Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-10-09
CARL SOHURZ HONEST MAN.
Probably Guilty Of the Meanest Act
Of Dishonesty Ever Performed by
An Official in this Country.

In recent speech Carl Schurz
vouched for Grover Cleveland as san
able man, an honest man, strikingly
honest man and civil service reform
er, and called on his hearers to vote
for him because of his personal hon
esty and pure character ! In this con-
nection We would like to ask Mr.. Carl
Shurz few plain questions.
A mans personal honesty can only
be judged by his actions, and the test
is just as infallible in little matters as
in great. If he is dishonest in small
things he will be dishonest in great
things When Cleveland abandoned
learned profession to be sheriff Of
Buffalo, the newsboys visited him
New Years morning and left copies
Of the annual addresses of their pa
pers. He patted them on the head
and gave them quarter each, and
then charged the donations to the
tax payers of the county, as appears
by the following entry in his accounts
with the county Of Erie: Jan. l,
l872.-Paid carrier-b boys Of Courier,
Commercial and Post 25 cents each,
IS cents.
This is little matter, but its very
Iittleness is what makes it significant.
Probably a meaner act was never per-
formed by an official in this country.
Is this what Carl Schurz calls strik-
ingIy honest act?
The New York law says that the
Sheriffs shall have for attendance upon
any court So per day AS the easiest
way of making out his bill, Cleveland
took the court calendars, counted all
the days that the three courts were in
session, and charged them up at So
per day for each court In this way,
notwithstanding vacations In one year
he got in 863 days attendance, for
which he flched $3.50 out of the
taxpayers.
Nearly every charge which he made
while Sheriff had to be cut down by
the Supervisors because it was either
extravagent or unlawful, and therefore
dishonest. In the first year of his
term, instead of turning the fines
which he collected into the Treasury
he put them in his own pocket. Is
this what Mr.. Carl Schurz call .shon-
esty %?
Sheriff Davidson of New York
city and Commissioner Thompson
were presented and their removal de-
demanded by the Legislature as
guilty of malfeasance in ohice-the
one for misappropriating fees in a
notorious manner, and the other for
Systematically violating the laws re-
lative to contracts, so that the city
has been robbed Of thousands Of dol
lars. Yet both Of these rascal8 have
been kept in Office by ''honest" Cleve-
land in disregard of the Indictment.
Davidson was an active delegate in
Cleveland's behalf in the Chicago
Convention and Thompson is the
chief manager in the campaign. Is
this what Carl Schurz calls ''honegty"
and cleanliness
While Cleveland was Sheriff of
Erie County he hanged two men. We
have nothing to say to the taste of
Cleveland in voluntarily playing a
role which is repugnaut to any man of
ordinary susceptibilities. 1t was not
necessary for him personally to have
hanged them as the laws of New York
merely provides that he shall see that
Malfactovs are hanged. Either, there
fore, he choked them to death himself
because he enjoyed it in which case he
is brute, or he hanged to get the
large fees for that service, in which
case he is no less brute But. not
content with performing such a revolt
ing act for the sake Of the fees, he
overcharged the county $3.50. Is
this what Mr.. Carl Schurz calls hon
esty?
During Cleveland term as Govern
or two Democratic contractors, Jnem-
bers of the Albany Phalanx, put in
a,