Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-27

| eonyIntions in nearly all the districts were
| mere farces" In November, 1873, George
| Bliss, District Attorney under General
| Grant declared in letter to PRESIDENT
| Arthur, now before us, that there were
then
| Less Than Thirteen Thousand Five
| Hundred
| on the voting lists of the Republican pri.
| maries of the city; that in numeous dis
| tricts but a small portion OF them had
right TO be there; and that persons are held
| TO be members or not according as they
are or are not prepared to vote satisfactor-
| ily 10 the controlling powers" 1t was
| despotism founded OH plumber and fraud,
| by which conventions were bulldozed and
| the people were cheated through methods
| compared with which tissue yotingis bung-
| ling and perilous. And for these evils no
| responsibility is so great as that which
resis on Congressional extortion commit
| tees IL was the vicious use OF money got
| by plunder, the debauching of the political
conscience, the suppression OF the higher
sentiment at the elections and the binding
| influence of irresponsible power thus Sc
| cured which made it possible Tor mere
politician like Mr.. Conkling-without pop
r,lar qualities, without Identification with
any public measure. without doing any
| thing which the next generation will recall
with respectful be q party despot In
GREAT State-confident to the moment OF
| bis falkland then to go down without COM
pretending the cause. Mr.. Lecky says
George Granville, less than any statesman
| of his day, understood the effects OF ms
folIies upon public opinion. This pre-
eminence in our time must, despite the
! high claims of the ex-senator, be awarded
10 MIR, Hubbell, for he does not even yet
comprehend why his hero fell.
The Effect Upon the Public service
has been as disastrous as upon its oppres-
sors The assessment system divides the
officials into two classes, the landlord class
and the tenant class. The members of Con-
Cress of legislatures, and OF municipal
councils, aided by the chiettans and the
bosses-these are the landlord assessment
extorting and spoils-sharing, class. Inc
assessments paving tenant-at-will class. 1t is
40 importsnt that the landlord class should
pet offices and keep them, that there is no
| limit put to their power to rob the salaries
and dispossess the members OF the tenant
| class for that purpose. But not only are
those seeking office or employment in the
| tenant class not aided out OF the extortlon
| fund OF the aristocratic landlord class, put
| they are not even allowed by their masters
| to prove their superiority by tair compe-
| tition OF merit among themselves. ihey
must first get recommendations like ser
want from the very landlords who annual
| " fix their rent, before they have the least
| chance Of place even at Will. IL Is true
| that in 1875 there was a show BY members
| of Congress OF putting tiny rent OF htty
| dollars upon themselves.
Rut IL Was n Farce and q Failure.
Tnev even nominally paid but tritie,
| while they extorted eighty thousand dol
lars for their own use from that tenant
| class which it was their special duty 10 pro-
| tect. The most mercilcss landlord in Ire
| land only insists on the rent provided for
| at the be- ginning. 1t is only the tenant-at-
will holder OF all office in this republic who
! is liable both to arbitrary rent and arbitrary
| election at the caprice of his landlord.
| Such system makes the public servant
| a partisan and factionist in self-defense. 1t
| tells him to court the chieftainS and bosses
who hold power over his earnings: IL tells
him that he has no right to his wages
| which the Government respects. 1t makes
| il impossible for him to feel duty OF
| economy, fidelity or eXcrtiOn in behalf OF
| n Government which. without attempt
| ing his protection, sees hlm de-
| prlved OF q great portion of the salary
and wages which its legislators had de-
| Clared his due; and this wrong done, not
| only by the connivance OF those very legis-
| tors and by their minions, but Tor the sell
| ish purpose of securing their own re'elec-
| ton. 1t produces sense OF wrong, dis
| trust of recklessness of Justice, feeling OF
| dependence and despair, alike damaging to
personal manhood and to the national char
acter. If the official does not recoup his
| loss. by appropriating time and money be-
| longing TO the public, it is only because his
| standard Of duty is higher than his Gov
eminent enforces.
| Public Opinion Against Assessments
has been growing for several years: The
STRENGTHENING contractor, the COMMISSION
ers OF Charity, some of the Police COM
| missionerS. the Union League Cup, the
Comptroller, and the Mayor OF New 1orEI
I and oven it's aldermen-have protested
against them. A New York Republican
| State Convention has resolved that no OF
! fetal or office holder shoula b. suDJect 10
political VI partisan assessments, and
| plain lawe should forbid and punish all at.
| tempts TO make or force such assessments"
| The exturtion committees seem to be
| shamcd out of assessing scholtcachers
Degrading the officials in their own csti-
nation and that of the people, the assess
ment system has repealed the most worthy,
who shrink from positions where only un-
| limited eXtOrtiOn is certain. The salaries
| and wages paid by the nation, its own leg
| iSlators treat as the legitimate prize money
| of the dominant party, which 1t may use
at pleasure to perpetuate its power. Is II
| any wonder that Congress, supinely allow
| ing its own members to devour the sub
| stance of the national servants to secure
their own reflections, has itself fallen i'll
| the estimation of the people?
The mandate now being enforced, breath
| ing the very spirit of despotism,
Insults an Intelligent People.
Without pretense of JUST fcation, if ma
| iority was sure for the dominant party, the
| sum to be extorted is measured by the need
| of bribery or eXtraneOus influence to carry
the districts. II two per cent. on the ma
tional pay-rolls may be now taken because
needed, then party which, by its infdel-
itv and outragcs shall have become so I'M
popular as to need bribery fund of ten
per cent. may, for the same reason, extort
that sum. The only principle is this: that
! every party in power may rob the public
servants in the ratio of its own folly and
corruption, and use the plumber to bride
the voters and deceive the people.
The enforcement OF this nafariouS theory
| bv the ''Robber Barons" Of politics was
never so universal, so shameless, so bar
harouS, or 81 indiscreet as at this moment.
The Federal psy-rolls call for more than
fifty million dollars year. On that sum,
the ayowal is levy of only two per cent,
but the actual demand upon employees and
small officials is much greater. If the COM
mittee expect to extort only fourth OF
the one million dollars and more they de-
mand it but shows the etfrontery OF their
pretenSe Of willingness to pay, and that
they have no computations in eNcusing
the landlord class and wringing the whole
corruption fund from the
Most Timid and Humble
OF the tenant class. Very likely they ex-
pcct little more from members of Congress
and great officials than the pittancc they
got in 1878. 1t is not sharks and whales
they have the courage to fish for, but her
rings and dace. Boys are bullied for dol
lar!
Could the courtain of secrecy be lifted.
We should see a vast drag met Of extortion
thrown out by the committee from Wash
ington over the whole land from Maine TO
California, with every humble official and
laborer-from those under the sea at He'll
Gate TO the weather observers on Pixies
Peak-entangled in its meshes; and, busy
among them, for their prey, series OF tax
extortioners ranging down from Hubbell
the great Quastor to little Hubbells by the
III