The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-06-27


democrats few years, will be Collector of
customs at Charleston, s. O., as another olive
orancn TO the old Wing element of the South"
nave not the smallest objection to ex.Gov.
AIKEN appointment, but on which twiz Of the
ollVe branch blooms the honesty, Competency
be appointed?
The same paper says: 'Ex.Secrstary
M1prllIs appointment as Collector Of Customs
at Portland, will be approved By nearly eyery.
body. After twenty years Of continuous public
service Secretary Morrill, retirea
from the Treasury Depart aent bopelessly
shattered So 10 health. and very poor in purse.
Inns once, which will give him moderate in
PRESIDENT Mr.. Israel Washburp, who has
wealthy"
As Mr.. Morrill, filed his secretaryship with
grsat Satisfaction to the country, and as Mr..
Scnurz pledged President Hayes to keep faith.
mi public servants in their Offices IL is difficult
ior conhding reform neophyte to see why
MI. MT. Morrlll was not retained in the Treasury.
Inc reduction of force which Secretary Sher-
Secretary Morrill, was as strenuousiy
and as painfully engaged In il a.
secretary Sherman. Secretary Sherman
says, with unquestionable truth, that be
never suffered more pain in his life than he
honorably, 'that his predecessor had testified
ana told him that the force must be reduced''-
claiming no merit for continuing Mr.. MORRILL,
reform-for which Mr.. Morrill, also, being q
mere politician. and no reformer, has not
thought of claiming merits. As, however, Mr.,
Morrlll could not be continued in the Treasury,
am heartily glad that he was provided with
even "a moderate income" outside it. Tho
keiormer, l trust, takes altogether too gloomy
n view lev. OF Mr.. Morrilis physical condition; but
an tne same, Will he tell us which rule Of the
new reform schedule it is which lays down
shattered health" as qualification for Office
and which one it is that prescribes the use Of
collectorships as compensation? 1 am not
censuring the Presidents action. I rejoice in
IT. only do not see wherein it Is sradicsl
change" from the old ways. The President
'cheerfully vacated" Mr. Washburn out of the
office. But did Mr.. Washburn share in the
eneeiluinessI LIS wealth" Reform cause
for dismissal from office after 16 years of faith
tul occupancy and 26 years of faithful and ''con-
tlnuous public service" 1 am content to make
virtue OF necessity and accept things as they
are, pat II Civil Servics Reform were in strict
operation should think Mr. Washburn would
still be in the Portland collectorship, and Mr,
Morrill IN the Treasury, and Mr. Sherman in
the Senate, and Mr. Stanley Matthews in his
law-ofhce in Cincinnati, with Satan standing
at MS eipow In demoniac despair of finding
any mischief still for his busy hands to do.
One OF the most corrupt practices and CRYING
evils OF the New York Custom House. and one
which the new Civil Service Reform is to extir-
pate root and branch, is allowing officers to re-
taiu euoir SitudtlOuS anu receive Ln61r salaries
while pursuing some other lucrative occupation
outside the Custom House. "The people," il
Is vlrtuously and Indignantly said by Reform.
ers, engage and expect to receive the whole
working time OF those whom they employ
and having enunciated this proposition, the
same Reformers acquaint us that "Secretary
Evarts drove down from the State Department
to-day to the Supreme Court Chamber in the
Capitol to argue case;" and "Mr. Evarts has
gone to New York to argue the case of the
NQndarhllt w tho Gfrr aka,a no.- fo-
fee of $50,0OO;" and 'the learned counselor
made his appearance in the Supreme Court Of
the United States and argued case involving
large interests in behalf of the Chesapeake aad
Ohio Canal Company against the State of Vir-
ginia; and 'Mr. EVarts has gone to Albany 10
argue in horse railroad case;' and altogether
it would appear from the newspapers that dur
ing the first two months of his official life Mr..
Evarts was absent from his post longer than
was Mr. Fish during the eight years OF his Sec
retaryship. Why is it any worse for q twelve
hundred dollar Custom House clerk to eke out
his salary BY outside business than it il for an
$4,000 Cabinet officer? "But Mr.. Evarts is not
rich map," says one, "and the miserable pit
called salary, will little more than pay his
house-rent" Is it not the same pttance that
Secretary Fish received, aud will it not 90 a.
far toward paying Mr. Evart's house-rent ~ il
did toward paying Mr.. Fish's? And IL Mr..
