New-York tribune., 1877-05-05
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

PublAthN Ht''
-pvAsURY FRENCH.
-. razor or The Tribune.
coo. Nv third example of reform talk which has
'aor,tod into slander" shall quote from the
Is,n,nps Of The Springfield RepWbHoGR Of Aug II,
,o-G The Hon. Henry +. French Of Concord,
49, had Just been appointed Assistant Secretary
r,ho Treasury lie was not appointed Assistant
T,oosprern as The Springfield Republican announced
:. a,ring letters That is an entirely distinct
a. bnt after MIR. Ingersolls rapid transit from
no har 70 the State Prison, Sc slight titting as
- one desk 20 another in the Same department
~ he allowed TO pass unchallenged. It Is too
ob IN ask the organs of reform TO interrupt their
l.nnoradinc for so trivial purpose as to sight
49, c,,ns Before Mr. French had assumed his
Sasr in Washington, The Springfield RepUbiiodn
".,oe ont with letter headed in capitals "Ihe
Ta,y Assistant Treasurer" and promising that "in
,h.se days of Bristowism it well to scrutinizo
.Ia,l, the antecedents OF men nominated 90 places
. ,r,st in the Government" il then proceeds to
/" "sorptinizer Mr. French with more words than
.o,o spacc 10 copy. But in condensing / take
.L,.sy a single and the most important point:.
when the Massachusetts, Agricultural COLLEGE was being
established Henry r. tEerfn sup9oIea To nc I aTsnUp %
Dairagr 10y successful wra-pulling necnne appointed
lis Presidency. But having worked Wi his might to
70 ~. ,oeDu he did not know what tO do with t For
20 years he ed at Auhersi. accomplishing nothing
but the sptnVn, ~ ~ bc", tobs, As President
mi he'd of the corporation, the land scrip given by
Goyeumcn, placed IA his hands Tor SAFE the LcES
~. having gAed the lowest price for is disposal nt 70
ner acre This would seem low enough, the market
ln,,e i' ~. uu Frtuch alter selling "a few hundred
c,c represented tho trustees that it was Impossible
soY t1.ll at 80 cents fhCreupon hC hnrRiucd with
Western laud agent to DISPOSE of nc scrip at inc gHe
ud be satisfied with g. cents. aud thai the two would
,ar. me- surplus commission But before Sttl,-
lg hgiMpCu-
agent unwittugy told the trustees OF The ule arrange
5+t Perhaps hc Will charge a commission Tor
ore done in TIC Treasury In view Of these facts Is
no fI- r,u'rii ipceiccucy and fraudulent man
sgegsnt go Judge French showed vel hi.
fr, and particularly his admirable fitness 10 occupy
sbill office OF trust under the present Administrators
The careful reader Will again find his suspicious
aroused nc the outset. II is not indeed admitted
that this dcfraudcr was an authority on agriculture,
but even if hc were supposed TO be, may not that
have had something to do with ms appointment to
IFS Presidency? The generous NOT TO say wholesale
manner i'm which Mr.. Warng, in his own book on
Irainage. has drawn from Mir. FTcncls earlier book,
iudcatcs that hc at least considers Air French au-
tbority Aud as drainage is "A rather fundamental
matter in agriculture. the shom reputation Ter
drainage would pr,clude the necessity of fraudulent
wire-pullmr. Nh. French had been trustee for
about q year. and with great enthusiasm and posi-
tvcncss. and | dare say cantankcrousnoSS, had
worked with tine trustees SO that they had album
dant opportunity for knowing his qualifications be-
fore thcy elected him. lie was elected 10y a nearly
unanimous vote, and for some months refused to
accept. lie had all along the warm friendship and
support of Gov. Andrew, who does not go down IN
history as tLc comrade or dupe of lmayos so that
the wire pulling and the drainage seem not only TO
reutralize each other. but 10 be iutriusicaly aud
individually improbable.
But "Sirc-pullmg" and surposititious drainage
and working with his might to get the position
Are indefinite though offensive charges, difficult
ifnot impossible either 90 bc proved or reiuted,
and happily not fatal. So likewise is the charge
that hc accomplished nothing during the two years
ofhis Presidency Those who were familiar with
MI Fr.uch's plans and purposes had confidence in
his abtv aud have never seen in the Subsrqucni
history of the college anything TO dun'nsh the"
regret That lac was not permitted to carry out ms
plans and accomplish hs purposes But tins IS mat
Ter of opinion only, in which agreement Is not eS-
scnti.l.
What the ordinary reader sees in these statements
is that an Office OF trust under the Government Is
handed over to q man not simply inefficient, but
notoricuslv dishonest As the leading Brlstow
cdito.r looked on Mr. Inccrsol and saw four state
Prisons yawumg for him, so here "BTsi"wism
scr,iinizc." Mr. French and sees him rocking with
"iob,r aud fraud. True TO their instincts, the
measures of politics or finance brought forward by
rcformcis are the suggestions shat Mr. lugersoli
plunged his hands into the National Treasury tlll he
was arrested. or was about % be arrested; and hr.
French rasped the funds of the state till nc too was
hardly restrained by the "peaching' Of his pals"
These frauds arc brought ont with detail ana CIR
cumstanc, for the express and expressed purpose OF
throwing a suspiciou upon Mr.. Frcuch's admmistra
upon hi- new work is TO be coudcd his path Is TO
be banicadcd, his feet are TO be hamPercd
by accusations of fraud. Ills inddencc Is 10 be
DESTROYED beforehand by the announcement that he
is achoat.
In the establishment Of the Massachusetts, Agri-
cultural College was personally and deeply inter
osted. Az that time had never seen Mr.. French
but / enjoyed the friendship and confidence OF
one Of the trustees, himself folding public Office
Of large monetary responsibility, administered for
many years with stainless fidelity. was familiar
with the whole course Of deliberations and de
csons regarding the college. Mr.. FrcucHs meas
urcs were freely discussed and hls methods freely
oensurc1 or approved IA the ease might be but
neither from friend nor foe, neither directly nor IN
directly by charge or Tu'nor, did ever hear syl-
liable aspsI>iug his integrity. Neither IN connection
with the college. nor i'm any other connection from
that day 10 this, did / ever see the shadow OF a
shade thrown upon Mr Fronch's integrity till saw
it in The Springfield RcpabicaR of the llth Of
August 1876. The trustee to whom have referred
makes q similar affirmation. In constant confer
encc with the other trustees. attending all their
mecn1, combating or confirming Mr.. French ho
ates that he never heard from any trustee, or any
other human being, one wor,Laicctiug his honesty,
one word breathing fraud.
Many days after the appearance of the charge
eleven think, Int ] ann not able to say with abso-
lute cerlaaty-7hc Springfield Rprb,icaT sent ;his