Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-06-30
Mr.. Curtis's Reply.

4
JAY A. HUBBELL.
Mr.. Curtis's Reply.
NEW YonK, June %.
Hon. j. 4. HubbeH Chairman and Treasurer, ctc.,-
SIN: have received your letter Of the 22d inst in
which you comment upon the circular Of the civil
service reform association advising certain employees
OF the government that they may render themselves
liable to legal penalties should they yield to requis
ton to pay specified part Of their salaries into the
treasury Of your committee. Upon this suggestion
you remark; 'Ihe law Is miHstated IN your circular
and the alarm you seek TO create is without jusunca
ton In the law. Your counsel, to whom you vaguely
allnde, either misunderstands or perverts it,"
This however Is merely your opinion; and to differ
with your view Of the construction Of statute, while
awaiting authoritative Interpretation, does not ap-
pear to prove either the ncapacity or the knae
cry which you dscourteoualy attribute to gentlemen
of high professional character. IT, however, your let
ter had contained only the proposition to unite with
the civil service reform association in procuring
prompt and authoritative decision Of the legal ques
tion involved, should have nothing to add to the
Spouse which was Immediately addressed to You by
Messrs Wheeler Whitridge, the counsel of the
ciation informing you that have already called the
attention Of the attorney general to what hold to
be violations Of the law and that We shall willingly
join with you in making for the courts. But in
your letter you permit yourself to say; II invite you
| to this mode Of settlement as both more manly and
more honorable than your attempt TO confuse the
ton or alarm the minds Of the employees alluded to-
This is an allegation that II s not quite manly or hon
orabo to apprise employees Of the government, who
otherwise would probably not know It, that II they
take certain course they render themselves liable to
fine and dismissal, and that such notice is attempt
to alarm and confuse them 1t seems to me, however,
that man who lives with his family upon $500 or 5000
year would find It much more alarming and confus-
| ing to be summoned to pay two per cent Of that
amount than to be told that such payment might lead
to legal trouble. IT, indeed, there be any question Of
comparative manliness and honor in the transaction
it strikes me that virtually to threaten laborers in
yards and elsewhere clerks GRAND boys and even
| women and girls in the pubc offices, TO whom am
informed that circulars have been sent that they
in danger Of dismissal II they do not surrender part
Of their wages conduct quite open TO the charge
Of want Of manness and honor the act Of warning
such laborers that the law probably protects them
You remark that you disdain "to seek protection
| and shelter by any cover" You will not, therefore,
attempt to hide under the ptiful pretense that the
assessment Of two per cent, other specific lev
led by the Congressional committee, invitation "a
make "yoluntary contribution II is stated thai
$4,000 more Of the circulars Of your committee
| have been sent out. l have personal knowledge OF
them as addressed to employees Of the government
from Kentucky to New England, and they un
donbtedy daily mailed TO every part Of the Union
They apparently addressed exclusively to public
employees, and those employees undoubtedly under
stand that the alternative is that Of payment dis
missal. The demand is issued by committee which
knows that such Is the general understanding in tho
service. once pleaded with superior officer against
the injustice of this assessment upon poor men
ing small wages and reduced to despair by the demand
and he told me hotly and plainly that for every one
who did not wish to pay there fifty persons ready
to take his place with all its encumbrances 1t is moi
necessary for to point out TO you that this Is prac
tcally sale Of the public service to the highest bid
der that destroys the selfrespect OF the public
poyes, and that II is necessarily fatal to honest poll
tics and economical administration. II the wages Of
the public service high, let them be reduced
But by what right does a committee Of irresponsl
BILE club Of members Of Congress levy party toll upoI
| public employees under pain OF dismissal7 YOU sir
gressional committee What party authority consti
tuted that committed In what way is II responsible
to the Republican party? If levy Of money is to b.
made upon employees Of the government for the bene
at Of party treasury-which hold to be q perilou
abuse-it should be authorized by those whom th
party desgnates for the purpose II is certainly no
| a duty to be assumed by any committee Of member
Of the party elected for another purpose II such
committee may demand two per cent of wages, 1t ma!
extort 20 per cent under the same terror Other sim
liar committees may do the same thing and, in fact
| the public employees are now subject TO various de
| mands of the kind.
The money thus coerctd by irresponsible commit
tees is expended in ways Of which there is no publ
account II becomes often vast corruption fun'
drawn from the public treasury by the party in powe
to secure its continued control Of the government
This is dangerous blow TO free institutions, and tn
general knowledge Of the abuse necessarily destroy
popular confidence in the honesty Of elections ant
brings us face TO face with a catastrophe. Undoubt
edly there legitimate political expenses for ever
party, and in free country everybody should be a
liberty to aid and to refuse to aid his party. But tn
public employees Of the government usually select
ed in way which practically deprives them Of the lib
erty OF giving or Withholding such aid at their pleas
sonal favor, he will naturally proptiate that favor
order to retain his place. II was the knowledge tina
the liberty OF the ofceholder in this matter IN thu
impaired which led Congress to pass the act of protec
ton to which circnar refers. That act recogniE
es as universal experience and the reason Of the
show, that government employe whose family de
Ponds upon his wages is not deluded by the phras
voluntary contribution, and fears that he cannot re
fuse to pay without taking the risk Of dismissal Hi
refusal might not be alleged the reason, but itwou
be the reason and to say to an employee the crcu
lar Of the Congressional committee says that his icon
trbution will not be objected to in any official quar-
ter" is merely to tighten the screw. 1t is hint t.
him that the demand is known and approved by thos
who can dismiss him. You assert your willingness
ask the President to ask the opinion Of the attorney
general; but your circular has been sent to employe
in the attorney-general's Office and it distinctly as
sures them by necessary implication that the head
the office does not object. If you read the newspa
pers carefully, you Of the very general pub
lie condemnation Of the practice of political
ments; and they condemned for the precise rea
that such assessments not what they preten
. to be-"voluntary contributions" II you ask me L
contribute to your treasury private citizen an
can give or refuse without suffering; but II you
your associates ask my neighbour who in the custom
house. for contribution he feels that he Is in DANCE
II he declines. This is the infringement Of the equa
liberty of citizens which makes this practice odiouS
while its inevitable consequences make threatenin
to the public welfare. The association OF which
have the honor TO be president will spare Lawful
effort to restore that equal liberty to every citizen
Respectfully yours, GEORGE WILLIAM Curtis.
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