Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-22
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
FOlger's Curiosity shop and the New
Republican Issue.
Correspondence Of the No,ning Ne,os.

Correspondence Of the NOgning Neaos
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.-An eX-official
of the Treasury, who was on very close
terms with Senator John Sherman, of
Ohio, when the latter was the financial
member of Hayes Cabinet, to-day told me
something about the difficulty between
Sherman and Gen. Green b. Raum, who
was formerly Commissioner of Internal
Revenue. 1t will be remembered that
shortly after the Chicago Convention,
which did not nominate Sherman for the
Presidency, the latter took away
from Raum all the patronage that
pertained to his office. This was the pow
er of appointing internal revenue store
Keepers and gaugers. At the time that
this was done it was generally thought to
be because Raum had supported Grant
not Sherman-at Chicago. According to
my informant, this was not the whole his
tory of the case. About four months be-
fore the Chicago convention Raum COM
menced to make large number of changes
in the force of patriots who gauge whisky
and look after it officially as gaugers and
storekeepers.
FRIEND OF SHERMAN
went to him and told him that he had an
enemy in the official household. He said
that Raum was making these changes in
the interest of Grant. Sherman spoke to
Raum about it. The latter said: "AIr.
Secretary, | am in favor of your nOmina-
ton. will do all in my power to secure
1t. 1t is true that L have made a number
of changes among stOrekeepers and
gaugers but they have been in your in
terest. Wherever l find Grant or Blaine
man | turn him out and put in a Sherman
man. This satisfied sherman. Several
times afterwards friends of Sherman told
him that Raum was using his
position and patronage as Com
missioner of Internal Revenue to
further the Grant interest. But Sherman
would none of it. He believed in Raum,
but Raum was working all the time for
Grant. sherman became convinced that
Raum had been working in every way for
months to defeat him. As soon as he got
back from the wreck Of his ambition he
took away all the power of appointing
any one from Raum. He was urged to
remove him. He said: IL would like to,
and would do so willingly, but it would
look too much like spite work, and, be-
sides, l do not believe that President
Hayes would consent to his REMOVAL
THE MANY QUESTIONS WHICH
arise under the new tariff law would
enable Secretary FOlger, if he so desired,
to make very complete and unique col
lection of commodities imported into this
country. Almost every time question
arises relative to the duty to be imposed
upon any article the parties interested
therein file their arguments before the
Secretary Of the Treasury, accompanying
them with sample of the article in
question. The Secretary to-day had upon
his desk at least dozen different sam
pies of goods and produce, which cOnsti-
tuted the receipts of but one day. Some
days more are received. You can then
imagine the opportunity presented to Sec
retary sherman to organize for himself
an old curiosity shop.
THE REPUBLICANS,
or at least the dyed-in-the-wOol pOr-
tlon of them, seem to have grasped an
issue. They have been floundering around
for a long time without an issue. What
they have now seized upon is the out
growth of the recent decision by the Su-
preme Court in regard to the negro's social
rights. They announce that the party
has not yet fully accomplished what was
determined by the late war, and that the
question Of civil rights is as much an issue
to-day as it ever was. The Republican
party, they say, must see to it that the
cOlOred man has his rights. This
is a burning, live issue to-day and must
be taken up again by the party and made
part of its policy. This, taken in con-
nectiOn with the fact that it is seriously
suggested that the old system of carrying
elections in the South be revived, show
pretty clearly how fondly the party cherish
es the old war issues which constituted its
chief stock i'll trade for so many years, but
which has dwindled SO much of late years.
1t is suggested that an attempt be made
at the next session of Congress to carry
an amendment to the Constitution which
shall embOdy that portion of the civil
rights bill recently declared unconstitu-
tiOnal. Not by any means do all Republi-
cans jibe in with this. In talking upon
this subject to-day with a very prominent
official OF the Treasury Department, he
said: 'The Supreme Court has decided
that the negro is no better than the white
man. Some fanatics are evidently bent
upon having the Constitution say that he
is, despite the decision of that court.