Litchfield enquirer., 1878-07-18
RemOvals-Reform?

The he.pOlitical event of the week is the remo- val of the Collector and Naval Officer of New York On Civil Service Reform grounds there can be no doubt of the propriety of the Presi- dents removing Messrs. Arthur and Cornell. They are Conklingism embodied, and deserve removal if the Administration really means to recover that control of appointments which Congress has of late years usurped. Whether the men appointed in the place of Messrs. Ar thur and Cornell are any improvement upon them is another matter To show our readers how utterly unreliable the party press has be- come, we make few extracts from the Tr- bune and the Times to show how differently the two chief Republican papers of our chief American city estimate man they both must know very we'll Says the Times, of Gen. Merritt, the new Collector:
 During all thisI. life he has been political manipulator of the lowest, the most treacher- GUS type. It need not be expected that he will bring to the place either executive ability or business experience, fer his training has led him very far from mercantile pursuits and the careful routine of counting houses. He is an ignorant man, who finds great difficulty in
 
 from the country, almost from the backwoods; he has comparatively no acquaintance with the business men of this City, and knows next to nothing of the wants of the business and i'm porting community. He is thoroughgoing, dyed-in-the-woOl politician, however, and if, as is the general belief, he was appointed to display his peculiar talent as political trick ster, there seems to be no doubt that his career in the Custom House will be most successful one
 The Times biography goes on to say that in early life he was a local politician of lew type in St. Lawrence county. Then he be- came a canvass man" of circus From that occupation he drifted back into politics and ran for the legislature
 His usual good luck attended him he was elected, and going to Albany became attached lo what was known as the Fenton gang. In this position he did well, and soon by exercis- ing the talent for manipulating men which he had acquired in the circus, took high rank among his fellows and earned the gratitude of his chicf-a chief, by the way whose smooth ways and oily manners he has since very suc- cessfulIy initiated.
 EditOrially the Times speaks of Gen. Mer- Tit as follows:
  ing political machine in anybody's interest, why does he select as it's Overseer a man who has no profession save that of politician, who has earned no money save as lobbyist or of Ace-h0ider, and who, trained under one of the most willy and least scripulous politicians in this State, has learned to be all things to all men. that by all means he should put some thing in his own pocket.
 The same day, Tribune editorial speaks of Gen MeTitt's appointment in the following enthusiastic terms:
 Gen Merritt rises to the Collectorship after signal success in both the other chief offices of the Customs service. When he was made Ma val Officer, Mr- Greeley's own pen, in these columns bore the warmest testimony to his fit- ucSs; and when he turned the office over to his SlcccssOr, the same pen paid tribute to the @bdlify he had displayed, and the spotless re- coSd he left behind him. Before he was made Surveyor, The Tribune heartily commended him to the Administration as the precise type uf man If should seek for the place. We may DOw fairly say that his service as Surveyor is hls best recommendation te the higher office, iut0 which, without his effort, and almost agains1 his judgment, he has just been draft ed He has good executive ability he has attended rigOrOusly to his business; he has en- forced the law fairly and without favor, and
 
 efficiency and discipline. The merchants have been thoroughly satisfied, the revenues have been increased, the expenses have been dimin- iStsest. and the talk of corruption ameng in- SpecsoFs and weighers has been silenced The man who has done these things and has had this experience as Naval Officer and Surveyor, has qualifications nobody else could have for making good practical, business Collector of the Port
 Now, whether Gen. Merritt is the eminent political scOundrel described in the Times or the eminent political patriot of the Tribune, we do not pretend to know One thing is pret- ty certain, either the Times or the Tribune is a liar. At-least that is the word Mir. Greeley would have used in this connection. No doubt the fact that Gen. Merritt supported Greedy in 1872 would account for some of this difference of view, but not all There could be no better illustration than this of the shameful degrada- ton to which the political press has fallen. Politics are now matter of personal praise or abuse, not of principle. A paper that is called Republican takes certain line of abuse of it's opponents. A paper thatis called Democratic takes certain other line of abuse of it's oppo- nents- In reality each is struggling merely to push its own side into power, or it's opponents out of power.
 The real difference of principle is between the different wings of the same party. There are Republicans who believe in the Conklng principle of appointing to office; there are Republicans, on the other hand, whe believe ir Hayes and in the platform of '76. There arc Democrats who detest the practices of Wm. H Barnum as thoroughly as many Republican, detest the practices of the Camerons, tho Conklings, and the Blaines These Republi cans and these Democrats, who care less fol party than for principle, ought to werk togeth CT, aHd not apart. They ought to unite tc beat Cameron in Pennsylvania, Conkling il New York, and Barnum in Connecticut. Tn, question is just this. When thepollsare open cd, next November, will Reform Republican iu Pennsylvania vote for representatives they know are pledged to Don Cameron? Will Reform Republicans in New York vote fol members of the Assembly who will support Roscoe Conkling2 Will Connecticut Demo crats who hate corruption vote for representa- tives who are certain to vote for Wm. H. Bar nums No doul pany- perhaps most-wil do this. Will gh refuse, to defeat Came ron, COnkiing and Barnuma Perhaps not But of one thing we may be certain, the soone the better men of both parties bolt bad nomi nations the sooner they will cease to be made
 Jehyleman Shaw, of Bridgeport, obtained judgment of $75 against Sergeant Pratt an, Officer Kew some months ago for false impris Onment. In default of payment Officer Rev was arrested and confined in jail, Monday al fernO0n. PGIIddtstna.
 The foregoing is single instance of many A city government employs some irrespons ble ruflian as policeman he abuses his au thOrity. and the court orders him to pay dan ages. He is then put in jail for four days ii k-n~. Al lut.A- IL eAsA As<