The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-07-29
REPUBLICANS IN AND OUT-THE
DIFFERENCE.

The Republicans are severely exercised be-
cause the present administration removes
few of their members from office. They
stigmatize such removal as unprecedented
and scandalous IT'S indeed unprecedented,
since this is the first chance the Democracy
has had at them. They have no right to
complain of this want of precedent. The
fault is their own. BY bold usurpation in
1877, and by gross frauds in $780, they de-
prived the Democracy OF opportunity to give
them and the country good healthy prece-
dents, for want of which they now COM
plain. To complain under such circum-
stances is the only scandalous thing in the
case.
Truth is mighty and will prevail. Did Re-
publicans never turn Democrats out of office?
Look at their conduct in single Office
Custom-house, Philadelphia. As soon as
Mr.. Lincoln was known to be elected, mot
ley crowd of them gathered in and about
that office from November until the follow
ing spring, seeking information, not of the
duties of any position, but as to the various
salaries paid there and they eagerly be-
sought the officers, in semi-confdential
tones, to let them know which were the
best places for 'Pickings and Stealings."
Such was their very language. Mr.. Lincoln
soon appointed a low-rate demagogue,
known as Bill Thomas as collector of the
port. He was as well qualified for the office
as SanChO PanZa was to be a Governor. His
induction into the Office was the signal for
terrible scramble. The like was never seen
in that office before, nor has it been since.
Many of the scramblers were almost killed
by the suffocation and crush. They yelled
for life. Some more bold than Others
mounted the dense mass and crawled, a la
cat to the Collectors room, over the heads
of their fellows. The new Collector sat in
state like mogul with guards to keep the
crowd back, and his smiling countenance
showed his JOY in contemplating the scene
before him, and the fact that he was the
prince to whom that bowling mob paid
court. This scene continued for few days,
at the end of which every officer-1OO@ 200
had been summarily elected. There was
no such nonsense as requesting anyone to
send in his resignation. The hyenas were
too hungry for that tedious process. Many
of the old officers were non-partisans and
Wings, and had held their positions through
administrations of different parties, because
of their superior character and fitness. But
they, as well as the Democrats, were all ruth
lessly elected. The new appointees
were like their chief incompetent This he
sought to remedy by large increase of the
force having two or three to do the
work that but one old officer had done. Still
the work of his Office was at a halt. lie
humbly beSought some old Democratic Off
GERS to return and extricate him and teach his
subordinates their duties. They took pity
on him and did so.
Pickings and stealings being the great con-
Germ of the new set, they, of course, soon be-
gan to steal The Collectors brother-in-law
was one of them and he fled with over SGO,-
600 of Government funds. For a time the
Collector made good the steal to the Govern
ment, and then got Republican admistra-
ton to keep him there with an enactment to
reimburse the amount to him. The title of
the bill should have been, "To make good
certain steal to the stealers."
As was their action in this officer-a clean
sweep, so it was throughout the country.
Such a clean sweep, a speedy sweep, and
then an absolute prescription, were never
known in this country before. Now they
howl because few of their immense num-
Der of officers, still IN, have to yield their
places A Democrat tolerated in office by
Republicans would DC q curiosity. Where
can such be found?