The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-11
THE BEATTIE-FIO REFORMERs.

Tho paramount necessity OF reform In our
civil servlce."-lR. b. Hayes.
Judge Beattie Is tottering Atlas with the
Granite Building on his back. He Is candi-
date nominated by Jag delegates In a so-called
Republican convention, of whom seventy-two
were Federal officials. to wit:
Port Collector.
Special Deputy Collector
Deputy Collector.
Naval Officer.
Register Land Office.
Deputy United States Ship Commissioner.
Superintendent Of warehouses.
Two deputyinternal revenue collectors.
Twenty nine customs laborers.
United States District Attorney.
United States Gauger.
United States Marshal.
United States Deputy Marshal.
One customs examiner.
One clerk United States Mint.
Five customs clerks
Seven customs inspectors.
Three customs watchmen.
Two customs storekeepers.
Two customs messengers.
Nine relatives Of United States officials.
The concluding nine may properly be
cIassed with the rest, as they were under
strict official control. Again: The Republi-
cans In many parishes refused to heed the
call Of the Custom House ring, which they
hold In contempt. and it therefore became
necessary to improvise delegates from such
parishes. Our space forbids an exhaustive
enumeration Of these frequent cases of pad
ding, but We find Collector Badgers black
usher, Nickerson, enrolled for Washington
parish; Inspector Francois for Vernon );
United States Deputy Shipping Commissioner
Ray for Nermilion; the United States Land
Register for VIM; Inspector Gray for Sabine;
Inspector Murrell for RichIand; Customs
Clerk w. G. Brown for Grant; Inspector
Vance for Franklin; Inspector Hawkins for
Claiborne; Inspector and Duplex-back- ac-
ton SWearer j. j. johnson for DeSoto and 50
on with other parishes which were "repre-
sented' by men long resident In this city,
wholly unfamiliar with the several parishes
in question. and subject to the will Of their
present Federal employers. Why did the
officials nominate Beattie? They did not
want him, but foresaw, first, that he could
not be elected, and secondly, that they must
party for some man not hitherto identified
with the ring. They therefore made virtue
OF necessity, in order to commend themselves,
Ii possible, first to the party they had estranged
from themselves; secondly, to profess to
the administration that they had organized
conservative" movement; and, thirdly,
to strengthen thus their grip upon their posts.
For Beattie's success they cared and care
nothing, and we question, from the silence
and lukewarmness of the Republican canvass,
whether he has not now arrived at this dispir-
iting conclusion.
Kellogg's original candidate was COL Bad
ger, and Anderson had his own yeomen as
well, but the sudden unselfishness with
which both Of these patriots organized an
unanimity" for Beattie, and disciplined thei1
employees in his BEHALF might have stirred a
suspicion even In his ingenious breast. The
only official Of note who seems to have kept
out Of the ring and Of its convention is Gen.
McMillen; but, in order to lend responsibility
to the campaign, he appears to have been
| finally persuaded to assume the chairman
ship of campaign committee, which wisely
retires from sight Dumont and the old OBJ
noxious ring for the nonce. AS Evarts,
Schurz, Sherman, and even the arch-re-
former, Hayes, himself, have stripped them
selves OF their pretty civil service jackets, In
order to engage In party campaigns, our
worthy Postmaster doubtless feels at liberty
70 assist Judge Beattie as long as the ring Is