The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-11-11

strongly impelled by sense of duty,
and urged by the solicitations of numer-
GUS friends throughout the East, that l
come forward at this juncture to bear
part in public affairs. have been asked
to give to the country the history of the
great irregularities which were brought
to light during my investigations of the
Uaited States Treasury. This history
begins with the year 1865.
THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM OF 1865,
When the war terminated, the civil
affairs of our Government were found to
be in great disorder. The relations of
the Government to the insurectionary
States, the condition of the freedmen,
the relations of the Federal to the State
tax systems, the customs service, the in
ternal revenue service, the paper money
system, the national bank system, the
immigrant passenger acts, the shipping
acts, tne warehouse systyem,the funding
system, the pension system, and host
of other institutions and laws demanded
the immediate attention Of the Admin
istration. Some of these were new, and
had to be put in force for the first time
Others had to be extended over the
Southern States, where they had been
temporarily supplanted by Confederate
States laws while others had yielded to
the exigeucies of war or the pressure of
military necessity and fallen into neg
leCt or disuse
The condition of the civil service at
this period can be judged from the fact
that the soldiers quartered in the Treas
ury building were in the habit of light
ing their pipes with its invaluable rec.
ords Note l j and the Secretary of the
Treasury had to inquire of A. 7. Stew.
arts brother.in-aw in New York what
decisions the previous Secretary of the
Treasury in Washington had made in
reference to the duties on certain classes
of imported goods.
Lincoln and Johnson were well aware
of this state of affairs, and had determ.
ined that as soon as the war clio ed the
entire energies of the Government
should be devoted to their reformation,
Upon Mr.. Johnson's accession to the
Presidential Office he at once applied
himself to the task of reform, and in or,
der the more successfully to accomplish
this object he resolved to make no
changes in any of Mr.. Lincoln's plans,
whether of reconstruction in the South
or reform in the North.
To assist him in this important work
he summoned a number of professional
and business men from all parts Of the
Eastern, Middle, and Western States,
and it was my good fortune and distirC.
tion to be included among them.
UNACCo UNTABLE OPPOSITION TO REFORM.
The Administration had hardly begun
to organize and make the necessary
preparations for reform when an attack
was made upon it and all its details,
which, for fury, bitterness, and indecen-
cy has never boen equ4lled in the histo-
ry of constitutional Governments.
The attack was begun in the press,
whence it was carried into Congress, and
finally supported by an entire party. In
this manner it was made to appear
popular and patriotic movement; where
as, as was afterward discovered, it was
merely the device of band of plunder.
ers engaged in robbing the Treasury to
shield themselves from observation.
Unfortunately, Mr.. Johnson had no
party behind him to lend him support,
and he was exposed to the whole fury of
the attack. His reconstruction policy
that Of Abraham Lincoln-was denounc-
ed as treason; his reforms we're laughed
to sCorn; his offices we're alienated from
him either by terror, seduction, or the
odious Tenure.of Office law; be was as
sailed as a drunkard, an obstructionist,
and a traitor, and he was finally i'm
peached upon frivolous grounds, and,
though acquitted, driven from Office with
curses.
And yet few men have filed his place
who we're wiser purer, firmer, or more
patriotic than Andrew J,hns)n of Ten.
nessee.
These events oCcup ed several years,
The attacks made upon the Adrinistra.
ton we're inCessant and of such a char
aCter that it could not disregard then4
The mere consideration Of the vas. mass
of hostile, deceptive, and corrupt legis
lation passed by Congress Was alone
sufficient to occupy great portion Of
the time at the disposal Of Government
officers. There was no peace, there was
no rest, there was no time for anything !
except defence.
Under these circumstances reforms in
the civil service made little progress
and il was only toward the end OF Mr..
Johnson's term that enough headway
was made to afford clue to the furious
and criminal attack made upon his Ad.
niinistration.
MOTIVE OF THE ATTAcK-A COVER FOR
ROBBERY.
Ia 1865, before the onslaught had be-
come 80 powerful as to divert the entire
attention of Government from the work
of reform, it was discovered that many
of the Treasury accounts had been tam
pered with aad others destroyed; that
some of the books had been scored with.
erasufe9 ana lnterunea'l0ns, ana that
many cart loads of others had been slld
as refuse to a paper mill in Georgetown.
Mote 2
Tois discovery led to other, until the
conviction became unavoidable thas the
Treasury bad been and was still the
theatre Of rCbberies 80 systematic and
extensive as to reduce the vast embez
Elements of BowrinV Hume and Sadier
in England, Hall in Holland, and, may
now add, Tweed in New York and the
Shepherd Ring in Washington, to the
rank of petit larCeDies
Here, then, was possible motive for
the unaccountable opposition to Mr.. |
J0hnson's measures of government.
Whether this motive was sufficient to
account for the bitterness and wide
spread character of this opposition must