Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-03-20
Speech Of Hon. John r. House, Con
timed.


finds its only parallel in the boy that
stood on the burning deck.
At the head of those whom the
State of Louisiana has contributed
to civil-service reform stands in
fiaring capitals the name of J. NTadi-
son Wells. The old man has his
tory that entities him to the first
place on this roll of honor. After
Mr.. Hayes was defeated for the Pre-
sidency the Republican party lean
ed on the returning board of Louisi-
ana for support, and the returning
board leaned on Wells. He was
equal to the emergency; he had it in
his power to make or mar the for
tunes of Mr.. Hayes, to count him in
or out, as he chose. He counted him
in. Mr.. Wells until recently held
the Office of surveyor of the port of
New Orleans, at salary of s., 800
per annum. His son, Alex. Wells,
whom Mr.. Hayes a short time since
nominated for the position held by
his father, occupied the place of
special deputy surveyor at New Or
leans at a salary of $500 per
annum. s. S. Wells, another son Of
the old returning board chief, holds
AAlE ADEAAlOL III aA ANGM vi
leans, for which he is paid % per
day. r.. r.. Robinson, a son-in-law
off. Madison Wells, is a clerk in
the custOm-hOuse at New Orleans,
making in all between eight and
nine thousand dollars per annum
from the public crib to the Wells
family.
Thomas G. Anderson was the left
bower of the returning board deck.
He is special deputy collector of the
port at New Orleans at a salary OF
1000 per annum. His son has a
clerkship at a salary of 81 400 per
annum. Benjamin Bloomfield, the
father-in-law of Anderson's son.
clerk and auditor, at salary of 81
800 perannum. George ;. Bloom
field, the brOther-in-law of Ander-
sons son, has a clerkship at 81 200
per annum, making total of So, leo
which the Anderson family draw
annually from the Treasury.
Louis NJ. Kenner, a colOred MEM
Der of the returning board, is dep
uty naval officer at New Orleans on
q salary of g, 800 per annum. Alex
ander Kenner, a brother of return
ing-board Kenner, had clerkship
with a salary of 81 800 per annum,
and another brother receives 5000
per annum, footing up $1,000 per
annum to the Kenner family. Ken
ner being a gentleman of color,
could not ofcourse expect his family
to be as well provided for as those
of Wells and Anderson. The Adj
Ininistration doubtless thought that
a negro and mis- family ought to be
satisfied with FIVE thousand dollars
year, and suppose they are, as /
have heard no complaints. About
tWenty-One thousand dollars per
annum to these three members of
the returning board and their
families is a very comfortable sum
to enjoy in hard times. But there
was another Republican member of
that notorious returning board. In
fact they were all Republicans, as
no Democrat was wanted or allow
ed TO do the work that the board
had on hand. g. Casanave was the
name of the other member. He was
also a gentleman of mixed colOrs. |
now beg leave to announce q fact
which must strike every one familiar
with Mr.. Hayes's civil-service-re-
form exploits as extraordinary and
unaccOuntable. Casanave has never
had an Office under Hayes! How
this happened am at loss to con-
lecture. He certainly never applied
for one. His brother, Saint Felix
Casanave, is United States store
keeper at New Orleans on a salary
Of 81 400 per annum. But there
came a time when Rutherford b.
Hayes and John Sherman heard the
voice of Casanave crying for his re-
ward, and they needed it. After the
returning board had counted Hayes
in; after they had defied the order
of the House of Representative to
produce the record of the fraudulent
count, aided, abetted, encouraged -,
and supported by the Republican
members of this House in their
cOntumacious refusal to produce the
papers containing their count, and
after they were released from their
imprisonment here and went back
to Louisiana, they were all four of
them indicted in the courts of that
State for their fraudulent conduct as
members of the board. They en-
ployed counsel to defend them at a
stipulated fee of S., 900. The sum of
81, S75 seems to have been paid on
this fee, but judgment, was obtain
ed and execution was issued and
placed in the hands of the sherifffOr
the balance, and it was levied on
Casanave's property. Wells, Ander-
son, and Kenner, though receiving
salaries aggregating $4,000 per
annum, were law proof, and poor
Casanave, with no office, but with a
little property subject to execution,
was about to have his house sold
over his head. Casanave came to
Washington. He says the next day
after his arrival in this city he call
ed, in company with General
Sypher, to see the President. The
President received him smilingly
and graciously, but didn't offer to
relieve him; told him that he had
nothing to do with it and that he
ought to see Anderson, and he
thought Anderson would settle it.
But Casanave knew how much of il
Anderson would be likely to settle
He then called on Mr.. McCrary,
Secretary of War. He says McCrary
expressed sympathy for him, but
said he was poor man, only living
on his salary, and il he had the
money he would pay the whole
amount of the judgment himself.
Whether this was hint by McCrary
that Mr.. Hayes, who was drawing
salary of so, 900 per annum, which
of right belonged TO another man,
Casanave does not say. But McCra-
RVS sympathy did not satisfy the
execution which the sheriff at New
Orleans had levied on Casanave's
property. CasanaVe then went to
see Shellabarger Il Wilson, who il
seems are the attorneys of Hayes,
Sherman d Co. in their troubles.
Sherman was at the time up in the
State of Maine making speeches to,
aid the Maine Republicans in their
State election, thereby carrying out
Hayes's civil-service order, which
prohibited every officer of the Gov
eminent, high and low, from TAX
ing part in elections. In the ab-
sence of Sherman, Shellabarger &
Wilson advised him to see Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury Haw-
ley he went; Hawley referred him
back to Shellabarger, and Shella-
barger, on the promise of Hawley,
assured CaSanave that when Sher-
man croft hack from Maipa tho p,cpov-