The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-24
HAYEs's REFORM IN CONNECTICUT
The First Postmaster Ecappointed by tho
Fraudulent President.


NEW HAVEN, Juno 1s.-The New Haven
Postmaster has made flag day Grafton in
ncighboring town. but the newspaper which he
controls docs not print it for want OF space. 1t
would be interesting to SEQ 1t in print. verbatim
ct Mwdtim. Thus far in his oratorical career
the Postmaster has confined himself to recta-
tons on public occasions and. it IL said. has re-
pcatcd at scvcnty-nine different gatherings
Roll on thou ship Of State" which he gives
with much Of the impassioned fervcr which
charactcrizcs George Francis Train, though. M
n scholar and thinker. he docs not begin to com
pare with the New York statesman. author and
epigramist. The career " this New Haven
Postmaster Is one Of the suggestive things In
our politics. and. ns ii illustrates the humbug of
reform there may be profitable lesson in it Just
at this time.
Nehemiah d. Sporty. in 1854. was New
Haven carpenter with little or no education.
but schcmcr in ward politics. Upon
the organization Of the Native American
party he made himself locally conspicuous. and
by taking advantage OF the durk and mysteri-
Gus ways of the order he became liz chiet man
aucr IN the state. When the STATE Convnn-
ton which nominated William II. Minor for
Governor met in Hartford a secret gathering,
WINS had to make up the ticket in advance. and
Spcrry was put In nomination 10y this conclavc
for Governor. and would have been carried
through the open convention but tor the tnrt
that he WIS not OF cOnstitut iOnul age. To bo
Governor of Connecticut Il man must be- thirty I;
Sprrry WAS but twenty nine, and he went on 10
the ticket for Secretary Of State. In the wild
excitement of that period he would have been
elected. but fortunately kind Providence had
brought him into the world year too late. an !
Connecticut secured. even with tn" headlight Ol
the dark lantern, two GuvcrnOrs-Minor ana
HOlly-Of respectable education: In 1850 Sperry
was made Postmaster oi New Haven by Prcsi-
dent Lincoln SO grcpt had become his local IN
nuencc that even Yale College stopped to boost
np "A v
making Whom Aicxander Randall wus
Postmastcr-Gcncral. n Post Office kinH was or
gained III gigantic oil speculation under the
name Of the New York and tOnnrctlcut Pctro.
leum Company. Randall was President. and
Spurry was the leading Connecticut director.
The company pretended To have valuable lahds
in Pennsylvania. and cstablishcd central OIL
flee on Broadway, New York. the principal lca-
ture OF which was "A mammoth sign the once
itself consisting of desk room IN the upper part
OF the building but the man who ran the desk
WIS never in Thousands of dollars worth of
the stock WAS disposed Ot in CONNECTICUT. Proi.
Cyrus Northrop. now OF Yale and Collector OF
tue port oi New Haven. was induced 70 enlist
almost every dollar he had in the enterprise.
aud lost II all; but sulscqucntly Spcfry made II
all right 10y securing for him the Office OF
Collector Spcrrys next business performance
WINS ~ II director of the state Fire Insurance
Company, "a concern which Was caught
10y E!lur Wright then Insurance Commits iOncr
OF Massachusetts. borrowing bonds from a
friendly bank to exhibit as assets. Wright
brought suits against Spcrry and two other di-
rcrtors. one ot whom was BENJAMIN Noycs
since celebrated. Tine matter was finally ad-
Justed because DoOlittlc wrote 10 Wright thai
while he had no doubt OF the guit Ol the partlrS
il would bc impossible on account Of their
reputation for responsibility Ia get New
Haven county jury to convict Spcrry next went
into life insurance, und became director ol th'
National Life and Trust Company. aitrrwarc
reinsured with the National Capitol. in connrc-
ton with which the New Jersey troubles hnv'
arisen. The company put up new building
mittre. contracted with the firm of Smith \
Sporry. to which he belonged to oversee ih'