National Republican., 1882-07-07
Civil-servicc Reform Assessments.

| form Association" It's President is
George William Curtis, its secretary,
William Potts, and its treasurer, John G.
Emo. Then there are some vice-presi-
dents for public figure-heads. Everett
p. Wheeler, well-known Democratic
Tammany machine-politician, is chair
man of the executive committee. The
object of the society appears to
be to raise money. 1t sends out
a circular demanding two dollars a
head from all who will stand the assess
ment, but gives no hint of what is to be-
come of the money. The circular de-
officers, and thus concludes:
The association invites all citizens to join its
numbers md assist in improving civil service
and purifying our politics.
| Annual dues for membership, 50.
| E1-For further particulars address
| WILLIAM poTrs, Secretary,
| 4 and Pine street. New York City,
And now, dear Mr.. William Potts, sec
retary, and Pine street, New York
city, before remitting the amount you
would assess us, to wit, 50, we avail our
self of your polite invitation to address
you for further particulars. We desire to
know what you will do with the money.
1t will not be used for printing documents
to educate the public mind up to your
lofty standard of hostility to all political
assessments but your own. No; that
you have otherwise provided for. We
have before us at the present writing No.
Gothic Publications of the Civil-Servce
Reform Association" The circular from
which we have quoted is printed on the
outside of its cover. On the inside of the
same we find a list ofyour publications and
the price of the same per hundred. The
faithful are expected not only to pay you
the original assessment of two dollars, but
they are then to buy your publications and
spread them abroad. Thus, for so cents
a hundred they can secure that grand
charter which gives them claim to
Office superior to that of members of
other party machines, entitled "Consti-
tuition of the Civil-Servce Reform Asso-
offered at the same ridiculously low price.
Your political prayer-book is placed at
higher price. 1t is called Petitions to
Congress for Cvil-Service Reform" and
is rs cents hundred. A cheaper litany
was neversold. Perhaps the most salea-
BILE document advertised is "Civil-Ser-
vice Reform; Condensed Statement for
General Distribution" You disdain to
think of any brother buying this price
less boon by the hundred, and have,
therefore, announced its price to be So
per thousand at which rate, as any good
little Civil-Service Reform school-boy
could readily calculate, ten hundred
could be had for 80 cents hundred.
Then, other fascinating romances you
have in preparation, among which we
observe, "a History of the Spoils Sys-
tem," by Georgina Wilhelmina Curtis.
Price not given. We do not find you pro-
posing to give away any of these docu-
ments. Therefore your assessment of So
is not to be expended in that way. But
this So is not the only assessment. 1t is
but the beginning. OF course, as you say,
it is for "annual Dues" and it grinds on
without ceasng. (The other politicians
only come around every other year, But
we find at the foot of your list of pub
lications a coarse demand for more.
| You do not call it an assessment,
but we all know whatyousay about "vol-
untary contributions" You say that when
Jay Hubbell asks for voluntary contri-
button it is equivalent to knockinga q man
down, putting knee on his chest, chok-
ing him with one hand, and ritling his
pockets with the other. This definition
by your own gang, dear Mr.. Potts, en-
ables us to take i'll at once the fearful
meaning of your announcement above
referred to as following the list of your
publications.
Donations for the general purposes of the as
sociation are requested. Checks should be drdWn to
order of John C. Emo, treasurer and addressed to
William Potts. secretary, A Pine street, New York
| city.
Donations, quotha! This is fiat rob-
berry. Imagine poor clerk receiving this
document of yours He is told that if he
does not join your gang he shall be
forever known as q machine politician,
and that when your doctrines prevail only
members of your political machine shall
| be allowed place in tho reformed civil
|
dren. He looks at his thin purse He
sends you his first assessment" of$2, and
buys n few hundreds of your documents.
He trembles lest you are not yet sati
ated with the blood you have drawn. He
reads your denunciations of Chairman
Hubbell, wherein you say that request
for contribution is blackmailing de-
mand. He sees that you follow that by
a request for donation to your machine.
He argues with himself that if you
think Mr.. Hubbell's request for a contri-
button is an arbitrary assessment, then
you must intend your request for dona-
ton as an equally inexorable demand
for blackmail. If you hold Federal
executive office not confirmed by the
Senate, Mr.. Potts, you are liable TO in
dictment. If any such official shall pass
your circular around among his fellows
he will be subject to indictment.
But we have digressed. Our object
was to avail ourself of your kind offer to
give us further particulars" What
will you do with the money derived
from these political assessments for
your Civil-Service Reform party? We
desire to "assist in purifying our politics
and improving our Civil Service" That
Civil Service is now sadly wanting, 1t
contains not Georgina Wilhelmina
Curtis, yourself, dear Potts, nor us,