The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-11

L
only of the federal but of the State govern
ments. He wrote :-.It is my wish that the
collection of the revenues should DO iree
from partisan control and organised on
strictly business basis, with the same guar
antees for efficiency and fidelity in the selec-
ton of the chief and subordinate officers that
would be required by prudent merchant.
| Party leaders should have no more influence
in appointments than other equally respect
able citizens. No assessments for political
purposes on officers or subordinates should
be allowed no useless officer or employe
| should be retained no officer should be re-
CURED or permitted to take part in the man.
agement of political organizations, caucuses,
conventions or election campaigns. Their
right to vote and to express their views on
public questions, either orally or through
the press, is not denied, provided it does
not interfere with the discharge of their Off
cial duties"
These sentiments have our hearty concur
renee. The civil service has long been pros
tituted to partisan purposes all over the
country, and the evil has become danger,
party it may be, is thus permitted to use its
staff of office-holders with all their great
influence and powerful organization, to
control conventions to influence public
opinion in an illegitimate way, and to
make votes for its favorites' No one
can claim that this is proper, and lost
November everybody saw the danger to
ar>fn
institutions of the continuance Of this
evil 1t is not too much to say that the
greater part of the dissatisfaction and
trouble in the Southern States for the
last four or five years came from
the constant interference of the federal
treme to which this was unblushingly car
ried was seen nowhere more glaringly than
in South Carolina and Louisiana. In the
latter State the United States Marshal, by
virtue of his Office commanding the federal
troops in the State ut oil times and for any
purpose, was at the same time chairman Of
the Republican State Central Committee
surely most scandalous abuse, which we
have no doubt President Hayes would not
allow. But, after all, it was only an example
of an evil so common that it ceased to be
remarked. In the last eight years the
republican party organization has fallen al
most entirely into the hands of office-hold-
ers. We. have taken some trouble to get
lists of Republican State Central commit
tees in the different States. and print else
where those of few States only, reserving
the remainder for another occasion. It will
be seen that in these States the party organi-
zation is in the hands of influential federal
longer wonder that Secretary Chandler
should have unblushingly put himself at the
head of the National Committee. He only
crowned the edifce"-and very appropri-
ately
1t appears that among the members Of the
Republican State Central Committee in
Massachusetts are two COLLECTORS of ports,
one postmaster, one collector of internal
revenue and two inspectors in the
Boston Custom House. In Maryland
we find one collector of customs,
three surveyors and deputies, two ap-
praisers, two postmasters, one clerk in the
General Post Office at Washington, one
United States District Attorney, three inter-
nal revenue collectors and deputies, three
other officers in the internal revenue SER
vice, eight inspectors Of customs and two
assistant postmasteEs, members Of the State
Republican Central Committee. In Georgia
we find no less than forty federal Office holders
members Of the Republican Central Com
mittee; among them postmasters, United
States district attorneys, marshals, collec-
tors of internal revenue and collectors OF
customs; and our correspondent sends rs
the names of the members of Congressional
district committees who also are federal Off
GERS. In Tennessee, seven members OF the
Republican Executive Committee are federal
place holders, one OF them being a resident
of Washington and an officer in one of the
departments there; and the county commit
tees seem to be manned largely also by
| federal ofice-holders In Louisiana our
correspondent reports, at present the repub-
lican party is disorganzed and many of its
! leaders are out Of office; but his letter gives
IN interesting view of the combination be-
tween politics and ofice-holding
The evil thus exposed is not Of recent
date. 1t is very old story and the demo-
cratic party is not less blamable than the
republican. When the republicans were
the minority they complained bitterly Of
the partisan course Of United States Mar
shall Rynders in this city, and when the
democratic party was overthrow in 1860
it had for some years been close corpora
ton controlled by officc-holders, just as
the republican party is now. 1t is evil
dence that a political party has become
effete and incapable Of serving the country
when its ofice-holders have thus taken pos
| session of il and manage it not for the