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

in reference to the appropriation
bills. But their fears were grouncl-
less. / think he would have vetoed
the Ten Commandments without
the least hesitation if the stalwart
leaders of his party had ordered him
to do 1T. But so it was. They de-
feated the consideration of the bill
by what is familiarity known here
as filibHstering. The elections came
off in Ohio, Maine and New York
and, If current reports are to be
credited, the employees in the de-
partments were called on more
than once during those holly con-
tested campaigns for money to aid
the imported fortunes of the party.
Mr.. Hayes in his last message has
laid the groundwork for Vetoing
this bill, and they now feel easy
about it. He says:
Reasons Of Justice and public policy, quite
analogous to those which forbid the use of
ofneiai power for the oppression of the pri-
the duty of protecting its officers ana agents
from arbitrary exactfons. In whatever as
Pect considered, the practice of making
leVieS Tor party purposes, upon the salaries
OF officers, is highly demoralizing to the
public service and discreditable to the coun-
My. l4Ou2u an OIlcer should be free as
any other citizen TO give his own money in
aid OF his opinions or his party, he should
also be as nee as any other citizen to refuse
to make such gifts. If salaries are but a fair
compensation for the time and labor of the
ofncer, 1t is gross injustice to levy a tax
upou lnam. Ii they are made excessive in
order that they may bear the tax, the excess
Is an indirect robbery of the public funds.
This part of the message was
intended both as an apology for the
part he took in the Gorham circu-
lar and as groundwork for vetoing
this bill. IAN officer should be as
free as any other citizen to give his
own money in aid of his opinions
or his party" He comes forward
as the champion of the liberty of
the citizen, and yet he issued an
order that forbade Federal officer
from even belonging to a political
club, though he was assured that
such connection in no wise inter-
fered with his official duties.
should like to hear him on the ques-
ton: (which deprives the citizen
of the greater amount of liberty, to
prohibit him from belonging to a
club or to prohibit him from paying
over portion of his salary to cor
rupt the ballot-box?"
Mr.. Speaker, il we mean to break
up this demoralizing practice, If we
mean to reform this abuse, we must
strike at the root as is done in this
bill. 1t is nonsense to talk of leav-
ing to men the question whether
they will make voluntary cOntribu-
tions, when they know that a re-
fusal endangers their political heads.
There are so many preteXts by
which they can be dismissed the
service, 50 many subterfuges by
which the hand of power can make
their wives and children beggars,
that few men have the nerve, or
rather the temerity, to risk their
positions by a refusal to comply
with demands made upon them.
The Forty-fourth Congress struck
blow at this. abuse, but failed to
reach it. They provided, in an act
passed August 10, 1876, as follows:
SEC. 6. That all executive offfcers and en-
ployes of the United States not appointed
by the President, with the advice and con-
sent OF the Senate, are prohibited from re-
questing, giving to. or receiving from any
other of1cer or employe of the Government
any money or property or other thing of
of1cer or employe who shall offend against
the provisions of this section shall be at once
discharged from the service of the United
States; and Ire shall also be deemed guilty
of misdemeanor, and on conviction there
of shall be fined in a sum not exceeding $500.
1t was found an easy matter to
evade this law, and the practice has
gone on as it did before. This act
simply prohibited one officer from
giving to or receiving from any
other officer anything for political
purposes. 1t did not protect the
employee from the inroads and raids
of campaign committees. This bill
does, and the provisions of this bill,
or something equivalent, is the only
thing that will. This measure, if it
should become law, will enable
the feebleSt man and the feeblest
woman in the employment of the
Government to paralyze the arm of
any campaign manager that reaches
out to fitch for party purposes any
portion of their salary.
Looking over the entire situation
reviewing the history of the Re-
publican party under the admins |
tration of Mr.. Hayes, chiefly re-
markable for the gigantic fraud
upon popular rights that gave it
existence, and the wrecks Of broken
promises and violated pledges by
which its career has been marked
how can the people of this country i
expect or hope for reform ia the
civil service by the continuance of
that party in power? 1t is difficult,
if not impossible, for party encIim-
bered with abuse and complications
upon long continuance
in power to reform itself. The only
remedy is in change of rulers.
Each Endorsement of a party guilty
of corruption or maladministration
is construed by them as a popular
conformation of their offenses and a
permission to continue in the same
evil practices, or to embark on
Others equally if not more repre-
hensible. The next Presidential
election will present very grave
questions for the solution of the
American people. Their indorse-
ment of the Republican party will
imply an approval of a gigantic
fraud by which the will of the peo-
pie was defeated and man seated
in the Presidential chair who, as
every man of ordinary intelligence
in the United States knows, was
not elected. If they wish to pre-
serve representative government
they must not only rebuke the great
crime committed on their rights by
the Inauguration of Hayes, but they
must make up their minds to see to
It that the outrage is not repeated.
That it will be again attempted If
he Democratic party should be
again successful at the polls, / have
40 doubt. 7
The Endorsement of the Republi- c
an party at the next Presidential /
election will not only be construed '
IS conformation of the fraud by G
which the present incumbent of the 4
residential chair holds his seat,
tut also of the shameless distribu- i
ion of executive patronage among
he men who committed the crime.
t will imply an approval of the
hinly disguised process by which =
ne hundred thousand office-holders
re assessed to raise a fund with
'hich to corrupt the people and de- I
auch the ballot-box. The time n
as been when one-half the crimes 1
nat have stained the record of the
republican party even since the p
Ist Presidential election would 3
ave kindled flame of indignation Z
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