Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-08-07
THE COLLECTORSHIP.
Comments of the Vermont Press.
Manchester Journal

Double b. Smalley has been appointed
collector of the district of Vermont, Gen.
Wells being removed for offensive par
tisanship." The people of Vermont who
know anything about Gen. Wells and the
business of his office are satisfied that
the charge is false. Gen. Wells has never
neglected his official business for any cause
and has not taken an active part in poll
tics since his appointment to the office.
They are also satisfied that Smalley has
been appointed as Il reward for political
services. They will now watch with some
curiosity to see whether Smalley will re-
sign his position as political boss of the
party in the State, or whether he will con
tinue to spend three-fourths of his time in
Washington attending to the claims of the
hungry. This is a civil service reform
administration with vengeance.
burlington Independent. DEM
Gen. Wells has held the Office for many
years, and has given general satisfaction.
His work was well done. When he en-
tered the office there were many things at
loose ends, but all was speedily put in
good working condition and has remained
SO ever since, and yet Notwithstanding all
this his most sanguine political friends
even, have not claimed that he has devel-
oped any such talent or special genius in
the office as made it all doubtful but what
another, in case of his death or removal,
could be found to do the work as well as
he had done it. He has, however, been a
reasonably popular official, While Mr..
Smalley has been clerk of court his
office has constantly been in the same
building occupied by the collector,
and he has always been on good terms
with the collector BY virtue of his posi-
ton of clerk he has been familiar with all
the cases in court relating to customs,
rules, regulations and laws. In addition
to this we suppose is to be generally con
coded that Mr.. Smalley's executive capaci-
ty is equal to that of almost any man in
the State-certainly not exceeded by that
of Gen. Wells. AS a whole, then, the
chances are that the duties of the Office are
likely to be done as creditably as in years
past-and that the department will gain
rather than lose in efficiency by the
change.
IN. Y. Commercial Advertiser.l
The appointment of Bradley b. Smalley
to be collector of the port of Burlington
VT, in place of William Wells, is likely tc
attract no little attention in political cir
cles. 1t appears that, though Mr.. Wells
Is Republican, he is anything but par
tisan, his energies being habitually de
voted to his Office rather than to politics
Mr. Smalley, on the other hand, is secre
tary of the Democratic National com
mittee, and is as offensive Il partisan as
can readily be found. The rule in botl
parties is, as is well known, to select pro
nounced partisans for the officers of the
working committees, and Mr. Smalley's
performances last year showed that nt
mistake was made in selecting him a.
secretary of the National committee. III
its way his appointment is nearly as often
sive as that of Mr.. Higgins. Smalley Is t
bad type of the practical politician, while
the man he succeeds is noted, rs we hav'
e,nt. &c.. a. and
ance of everything likely to displease thos,
who believe in honest civil service reform
Mr.. Cleveland, we fear, has in this ap
pointment, made another mistake.