Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-05-18
A "PARALYZED" COMMITTEES.
The Effect of the Civil Service Law nm
Politics.


Congressional Committee and such MEM
bers OF the Republican National Committee
as are in the city held an important meet
ing tonight TO discuss very serious OBJ
stacle which has arisen in the way of their
campaign work, and which js likely tc.
cause reorganization of the entire ma
ehinery of the Republican party through
out the whole United States
Inihe civil service law which was passed
last year, since any Congressional or na-
tional election has been held. there
Is section (No. III providing that
no Senator or Representative or Territorial
Delegate of. Congress, or any officer or
employe of either house, and no execu-
tive, Judicial, military or naval officer of
the United States, and no clerk or employe
OF any department Of the government of
the United States shall, directly or indi-
recty, solicit or receive or in anv manner
DO concerned in soliciting and receiving
sny assessment, subscription or contribu.
uon Tor any political purposes whatever
rom sny officer, clerk or employe of the
United states or from any person receiv
ing compensation from any moneys de-
rived from the treasury of the United
| States"
Sec1on IA OF the same act is repetition
OF the foregoing, but only applies to Con-
1 gressmen, who are prohibited from receiv-
ing money or any valuable thing from any
| officer or employe of the government.
/ Section 10 makes the penalty for the
violation OF these sections $1,000 fine and
! imprisonment in the penitentiary for five
I years.
Mr.. Edward Mcpherson, secretary of
| the Congressional Committee, has Just
! discovered this provision of the civil
service law, the significance of which does
| not appear to have been realized when it
was under debate in Congress; and the
matter was submitted to the National and
Congressional Committees to night, which,
| after discussion, decided that Federal Of
| tice-holders who are members of campaign
] committees should at once resign to save
! themselves from the penitentiary.
The Congressional Committee is CON-
posed entirely of Congressman and Sena-
tors. with Joseph r. Hawley, of Connect
/ cut, as chairman. If it can be oroyen that
| the treasurer of the Committee has re-
/ ceived financial contributions from any
one OF the pembers, or from any clerk in
government employ, or from the President
| of the United States himself, to aid in the
| work o. the coming campaign, Senator
] HawIey can be made to head a procession
of about thirty of his colleagues to the
i penltentiary, and remain behind the bars
for three years.
The Jaw is construed by the members of
the committee to include themselves, and
! prohibits them offering to or accepting
/ contributions from each other. The COM
! Rittee is regarded as responsible for the
acts of its agents under the clause ''direct-
ly or indirectly" and Gen. Hawley is liza
BILE to go to the penitentiary if Secretary
MCPHERSON receives contribution from
the President, from the Chief Justice,
rom any porter in the New York Gus
4 a-rinr in al
vice.
! Thus the committee is "paralyzed." 1t
cannot accept financial assistance from
any man who receives compensation in
/ any form from the government, and the
] National Committee is in the same fix
] The law also applies to Federal officials
! who ara members of the State, county OF
! township political organizations. There
4 is scarcely county in the United States
l in which there is not postmaster serving
! as a member of a. political committee, and
l If another postmaster should subscribe s
I dollar to the expense of the campaign he
4 would be liable 70 $1,000 fine and i'm
| prisonnrent.
| This law applies to the use OF money
l "for any political purpose whatever" and
J includes conventions, torchhght process
! sions, the printing OF posters or the hiring
I of brass bands, not only after the nomina-
Z
! the holding Of conventions.
For example, if any Federal official al
Chicago has contributed anything toward
! paving the expenses of the National Con
I vention, he has committed crime. II
Congressman Robinson, who has been
/ nominated for Secretary OF State of Ohio
1 gives a dollar toward the expenses of the
election, any Federal official who happens
! to be member of the Ohio State Com
mittee can expect to spend the next three
years in the penitentiary at Columbus
and if any Congressional candidates con.
tribute to any committee organized to aid
his reelection, every Federal official who
: belongs to that committee is liable to the
! penalties of the law.
1t will be seen that the law is very
! sweeping and arbitrary, and that al
political committees must henceforth be
| composed of private citizens. Secretary
, 4 Chandler, Senators Logan, Frye, SabiT
: / and Cameron must resign from the Ma
| tional Republican Committee, and mum
I ber of other me nbers of that body, Run
4 nell, OF Iowa; Martin, of Kansas; Stone
I of Michigan; Enos, of Wisconsin. anC
Canady, of North Carolina, must do tn,
I same. There was a good deal of astonish
/ ment in the committee at the disclosure
! and some members proposed to make
test of the law; but the fact that Gen. n
NJ. Curtis, of New York, was fined $l00
1 for a similar offense after contesting th
question in several courts, was not re
! garded as an encouraging precedent