Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-06-29
Spoils |

"S W. AiiN 'pOiio
that was so bravely grappled with by
President Garfield and that furnished
the assassin to restore the spoilsmen to
power, the Phila. Times thinks, were
never as insolent and defiant of public
sentiment as they are to-day. The
champions of that system howl their
contempt and defiance at every friend
of civil service reform, and the collec-
tors of the party tithes state substan-
TALLY in their orders 10 their depen.
dents to stand and deliver, that Presi-
dent Arthur and the heads of depart
ments approve of the systematic rob-
berry.
Mr.. George William Curtis and
some other eminent Republicans. who
believe in the honest practice of what
party platforms profess, recently called
the attention Of the government de.
pendents to the act of Congress for
bidding government officers from col
lecting party assessments. 1t was a
temperate, digniIied presentation Of
the law, and asked that obedience to
the law from officers OF the govern
ment that is enforced among the peo-
pie. To this sensible aud obviously
honest and proper suggestion from Mr..
Curtis, Mr.. Jay A. HubbelI, chairman
of the Republican Congressional Com.
mittee, has answered Mr.. Curtis with
a degree of insolence that could come
only from an utterly debauched wor.
shipper of the spoils system.
Mr.. Hubbell puts in the technical
plea that he is a member of Congress
and not an officer of the government,
and he challenges Mr.. Curtis to sub
NIT the question-not to any compe-
tent tribunal to decide the issue, hut
TO the Attorney General of the admin
istration that is publicly committed to
the spoils system as the cardinal arti-
Gle Of its political faith. II il posi-.
bic that Congressman Hubbell Is not
an officer of the government within
the meaning of the 9Th section of
chapter 2S7 of the United States sta.
tutes but it Is none the less the truth
that he Is one Of the Law makers who
enacted that law fnr officers of the
government. and common honesty aud
common decency, If not legal power
of the law, should make him respect
the statute alike by prscept aud ex-
ample. There can be no more inso-
lent teaching Of contempt for law than
for luw-maker to issue to government
officers request. that is equivalent to
a command, to disobey the plain spirit
if not the letter Of the law. II is
simply the insolence as lawlessness in.
tensifed by the law.making authority
of the Republic.
Nor does Congressman Hubbell
stand alone in his ostentatious and in
solent advocacy Of the spoils system.
Frank Hatton, First Assistant Post
master General, aud A. 4. Freeman,
Assistant Attorney General for the
Post Office Department, have come TO
the front by public letters giving the
broad seal Of the administration in
approval Of the systematic robbery Of
ell government officers for the benefit
of professional politicians who live on
party assessments, aud for The pollu-
tion of the ballot. Both Hatton and
Freeman are officers Of the govern.
ment and clearly come within the pro-
hibition of the statute: but Hatton
has tens Of thousands Of subordinales
under him and Freeman has hundreds
who must obey his suggestions, aud
they treat the law with open cOntempt
and practically advise government
officers and employees to repudiateii II.
Had Assistant Postmaster General
Hgiton and Solicitor Freeman written
public letters practically teaching con-
tempt for the law of the government,
when Garfield was in the Presidential
chair, they would have been dismissed
in disgracej but the assassin came to
clear the way for the spoilsmen by
murder. and the teachings of Garfield