The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-08-02
THE NECESSITY FOR THE PRIEST
DENTS ORDER.

The editor Of Harper's Weekly, in
discussing The Presidents order requir
ing federal office holders to retire from
party management, heartily comments
the order rs worthy Of the approval Of
all good citizens. In showing up the
iniquity of machine management, the
writer gives the following facts rela-
tive to New York City and State:
In the New York Custom House
there are twelve or thirteen hundred
places, which are filled by the Secretary
of the Treasury upon the nomination
OF the Collector. There are four chiefs
in the Custom House, nominated by the
President and confirmed by the Senate
the Collector, Surveyor, Naval Officer,
and Appraiser Of these four, three
are members of the State Committee:
the Naval Officer is its chairman, the
Appraiser is, OF recently was, head Of
it's Executive Committee, Of which
committee the Surveyor also is a mem
ber The Republican vote Of the city
Of New York in primaries and in all
the initiatOry work of politics is cast
by six or seven thousand persons, who
are members Of district associations,
organized by the City Central Commit
tee. Of the one hundred and fifty-eight
members Of this committee, according
to the list Of last year, ninety-two were
Ofice-hOlders; ten Of the twenty-five
members Of the Executive Committee
were 0ffice-holders, and Of the seven
members Of the Committee Oh Resolu-
tiOns five were ofice-holders. Every
member Of an association is pledged to
sustain all regular party action, and all
such action emanates only from this
committee. This committee is the in
strument Of the Custom House through
the patronage, and no member is adj
mitted to any association except upon
very careful inquiry The members Of
the associations are the only Republi-
cans who are authorized to vote for
delegates to State Conventions, and out
of a convention Of 1923 members, the
associations Immediately controlled,by
of1ice-holders elect fifty-nine, who are
always substantially the same men,
The organization, Of course, extends
into Kings County and through the
State, and thus the controlling power
Of the party action, which Republican
voters must support Or give victory to
the Democrats, is in the hands Of o
close corporation, the seat of which is
the Custom House and other national
Offices in New York. In Massachu-
lsetts and in other States it is much the
Isame. This organization is maintained
by the Federal patronage, and it is viz
tually inyincible. The fifty thousand
Republican voters III the City Of New
DIX have no voice in selecting candi-
dates or determining politics, and they
are wholly at the mercy Of the Official
political priesthood. This system has
two results: the great mass Of Ameri-
can citizens withdraw from active
politics which are managed with
merely personal and selfish ends, and
the country is taxed to the amount of
millions Of dollars to support the or
ganization Of political party. ''.
The history Of tie Republican party
in Wisconsin during the past ten years
would read very much like the above
extract, excepting to substitute Post
masters for Custom House Officials as
the guerrillas who have done the dirty