South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-05-09
Letter from Washington.
From Osr Regular Correspondent.
Washington, ID. c., Nav 5.

oShhn 8sVus ~ We, NAY De
Mr.. Walter Evans idea of civil!
service reform is embraced in the re.
mark made by him, scmi-officialIy, to
the effect thar no man has a right to
be in antagonism with the admins.
tration under which he holds official
position. This idea, entertained by
the Commissioner of Internal Reven-
ne, is doubtless harbored in the minds
Of many another Republican official
who is working up Mr.. Arthur's
boom, and compelling his subordina-
ties to do the same, though their pre-
terences may be all in different Iii.
rcction. 1t would be exhilerating to
know just how many of the pledged
Arthur delegates to the Chicago shake
up are not figuring in some capacity
or other upon the Government pay.
rolls. & how many of them will swear
that they were never for Arthur in
the event of his discontinue, but
were always for the other fellow who
is successful. But what I was going
to particularly remark about, is the
anomalous manner in which the chief
taihs of the Grand Old Party are con.
Quoting their preliminary skirmish
for Il nomination. There never was
such an era of heightened back biting.
such a season OF polite mud singing,
and such campaign generally OF
political slop-work. Though the
country will be the gamer from the
exposures made by these despatched
statesmen against one another, it is
humiliating in the extreme that there
should have been SO long lease of
political depraviiy that has had no
check through legal conviction or
punishment through the forms of law.
The evidence thus far adduced in
the Kellogg case would be most dam
aging were the culprit any other than
Kellogg, but in land where courts
are organized to acquit, who shall say
that the jury shall be compelled to
give weight to any amount or charaT :
ter Of testimony What n terrific
mountain OF evidence was piled up a.
gainst the Star-route cabal, and how
easily was it all swept aside through
the agency OF political influence The
point blank testimony OF Price in the
case OF Kellogg, starts him out with
$50, 900 receive for his influence rs
a Senator in the expediting of two
routes In LOUISIANA and Texas. Price
dared not, or at any rate did not APP
proach Brady with his money, but he
boldly went to Kellogg and offered
him the $4,000 to boss the job with
Brady, which Kellogg agreed to do,
and finally did do to the eminent sat
isfactlon of Price whose pay was then
increased from S2,733 to $28,4O3 on
one route, and from $3.50 to S22,-
367 on the other. 1t will probably
not disturb the serenity of Mr.. Brady
to be advised that Price swears that
this money was to be divided between
himself and kellogg, and it only re-
mains to lie discovered from the testi.
mony of Mr.. Walsh, the broker in the
case, whether the money was so paid,
and II SO paid-what are you going
to do about it? l don't know what
the line of Kellogg's defence Is to be,
but it Is highly probably that his coun.
sci will contend that it was perfectly
legitimate transaction throughout,
and will place his client upon the
country with the plea that they ali
do it.
And what q power there is behind
a politician after he gets up among
the high muck a-mucks Of the party
Here is Sabin, of Minnesota, who was
never he. rd OF until last fall, furnish
ing to the country 4 successor to Knox,
Comptroller of tie Currency, in the
Person of another man who was never
heard of or heard from. although his
name is Cannon. The responsibility
that attaches to this Office of Comp
troller is simply undesirable, and
the men are few who possess the re.
quisite capacity for discharge of the
vastly important trusts involv ed in it.
Mr.. Cannon may be most excellent
man FOR the position, but the business
men OF the country, and ticularly
the men who run the National banks,
would much prefer to know some
thing OF the man who is TO boss the
finan ces of this great Nation.
The movement in behalf of revens
ne reform inaugurated in New York
the other dag, has done much toward
encouraging Mr.. Morrison in pushing
his bill to speedy, if not completely
successful conclusion. There is no
installing the fact that the present
majority IN the House are going to
DO their part toward tightening the
burdens upon the people by reducing
to the lowest possible limit those taxes
that have been imposed by reason of
The war. 1t is matter of detail only
upon which the Democratic members
are disagreed, for Mr.. Randall him.
self has repeatedly declared himself in
favor of the identical propositions en-
bodied III the New York resolutions.
No one knows any better than Mr..
Morrison, that human ingenuity is not
capable of devising measure that
will subseree every local interest in
the country, and if Ohio wool and
Pennsylvania pigiron and Louisiana