National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-31
Carl schurz and His Clerks.

the latter State he was once a Senator OF
the Stalwart Republican order Desiring
to be the political boss" of the State, he
rent party State convention in twain,
and bossed the "worser half" Clamorous
for official patronage, in order that he
might thereby coerce the other wing into
his clan, and falling to persuade Presi-
dent Grant to be subservient to his
political machine" he revolted, and,
with other patriots similarly situated,
! became a Civil-Service Reformer.
Since then he has divided his time
between the Democratic party and the
verge" of the one under which he holds
Office As a Senator, his loftiest flights
| Ofrhetoric were devoted tounsuccessful eff
forts at establishing the peridy OF this
Government toward the nation from
whose oppression he had found an asy-
lum in the country he SO accused. We
refer to his course in the French arms
investigation, in which, upon an assump-
| ton of facts which were proven to be
false he sought to establish grievance
in behalf of Prussia which, if we'll
grounded. would have been just cause OF
war against the United States. In 1876 he
was one Of the chiefs of the ciyil-seryice
reform fraud, which eliminated in the
famous Fifth Avenue Hotel conference
at New York. The managers of that
cabal issued a pronunciamento descrip-
tive of the men they would not support
for President. In the list was Mr.. Hayes,
who was described in most contemptuous
and bitter terms. This fact did not pre-
vent an early pilgrimage to his residence
by Mr.. Schurz before the President that
was to be had been officially informed
of his nomination.
The civil-Service paragraph in Mr..
Hayes's letter ofacceptance was so marvel
ouSly like the doctrine announced by
the Fifth Avenue conference that those
who were unfamiliar with his style at
tributed it to his enterprising and dis
tinguished visitor. This suspicion was
strengthened by the subsequent appear
ance of the putatiye author in the Cabinet
Of the President, Notwithstanding the
fact that his stump speeches of that year
were largely devoted to attacks upon the
party under the auspices of which he was
speaking. During the four years last past
he has directed the public attention to
his own infinite superiority over the par
ty to whose favors he clings with charac-
teristic tenacity.
And now as to the reasons which have
called forth these "reminiscences and re-
hections. We find in the Sunday Herald
the following report of remarks by the
chief clerk of the Interior Department.
at meeting of an Inauguration commit
tee held on Saturday evening. He said
During the canvass just passed through the
clerks of the Interior Department had been raked
three times TO aid in the election of Garfield
and many of the men had embarrassed themselves
to aid the party, and for that reason he had re-
fused to allow canYaSsers to go among the clerks
for the purpose Of collecting money.
The Sunday Post gives the following re-
port of the same:
The chief clerk took the floor and replied to
what he said were criticisms upon the Interior
Department for not allowing the clerks to be
assessed. He said:
with tinetOoth comb to elect General Garfield
President and now that he is elected l am
opposed 10 raging over the Departments again for
the purpose OF inaugurating him. The citizens of
Washington should do that. Many of the clerks i'll
the Departments had embarrassed themselves for
months 10 come, and could not be expected TO con-
tribute
1t will be news to the Republican Con-
gressional Committee that Mr. Schurzs
clerks have been ''raked" either three
times or at all. They were respectfully
appealed to by circulars through the mail
to contribute to the campaign fund. No
man gave through fear of endangering
his place. Indeed many must have be-
Iieyed they would he more secure in the
Secretary's favorif they refused to contrib
ute. During the whole campaign of 1880,
as had been the case in 1878, the doors
of the Interior Department were double
barred against the persons appointed by
the committee of the Republican party to
solicit aid. In 1873 the Secretary pro-
claimed in letter, which was published,
that those who did not give were as
pTaiseworthy as those who did, and more
than limited that the former would be
rather the better fellows. Clerks were not
allowed to go to their homes to vote I'M
less they were willing to lose pay during
their absence, and this in pursuance ofan
order left behind him when absenting
himself for the sole purpose of making
campaign speeches.
No single instance can be cited where
any clerk in the Interior Department or
elsewhere has contributed money to aid
in the election of General Garfield except
as he did it willingly and ungrudgingly.
There has been no raking" process, and
if any Jealous Republican in Mr.. Schurz's
employ has improyidently given more
than his circumstances justified he will
not thank the chief clerk for the remark
we have quoted, carrying with it, as it
does, a sting comforting to the enemies
of the Republican party.
The clerks in the Interior Department
know as well as any other people whether
they are able and desirous of contribut- |
ing to the Inauguration expenses. That
Department is not Mr.. Carl Schurz's pri-
vate dwelling, but a public office
1t is as impertinent in him TO
deny admission to any respectable
citizen desirous of a moments or
derly conversation with clerk therein
as it is stale, fraudulent, and fiatulent to
pretend that a solicitation is an assess
ment" The inmates of reformatory
school may require .overseers, and in Rus
sia and Germany Nihilism and Socialism
may justify a strict surveillance over per-
sons in government employ; but in the
United States citizen does not surren-
der any natural right by accepting en-