem
!. such treatment. The husbands an
fathers Of these wives and childre
i thus thrust out to starve under a ruI
IS that is only enforced against til
j. weak, gave all that men can give
is their country; gave more than an
- who live to enjoy what their live
:, :, helped to purchase. A mans bloc
IL might be as cold as the streams til,
e flow down from the snow-cla
!, mountains, but once in lifetime
had been warmed by the sensation
:, of the battlefield, it would ney.
II again have grown cold enough to e,
in ecnte such rule in such cases as al
"a here detailed.
j. In calling the attention of the Pre-
lie ident to these cases, and appealing I
him to remedy the wrong done,
him take the matter to himself. Mar
women in this land went down to
~ battle-fields to seek wounded hu
10 bands, as did his own estimable al
d heroic wife. But many as worthy
v she, as high then in station. as W.
supplied with this worlds good
u found only dead husbands, viii
'r some of them wandered about u
a blessed, even by the discovery of the
" dead, and to-day their hearts ST
= bleed at the countless graves Of II
10 unknown" Many Of these won,
q. went back to long lives of povert
land many Of them now have four