Evarts could not live on it, could he not give TO
the country the noble spectacle of q great man
dying greatly for lack of it? .'But Mr.. Evart's
legal engagements were made before he be-
came Secretary" rhe late Mr.. A. T. Stewards
business engagements were made before he was
appointed Secretary under the late corrupt Ad-
mlnistration, but he renounced the secretary
ship. 'Mr. Evarts says that his salary alone
would cut but q sorry figure in meeting his
family expenses" and 30 the leading member
of the Administration of Reform which is to
inaugurate the reign of integrity and economy
leads off into practices of doubtful propriety,
and anything but doubtful dignity. The lead
ing member of the Administration, the repre-
sentative of our country in all relations with
foreign Powers, the head Of the State Depart
ment OF this Government, leaves the capital to
plead case before city tribunal. The chief
personal adviser of the President argues case
stitution make one of his official duties; tri-
bunal in which at this moment q vacancy ex-
lists which 1t may at any time become Mr.
Evarts' official duty to assist IN hlling How
many times during the Belknap trial were
Washington officials warned Of the dangers of
extravaganza and of inordinate social ambition
and display! How fervently were they exhort-
ed to practice frugality and decency BY living
within their income! With what vigilance,
with what zeal, with what intense and immense
moral effect will this Administration pounce
upon the wretched underng who is fattening
upon the spoils of his 81, 500 office in Custom
House and making out briefs in the off hours,
while MIR. Evalts darts back and forth between
70" NouAS ouu oedto LcphItmeub llk6 y W6RVoru
shuttle!
just here the Reformers seem to have heard
a rustling in the tops of the mulberry trees and
to have taken decency out of pawn long enough
to affirm that Mr.. Evarts has seen the error Of
his ways, and will go and sin no more.
l am very glad to hear it; but Mr.. Fish never
sinned at all.
Let me do Mr. Evarts the justice to say that
none OF this Reform hullaballoo appears to
come from him. But when the Reformers hays
fairly VOkad thamaaivaa IN THAR roR
naut and sound the loud timbre to assemble
the faithful, they must jump and thump and
bump ahead, no matter whose bones rattle over
the stones! GAIL HAMILTON.
June IA, 1877.
P. S. Some days after my last letter had
gone to the Tribune, the statement appeared
that Mr. Schurz was much annoyed by the re-
port that he was paying his debts to Mr. Schnei-
der; that Mr.. Schurz never had any business
connection with Mr.. Schneider; and that all he
had done was to become sponsor for the char
acter and standing of Mr.. Schneider.
Mr.. Schurz has right to be annoyed; but no
misfortune hath happened unto him but such
as is common to public men. 1 can easily be-
came from precisely the same Reform papers
that so industrously sandered hi, predecessors
in the name of Reform, and my point is just as
strong against the Reformers who swallowed it
without wlncing. Mr.. Schurz was no more
wronged by the slander that he was paying his
personal debts in appointing Mr. Schneider
than was Mr.. Chandler by the slander that he
was providing for his personal friends in ap-
pointing Mr.. Gaylord. Perhaps Mr.. Schurk
will presently come to believe that . part at
least of that national corruption which made
him so uncomfortable during our Centennial
Year festered only on the tongue Of slander.
And now comes Mr.. Brentano. an honored
Congressman from Mr.. Schneider's own city of
Chicago, to embroil US still further BY publicly
saying that Mr.. Schneider cheats his relatives,
does not pay his debts, is generally cumberer
of the ground, and was forced to withdraw In
consequence. So that, unhsppily, Mr. Schurr
finds himself placed in the embarrassing atti-
tude of commencing to his falow-members of
the Cabinet dishonest and unfit man for re-
sponsible foreign appointment. All this may
have been natural and psrdonable error on
the part Of Mr.. Schurz-whom I take to be
man OF integrity-but how lucky that it was
not committed by Gen. Logan or Senator
Oglesby or any other political war-horse of
Illinois!
The charge against Secretary Schurr, which
is mentioned In the postscript, was made In
Gail Hamiltons ninth letter in these words:
And 1 observe also that on April 20 the
Reform journals announce that "the Swiss
mission was to-day forma1lv tandarad to and