The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-15
THE OOLLEOToRsHIP.

L SiEucu NY b large HuIuUcl VI plfuClpt
. m erchants Of this city to the Senate to cor
firm the appointment Of Judge King a
Collector Of this port. The impression
has prevailed for some months pas
that the Senate would not confirm tn
appointment Of King; hence this yer.
weighty Endorsement. This impression ha
grown out of the fact that it has been from
the first an open secret that Mr.. King wa
appointed at the instigation of Tom Ander
son, and that his appointment was in the in
terest of the Returning Board. Indeed, TIN
President said as much to our eminent fellow
citizen, Mr.. Charles Gayarre, few days
after Mr.. Kings nomination. Mr.. Gayarrt
was an applicant for the office of Naval OF
| ficer, which position was given to Jim Lewis
| and he called to see the President to present
in person his eminent claims. In the course
of conversation Mr.. Hayes said in substance
81 have appointed Judge King an old citizen
of your State, Collector at New Orleans. Your
people will say that the appointment is re-
cognition of the Returning Board. Very
well, my friends elsewhere will say that
| is right. do not care for Louisiana" Thus
we have Mr.. Hayes own confession that he
appointed Jno. e. King in recognition Of the
services of the Louisiana Returning Board to
the country.
And Mr.. King did not long hesitate to show
to the country that he understood the motive
of his appointment and his true relation to
Anderson, Wells q Co. Assuming charge of
the Custom-House, he delighted the public
with his promised schemes of virtue and re-
form. He wrote letter to the Secretary
of the Treasury so soft and dulcet
so full of noble resolves and virtuous
saws that the President and Cabinet
were enchanted and the Secretary
wrote back to the Collector that his letter was
fully approved, and that all appointments
made by him would be promptly confirmed.
The Collector had said SO much about reform;
he had given out SO many stories Of stormy
interviews between himself and Anderson
and Wells, in which the two latter had always
sneaked off like whipped ours, that the coun-
try now stood on tiptoe expecting to see
the last member or attache or friend of the
Returning Board kicked down the iron stairs
of the granite building. How was public
anticipation realized? The first thing we
heard was that an efficient officer, against
whom no charge had been made, was ex-
PEELED from the important post OF special
deputy, and that Mr.. Tom Anderson, under in
dictment for forgery and as notorious a cor
ruptionist as lives in Louisiana, was appoint
ed in bis place.
There was, OF course, general outburst of
But Judge Kings friends gave
out the report that he was not responsible for
the dismissal of Champlin and the appoint
ment Of Tom Anderson: that it was the doing
Of the President and Secretary of the Treas
ury; and thus they somewhat Gained the
public feeling toward King and concentrated
1t against Hayes and Sherman. John Sher-
man, however, tells a very different story |
On being asked about the appointment of
Anderson, he authorized the statement as |
coming from him that "every appointment |
asked for by Collector King had been made,
and that neither the department nor the Pres |
dent had attempted to interfere with the ap- |
pontments made in New Orleans
This, though the statement of Secretary |
sherman, man utterly unworthy Of belief, |
las the internal evidence of truth. The letters
II Sherman to King telling him that any ap-
,ointments he might make would be con-
lrmed Andersons relations to King and the
Residents observations to Mr.. Gayarre, all
% to convince us that Gen. Tom Anderson,
ne of the most Infamous of the Returning
'oard, indicted for forgery, and liable to in
let ment for having stolen eighty Thousand
ollars appropriated by the State for the i'm
rovement of Bayou Crocodile, is the chosen
equity of King, and was appointed at Kings
lstigation. His confirmation by the Senate
therefore,, would be an Endorsement of the Re-
urning Board and a disgrace to that august
ody.
We think the citizens of New Orleans who
igned Judge Kings petition made mistake.
lot one of them, we believe would under any
circumstances, or for any purpose, give coun-
enance to Tom Anderson or any of his fell
)ws; and yet they have asked the American
enate-that body in which such men as
Webster, Clay, Calhoun and Davis once occu-
led seats-to confirm in this important Office
he tool of Anderson, and thus recognize the
sgitimacy of the proceedings of the most in
amous body that ever disgraced the country.
1t is to be regretted, we think, that this has
cen done. The signers of Kings petition
ecognized in him an amiable and well dis
osed man; they doubtless believed the oppo-
ition to him was animated solely by Office
eekers eager for his place, and looking on the
natter in that light, they give him the weight
I their names. But in truth, it were better for
he country that any man in the Radical
arty should have received this appointment
nd this influential Endorsement than the
riend and appointee of Tom Anderson.
The New York Times waited to hear from
he western Reserve" and then the "subse-
equent proceedings Interested it no more"