Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-03-20

4 y ,
ing it out, and that is the portion
which forbids4 assessments being
made for political purposes ON Off
GERS and employees of the Govern
ment. LISA notorious fact that the
| Republican paT;y for years have de-
| rived a large portion of their cam
paign funds by leVyiag tax on the
! poor and defenseless clerks and en-
| ployes in the Departments and else
where. To stop the supplies from
this source was very embarrassing
impeachment TO their successful ma
! nipulation of elections. They there
/ fore determined to flank this ! art
of the civil-service order and find
their way to the Departments and
to the salaries of Government en-
| plOyes. The process was O. very
simple one. They merely resolved
to call the process of collecting the
money voluntary contributions"
instead of Assessments" They pre-
pared a circular to this effect, and
lest some poor clerk might seize up
on that portion of the civil-service
order as shield to protect himself
against their exactions, they con-
/ ceived the idea of getting the Pres
ident's consent toWhat they wished
/ to do. The following is the circu-
lar that was issued:
Hdqrs. Republican Cong1 Committee, 1873
1919 T. Street, Northwest,
Washington, d. c., May q, 1879.
SIR: This committee, charged with labor
/ ing for the success of the Republican cause
in the coming campaign in the election of
/ members of Congress, call with confidence
upon YOU as Republican, for such con-
frib
| to make, hoping that it may not. be less
than SAC.
The committee deem it proper, in thus APP
| pealfng to Republicans generally, TO inform
| those who happen to be in Federal employ
| that there viii be no objection in any Off
cial quarter to such voluntary contr1bu-
| ton.
The Importance OF the pending struggle
cannot easily be exaggerated. That the SEN
| ate is to be Democratic after the 4th OF
| March, 1879 is very nearly q certainty. In
/ view of this, the election of a Democratic
| House of Representatives would pTeeIpltate
! upon the country dangerous agitations
/ which would inevitably add to present dis
| tresses. Foremost among their schemes the
| opposition already announce their inten-
| ton to attempt the revolutionary expulsion
of the President from his office.
| If by the presentation of three candidates
| for the Presidency in 1880, the people should
fail to chose, the House must elect, each
| State delegation casting one vote.
From what is now known, and with the
| growing dissensions in the camp of the en-
4 envy, the committee have good reason to en-
ter upon their work with courage.
Please make prompt and favorable re-
Spouse to this letter, and remit at once, by
| American National Bank, Washington ID.
O." By order of the committee:
GEO. g. GORHAM, Sec'y.
This circular is artfully drawn.
It's authors knew that Hayes was
nervous and demoralized on the
subject of title. He dreamed of
democratic conspiracies to expel
him from a place towhich he knew
he had no right. The investigation
ordered by the House of Represen-,
tatives, and the appointment of the
Potter committee to inquire into
frauds by which the peoples choice
was set aside and man not elected
was installed in the office of Presi-
dent, threw the occupant of the
White House into panic. The
circular brought the attention of
Mr.. Hayes to this subject in the fol-
| lowing words: Foremost among
their schemes the opposition already
announce their intention to attempt
the revolutionary expulsion of the
/ President from his Office" In the
presence of such an alarming move
ment Mr.. Hayes was prepared to
adopt any method calculated to de-
feat it. He willingly yielded to the
demand of this partisan committee,
and gave them free access to the
employees of the department. to raise
money with which to elect repub-
lican majority to the House of Rep
/ TeSentatiVes, and thus put it out of
| the power of Congress to modest
him in his seat. Hence, there APP
! peared in the circular an announce
Lment to the effect that no clerk or
| employee need have any fear in con-
| tributing money to the success of
! the republican party. "There will
| be no objection in any official quar-
| ter to such voluntary contribution"
| These words were inserted in the
circular by the hand of Rutherford
! 3. Hayes, the author of the civil
! service order! 1t seems that such
| can be the fact-not strange either,
| when considered in connection with
| his orther performances in the line
! of civil-Service reform and the pres
sure under when he acted. That /
may do him no injustice, / will
quote from the testimony of George
c. Gorham, secretary of the COM
mittee, taken before a select COM
mittee of the Senate:
By Mr.. McDoNALD:
@. What sources outside efthe committee
We're consulted in regard to the first circular
and It's tone in reference to the request for
contributions?
the prophecies of the matter, to not call on
the appOintees of the President for contri-
buttons in any manner that would be dis
@. What authorities outside were con-
suited?
A. l was making that statement; and
therefore one member of the committee was
selected to present this to the appointing
power and presume he acted upon knowI-
edge, and he made slight modification of
the Language which referred to the matter.
@. Then this circular, as published, was
presented to the President?
y. do not think the whole of it was. /
think this portion of it was of course, / do
not know the fact, but 1 believe it to have
been submitted by one member of the COM
mittee to the President: 1.-THE committee |
deem it proper, in thus appealing to Repub- |
licans generally, to inform those who hap
pen to be in Federal employ that there will |
be no objection in any official quarter to |
such voluntary contribution. This was the |
part submitted. In the original hBd writ |
ten to the effect that voluntary contribu- |
lions would be approved by the executive |
department" and that was modified and q |
written memorandum returned by the |
member of the committee who made the |
inquiry, and these were the words that |
We're submitted "That there will be no OBJ |
JectIOn IN any Off1c1al quarter 10 Sucn VOIun- /
tary contribution" These words / under |
stood to have been approved by the Presi-
dent.
@, Was not the entire circular, as il is /
there, with the modification you have Sug-
gested, presented at the same time?
A. do not believe it was. l may be in
correct in my recollection, but as 1T was in /
manuscript and did not want to stop to
copy the whole L think I copied that para
graph alone, as | did not want the circular
to be issued in n form that would meet the
disapproval of the President in this respect,
impression is that the residue of il was not.
O. That the rest of the circular was not
submitted?
A | think not, but am not certain.
@. Was it submitted to any of the heads
of departments?
anything to do with it at all outside of our
committee, except in that enc particular as
to how the executive branch of the Govern
ment would view this soliciting of contribu-
lions.
@. How the phrase should be put in ref
erence to the executive mind?
A. Yes, sir; what assurance we could give
a man that he would not be turned out of
office if he contributed to the success of the
party. We wanted some aSSur-
ance of tQat sort, and we wanted to put it
In language that would not be diStaSteful to
the Executive, and therefore the matter was
referred to one of the committee, who
brought this report: that this language
would not be indecorous or diStasteful.
Gorham first wrote it, voluntary
would be approved by
the executive department" This {
was putting it rather strongly and !
to the author of the civil {
service order, and so Mr.. Hayes