St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-06-30

veloped. Geo. William Curtis of New
York, as President of the Civil Service
Reform Association, has caused circu-
lars to be sent to government employees
advising them to refrain from contrib
uting to the campaign fund, as request
ed by the Congressional Committee,
stating that in the opinion of counsel
as members of the republican congress
sional committee are officehOlders of
the United States government, all per-
sons making contributions to such
committee will render themselves liza
BILE under section 6, chapter 257, Unit
ed States statutes.
To this circular, Jay Hubbell, the
chairman of the congressional assess
ment committee, makes a sharp rejoin-
der, directing his communication to
Mr.. Curtis. Among other things Mr..
/ Hubbell says: 81 am willing to meet
you on this question, anywhere or at
any time, and to unite with you in re-
questing the President to ask an opin-
ion of the attorney general. If you
desire any other form of action in any
tribunal which can give an immediate
consideration of the point, | will join
you in testing the soundness of the
circular, and invite you to this mode
of settlement as more honorable than
your attempt to confuse action OF
alarm minds of employees alluded to
The law is misstated i'll your circular
and the alarm you seek to create is
without justification i'll law"
To this charge of Mr.. Hubbell, Mr.
Curtis replies in a manner most fOrci-
BILE. We may quote the letter entire
next week, but have room now for on
ly extracts. After saying that he
wishes to refer the questions of law tC
the Attorney G eneral, Mr.. Curtis says
In your letter you permit yourself t.
say, II invite you to this mode of set
Element as both more manly and more
honorable than your attempt to con
fuse the action and alarm the minds o.
the employees alluded to-" This is al
allegation that it is not quite manly OIL
honorable to apprise employees of the
government, who otherwise wOulC
probably not know it, that if they take
"A certain course they render themselve:
liable to fine and dismissal, and tina
such a notice is an attempt to alarm
and confuse them. 1t seems to me
however, that a man who lives will
his family upon $500 or 5000 yea
would find it much more alarming ant
confusing to be summoned to pay
per cent of that amount than to be tOlC
that such payment might lead to lega
trouble. If, indeed, there he any ques
ton of comparative manliness an'
honor in the transaction, it strikes M
that virtually to threaten laborers il
navy yards and elsewhere, clerks, er
rand-boys and even women and girl
; in the public offices, to whom | am in
. formed that circulars have been sent
that they are in danger of dismissal
they do not surrender a part of thei
wages, is conduct quite as open to tn
2 charge of want of manliness and homo
+ as the act of warning such labOrer
that the law probably protects theI
against the demand.
You remark that you disdain ut
: seek protection and shelter behind an
cover" You will not, therefore, at
tempt to hide under the pitiful pre-
tense that the assessment of 2 per cen
or other specific sum levied by the con
gressional committee is an invitatiO
to make "a voluntary contribution"
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