The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-23
ABOUT HOLDING FEDERAL
OFFICES.

Colonel Russell, who has been mar |
shall for four wears, and who had |
good reason to believe he would be |
reappointed, held over for con-
sideration at Washington until de-
tectives may come to Texas
and investigate his case. 1t
is said one detective
was sent out really to look after the
marsha's record, and another fol-
lows him to watch the first detec-
tive. If this be true, certainly not
much weight can attach to a de-
tective's report. Really the assump-
ton is that one detective is a ras-
cal, while it is more than
probable that the second fellow,
sent along to look after the
first, needs more watching than the
aforesaid first designated fellow.
But what in the world of reason is
there for putting detectives to nos
ing around after the antecedents ola
marshal? The department at WASH
ington should know Colonel
Russell's official record with
out putting men to look
after him, who need watching them
selves; it should know if he has
made faithful and efficient officer,
his accounts are all in apple pie
order; and when it sends its detec-
tives here it shows its own, and no
ones else, unfitness or in
capacity. The STATESMAN knows
nothing detrimental to Mar
shall Russell he may be
wrong in many respects, but the
facts cannot be proven by the
STATESMAN. All it knows is that
the way of the federal officehOlder
is hard indeed, and how any gentle
man can submit to these charges and
ISLANDERS and Investigations is some
thing not to be accounted for, except
i'm the fact that they are begun as
soon rs he is indicted into office
and then he must remain as long as
possible and defend himself, or
pass out in disgrace. So many
federal . ofliceholders default
that ones enemies feel justi-
fled in acting by the rule,
in charging, just as soon as an APP
pointment is made, that the place
man, since he has not had time to
deiraud the government. swindled
his grandmother, or that he did
some other heinous crime for which
he should either be in the peniten-
tiary or some other such place.
One federal office holder enjoying
an Office, and because he did not
hold it in copartnership with a pro-
posed dealer in federal offices he was
DETAINED and his character black
ened by words; he was denounced
as fit companion for convicts, and
because lie tried to hold on upon his
own instead of the account of 9TH
ers, he was bounded and hunted and
shot. This is the manner in which
ali federal ''ofIiceholders are treated;
somebody is always telling some
thing on them that calls for expla-
nation, and so it has been with
Marshal Russell and all the rest.
To be federal officeholder is to as
sumo the role of villain before the
eyes of the world, if the stories told
are believed. Not only are these
stories told, but they are substan-
tiated by oaths; and then
these must be. denied, and
counter testimony is produced
to prove one affidavit
makes a falsifier by another no more
worthy of belief. 1t is just like this
detective business-one tells a tale,
which another verifies, and the
verifier is proven unworthy of be-
lief on oath. tits nice business.
An applicant has had his agents at
Washington for months, piling up
testimony against Marshal Russell (;
then Russell goes on to disprove all,
and government agent is sent to
Texas to investigate and report, and
the department is prepared to disbe-
lieve even the report. The middle
continues, and the delay grows
so encouraging that big Republi-
can concludes he will proceed to
Washington, and probably by show
ing both to be unworthy he hopes
to control the appointment of one of
his friends. This is the way federal
offices are manipulated, not only IN
Texas, but in every state in the
union. The wrangling is disgraceful
and the department., III assuming a
position to listen to such represen-
tation, is disgraced. An.officer's re-
cord should be his pass to re-
appointment, not the statements of
his friends; his record should dis
qualify him, without the charges of
his enemies being considered.