The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-24
SMITHS MOURNFUL TALE
now HE Lost THE NEW ORLEANS
eOLLECTaRsRIP.
The Trouble All Arising From Wis Hep
Ing TO vind.cate Acklen-- Jchn sher-
mans Idea st civil service Reform
what the Collector ~ Expected "a -"
Politically.

lNAAnlnRt0n ED6LI
Mr. George Il. Smith. Collector OF Customs
at New Orleans, the gentleman whose head
the operations ~ MIR. Hayes clvilRervlce re
form guiotine has ieIt hanging by the skin Of
hia neck. so to speak met the Post last night
and cOmmuned quite freely with thateruGite
and influential journal
They have been ieachlng for your scalp2"
Eaid the Post suggestivply.
"Yes," said Mr.. Smith, sorrowfully;
'and they have It,"
ii talked with Kellogg about your case the
other night" said the host, "and he said that
both you and Badger were his friends. In
fact, he didn't know which Of you entertained
the warmer affection Ter him"
Eyes, oh, yes," said Mr. Smith. "Mr Kel-
logg has lots Of fiiends-h is surrounded by
friends. ] am not, II seems"
Have you eeen Hayes since you came p
said our searcher.
"ypan
What did he sayp Did he assign any
reason for your removal"
mo. He REARED me TO the Secretary OF
the treasury
And what reason did John give for your
untimely taking off n
Nothing but the Acklen business. in
dorsed the moral character Of a Democrat; !;
there was my mistake. II had only had
advisers probably would never have com
mitted IL. There il sheldon; he Just told me
that never ought to have done It. Now, II l
had only consnted him And Kellogg says /
made a fatal mistake | ought to have gone
away from the State like the rest of them,
instead Of staying during the yellow fever
seaaon and attending to my duties. III had
gone fishing could have gone back after the
election and held up my hands In horror at
the idea that the Democrats had elected all
of their ticket, and deprecated the indprse-
ment or Acklen, like the rest OF them have
done; but | was led astray while my ad-
visers were absent"
What was the idea Of that indorsng OF
Acklep. anyway
ITO keep him In the field. The Democrats
were trying to pull him Off
'Did Sherman have any complaints to
make OF your conduct Of the Officer
mo; and could make none. The special
agents Of the Treasury Department who
spent thirty-four days examining the affairs OF
my office, returned a short tine ago, and re-
ported the Custom House in No. order, and
everything In good condition; not iiaw
anywhere. These gentlemen recommended
that no chance be made In the Office, but II
was no use had committed the unpardon-
able Gin of indorsing Acklen, and HAD To 60.
"Did you have any warning of your I'M
pending fatep'
mo: the special agents had reported every
thing right in my Office; the merchants We're
satisfied. and the people were satisfied. But
then l signed the Acklen papers. | wouldn't
do II now; Ill never make such q mistake
again. Never" said Mr., Smith with sigh.
Newer"
DO they blame you for the failure Of the
Republicans TO elect Congressman in Lou
isiana n
Il suppose so. You see Kellogg feels very
lonesome and would like to have one of his
faith from the State In the other end OF the
House just to keep him company. Being col
lector of course ought to have carried the
State but, you see, helped the Democrats by
indorsing Acklens character, and this Is
held to be grave political sin by gentlemen
who take Democrats who waded through
blood to their seats in Congress and con-
ciliate them by giving their friends offices.
These Democrats are feasted and feted and
carried over the country on excursions
and made lions of by the very men
who haunt the bloody shirt in campaigns
and are now 80 much displeascd because all
the Democrats were elected in Louisiana. /
ought to have carried the State; | know
ought. In 1876 the Republicans didn't carry
1t, you know. Kellogg was Governor then,
and had all the political machinery in his
hands. He had the Custom House the Post
office the internal revenue office. the schools,
the police, the army and navy OF lhe United
was used more ,lavishly than ever 1t was
used before or since and yet he didn't carry
single ward in New Orleans; we uldn !
have this this time, and should OF course
have done better. Relieved ol al 9l ~ lnls
carried the state, / know we should, OUT our
adviser were gone and we signed the Acklcn
paper. That did the business Tor u.s.
How about Badger
"Oh, Badger is all right. He is hellogS
bosom friend, his man Friday, his detective
who reports to him and receives orders from
him. He was his chief of police and guarded
his interests and watched his hen-roost, oi
watched some one elses hen-roost while hei
logg robbed it,"
"They are about to reach for Wells and An
derson's scalps, are they noty
"Yes; they'll get them all, presume.
isn't Kellogg friendly to Wells and Andef'
son z"
"No; not much; he is friend of Kellogg 8
chiefly"
Il never could keep the run of your cliques
down there" said our man, mournful,y con.
fessing his objectionable Ignorance OF Pehcar
politics.
.'I never allied myself with any OF the
clQues," said Mr.. Smith, "but went rignl
along under the civil service reform ruies