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

Republican campaign COMMITTEES
that if the contribution was to be
purely voluntary, the amount to be
given ought also to be left to the
discretion of the donor. But the
amount that each employee was to
give was, doubtless, inserted in the
circular, through fear that the poor
clerks, in their readiness to give to
the Republican party portion of
their small salaries, might oYerstep
the bounds of prudence and distress
themselves by an excessive and law
ish subscription. This tender con-
Germ of the committee to guard these
employees against the consequences
other own rashness and zeal is one
of the most touching and beautiful
manifestations of disinterested be-
nevolence to be found in all the his
tory of party struggles. Under this
process they collected from the em-
ployeS of the Government, accord
ing to Secretary Gorham, nearly
500, 900! To what plethoric di-
mansions that campaign fund would
have swelled if the paternal fore
thought of the committee had not
saved the department clerks and
postmasters of the country from a
reckless waste of their money by
suggesting to them a reasonable
amount, must be left to the imag-
ination.
Into some of the Departments
notably into the Treasury Depart
ment-they sent a collecting officer,
armed with subseription-boOk.
MIMI. NJ. Baker was the man sent
into the Treasury Department. He
gives the following account of the
manner in which he proceeded:
@. Did or did not the chiefs of divisions
in the Secretary's office and the heads of
bureaus assist you in obtaining these mon-
eys?
A. do not think they did anything that
could be called assistance. I generally went
to the chief of the division first, and he did
as he pleased about subscribing, and then 1
said wished 10 pass along to the other
clerks, and he said very well, or something
of that sort. That was the extent of it.
@. Had you subscriptions books?
a. Ihad one sHbseNi ption-book.
O. BY whom was it headed
A. 1t was headed by John Sherman, Sec
rotary of the Treasury.
The plan of these collectors was
to go first to the head of the De-
partment, who of course subscribed,
and then the subordinates were
afforded an opportunity to 'vOlun-
tarily" follow the example of their
chief. They seem, with singular
unanimity, to have reposed conf
dence in his judgment as to what
would be profitable Investment.
Mr.. Gorham gives the following
account of the amount collected IN
der this beautiful civil-service-re-
form proceeding, projected by him
and his committee, with the finish
ing touch given to it by the Presi-
dent himself:
By Mr.. BAILEY:
@. understand that altogether the sub
scriptions to your fund amounted to about
A. Yes, sir; as near as 1 can get it.
O.. OF which $4,000 came from the off,
A. From Senators, Representatives, and
q. How much of that came from sena-
tors and Representatives
A. I cannot state it now. think that
their subscription was pretty general. There
were, as we know, thirty -nine Republican
Senators, and they gave, as a general rule
500 apiece. There may have been some
exceptions; 1 do not remember. The Re-
publican members of the House gave us SO
apiece.
Q. All of them, or only portion
A. The great body of them. The inten-
ton of ali was to do it. There may have
been case here and there where it was not
convenient.
@. All the remainder of the $4,000 came
from those in the civil-service of the Gov
eminent?
a. Yes; I think so.
O.. And from all the Republican party
outside of those who were employed you
received but $4,000?
A. That is all. ] am sorry to say that is
all we got from them.
q. Then your treasury mean the treas
ury of the committee-was recruited chiefly
from the employees of the Government?
A. It would appear SO from my last an
swer.
Q. And they bore the expenses of the
Republican campaign chiefly, with the ex-
ception you have named?
A. That would be the inference from the
@. Were these circulars addressed alike
to Democrats and Republicans who were in
the service of the Government?
A. We made no distinction.
The money thus wrung from the
employees of the Government was
sent to doubtful Congressional dis
tricts to influence the elections and
obtain, if possible, a Republican
majority in the House of Represent
atives. The salaries of these officers
are paid by taxes collected from the
entire people, Democrats as we'll as
Republicans. Yet, under the trans
parent guise of voluntary contribu-
tions, these salaries are drawn ON by
the Republican party at each cleo
ton to keep themselves in power.
These men in subordinate positions
know that the retention of their
places may depend upon their hon
oring the drafts made upon them
they dare not refuse. The bread
which feeds their wives and little
ones depends upon stheir keeping
their place-that lost, the wolf is at
the door. Could there be a more
slavery than this
greater scandal to the public SER
vice or more disgraceful to a repub-
lican Government? A man thus
pays over the amount de-
manded of him with about as much
volition in the premises as the be-
nighted traveller ON the highway
his purse to the masked
robber under the cold and deadly
eye of a revolver.
The bill now pending before the
House, or rather the substitute re-
ported from the Committee on Civil
Service Reform, is intended to rem
edy this growing evil and to eradi-
cate this shameful abuse, and to
relieve the poor employees of the
Government, who are unable to
protect themselves, from the extor-
lions of political managers. 1t pos
lively prohibits them from making
contributions for any political pur-
pose or to any political party under
The penalty of being discharged
rom office; and each head of de-
1artment is required to post in con-
,picuous places in his department a
printed prohibition. Armed with
his law, the employee can point to
he printed rule in his department
md defy all the collecting agents
hat may be sent to rob him of
portion of his salary. But it is said
hat this is depriving the freeman
If his liberty. Not so, Mr.. Speaker.
It is striking the chains from the
limbs of men whose circumstances
)lace them in the power OF party
md enabling them to give to their
the full benefits OF their
salaries. Does any man
With sense enough to put two ideas
ogether believe that the 800, 200
which Gorham and his confederateS
objected in 1878 from employees of
he Government were the free-WiH
fferings of those hard-worked men,
1apv of whom are barely able to
lDpOrt themselves and families on
ne compensation they receive? / {