The Portland daily press., 1884-01-08
inform me at once of the amount you are willing to
contribute, beginning with December, 1888.
Respectfully, etc,
W. S. ODFIJ

W. ,. ODELL,
zoos Street.
Washington, D. c. Dec, 30, 1888
The siguer OF this note is not in e vernment
employment; but this method of soliciting
contributions for party purposes is in plain
violation of the civil service act which pro-
vides, (sectlon 12), that mo person shall, in
any room or building occupied in the dis
charge OF official duties by any officer or en-
pioye OF the United States mentioned in the
act, or in any navy yard, fort or arsenal, Sc
licit, IN any manner whatever, or receive,
any contribution of money or any other
thing of value for any political purpose
whatever
Postmaster-General Gresham has investi-
gated the business ia his department and
finds that the circulars were distributed by
the captain Of the watch in the building.
who says they were handed to him in his
room in The department with request that
he distribute them, but he claims that he
did not know their character The Post
master-General, who, by the way, was
shrewdly omitted in the distribution, is re-
ported to have said 81 am surprised at this
business. 1t is clear violation of the civil
service law in letter and in spirit 1 shall
certainly give it thorough investigation.
Any one concerned in the distribution of
these circulars in my department shall be
punished. OF course 70 one solicited will
contribute cent unless he is so inclined.
am friend of civil service reform, and will
do all in my power to sustain the civil SER
vice laws"
1t will take some time, probably, for those
who have been concerned in the old meth
DDS of raising campaign funds by bleeding
Office holders, to be convinced that they
must resort to other methods. There are
a great many persons who want to believe
and want to persuade others, that the civil
service law means nothing, and that when
the President and other officers of admins
tration have said it should be enforced, they
were insincere, and will wink at any viola
ton which will help the party. We do not.
believe they are insincere, but that, whatever
their individual opinion may have been, they
are sufficiently conscious of the condition of
public sentiment to know that nothing will
more certainly contribute to the defeat of the
Republican party this year than the appear
ance of desire to treat civil service reform
as dead issue. We do not believe any can
didate can be elected President by the Re-
publican party who is considered unsound
on this issue. The men who will vote
against him may not have hope of ac-
cemplishing much by the instrumentality of
the Democratic party; but that consideration
will make but little difference with them.
There are good many civil service reform
ers who consider that issue the most i'm
portant In the national campaign, just as
there are prohibitionists who consider that
issue the most important in state campaigns.
Perhaps they are both unreasonable but
they have to be considered. Any Jay Hub
bellism in the next campaign will ruin it.
Mr. Reed has done well in introducing a
resolution 10 drag the facts of this attempt
to defy the law into the light. Any appear
ance of connlvance at such proceedings on
the part of congressman will be disastrous.
This first bungling scheme ought to be ex-
posed thoroughly, and it ought to be exposed
by Republicans, and condemned by them in
some unequivocal and exemplary manner.