Iron County register., 1882-10-05
A Corrupt Organization.

The specious plea of Congressman
Russell to shake off the responsibility
and odium of being party 10 the rot
berry of the clerks employed by the Fed
eral Government, for the benefit OF the
Republican party and the bosses in par
tlcular, is before the people. He al
mits in his letter he did consent to the
first request but as to what 1.-THE
Executive Committee have since done
he does not know, but has forwarded a
protest against the second assessment.
So much for one of these high-toned
Massachusetts congressman. He does
not say how much any one of his sever
al bank accounts has been decreased by
hi2 own contribution to ''the fund,
whether it was two or four per cent. of
his salary as Congressman, or anything
whatever. Does this assessment COM
mittee, one of whom comes from Massa-
chusetts, assess themselves9 Is the
President of the United States assessed?
Is the acting Vice-President? Are the
Judiciary of the United States? Are
the Cabinet Ministers? If not, why are
the clerks and subordinates, each of
whom in his department is as much in
degree part of the United States Gov
ernment, as are these officers? This
oppression OF the poor and humble, this
throwing the burden of taxation on
those least able to bear it, is only part
of the whole Republican policy. The
doctrine of servants and masters. Un-
der the malign policy inaugurated and
continued by that party, the masses,
whether clerks or citizens out of Gov
ernment employ, are merely tools, sub
servient to and mere instruments of
those in power, to be taxed, net merely
for such sums as may be actually neces-
sary for the imperative exnenses of a
Government economically administered,
but for jobs to build up rings and favor
ties through whose profits from public
plunder the assessment fund may be
swelled. For these ends heavy taxes
and high tariffs are continued year by
year that a large surplus may accumu-
late, from which vast appropriations are
made, useless offices and an army of Of
ficials yearly increased, and assessments
levied all round to create a fund to buy
up and demoralize the corrupt, the ig-
norant and unthinking, until at last lib
erty falls and corruption and despotism
reign supreme.
They rob the Treasury to pay high
salaries, that the assessed may pay
larger sums. thus taking from the
Treasury indirectly, what they soon will
take directly, to keep the set of men in
power who even in Massachusetts have
stood up and own they are engaged in
this business. Yet such practices have
now become so common, that the pub
lie press treat these things as Jokes, and
hold up one of the committee, Hubbell,
as the chief operator, when he is only
one of an approving committee, an ap-
proving Administration, an approving
party. Congressman Hubbell and
Congressman Russell and the rest may
be renominated and voted for by their
party. They do and will probably con-
tinue to represent it. Pray, how long
would this state of things continue did
the Administration really protect their
subordinate officers from the extortion-
ate demands, not only of this committee,
but from others of its chief followers?
"There's no use fooling with Billy
Mahone," exclaims a, clerk at Washing
ton who has just paid fourteen per cent.
of his eighteen hundred dollars salary
to keep up "the grand old party in
his State under the lead of Malone.
Why? Because the aforesaid Billy has
the President of the United States and
his Cabinet behind him to enforce his
DEGREES; the subordinate officials know
that Malone and the agents of Con-
gresham Russelrs committee will
be sustained by the Administration
in their demands They know they
must deliver their money or their
official positions. Yet Mr.. James G.
Blaine talks of the grand record of his
party and claims all that is great and
good on the earth as the result of its
policy, forgetting that for sixty years
ere his party was, that this Republic,
under the wise and prudent administra-
tions of the Democratic party, had
firmly established liberty aud made this
country great, prosperous and free, the
refuge of the oppressed of all lands.
Had made the great principle of local
self-government the rule. and the SUI
premacy of man over his accident of
birth, or of wealth, or position, another
leading fundamental principle. Had
made the grand results of their policy
and work possible, and the progress of
these ideas throughout not only this
continent, but also throughout the
world, irresistible. Their Presidents
had some other restful employment
than riding fox hunts and attending
polo races, and a navy which could be
used for some other purpose than for
yachting excursions for the Presidential
and Cabinet junkets. At last the
masses of the people see that this
policy of waste and extravaganza, this
taxing through tariffs and other ex-
tortions, this free trade in labor and
high taxes in everything else, is leading
to a despotism meaner than any in his
tory, and the. reform wave will sweep
out of power those who alone exist be-
cause of these things. That party
must be at low ebb when men like
Blaine and Hubbeli, Malone and Ar
thur are great. Post.