Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-07-31
NUMBER )
The Vermont Collectorship.

Colonel Is. b. Smalley has been made
collector of customs at the port of Bur.
lingtOn and the Democratic party of Yer
mont, so far as known, is now provided
for.
[St Albans Messenger.
Gen. Wells has made an excellent gov
ernment officer. the best in this genera
ton, if one has been better than another
| His administration has been conducted
upon business principles strictly and no
other reason is assigned for his removal
| than that he is thorough going and
straig ight-out Republican. Mr. Smalley has
earned the position by the stand he has
| taken in his party and is entitled to it ON
| the ground of superior qualification His
| father, Judge Smalley, was collector for
many years previous to his appointment
! to the judgeship, and his son, Bradley b.,
| became well acquainted with It's duties
| His Office has since been in the custom
house building, and through his associa-
tions with the customs officials and his
duties as clerk of the United States Dis
trlct Court Col. Smalley will start in
more than ordinarily well posted His
appointment may not be entirely consist
ent with civil service REFORM" but is
quite consistent with the National Demo
cratic victory Mr. Smaley was thorough
ly Il war Democrat whose patriotism was
superior to his party. He has always been
a good citizen and defender of the Amer
lean government under all circumstances.
From the Rutland Herald
In the last presidential campaign all the
federal officers exhibited more than or
dinary interest in the campaign, not to
the extent of attending conventions or
work at the polls but to the extent of at
tending the public meetings and Joining
in the political parades of the party. If
this he offensive partiSanship. then Gen.
Wells was partisan, but in the sense of
using his authority and influence to or
ganiZe meetings and eNtOrt contributions
! or morally bulldoae voters through his
a subordinates, Gen. Wells has not been
. partisan at all, but quiet man, devoting
himself to the efficient discharge of his
legitimate business duties as collector
Hon. b. b. Smalley, who succeeds Gen.
T. Wells, Is his personal friend, and is one of
> the brightest and most popular men in
" Vermont. As Il business man, and as Il
lawyer armed with large knowledge and
clear understanding of the federal law,
gained in his long experience as clerk and
/ attorney of the United States court Mr..
1t Smalley cannot fail to make an
excellent officer. Many Republicans
= and Democrats hold that the Pres
d ident appointed Mr.. Smalley in salts
faction of his own strong regard
t for him as personal friend, who was a
Il most influential Cleveland partisan at
Chicago, where the opposition to the Pres
. ldents nomination was most obstinate and
81 bitter to the last. Another class of Re
- publicans and Democrats in Burlington
l. believe that the removal of Gen Wells
"a against whom no charges of offensive
,e partlSanShlp save as a subterfuge can fair
Il ly lie, Is signal OF surrender on the part
of the President to the professional politi-
l. clans they believe the President was sin
1T cere III his Curtis letter and his inaugural
n that he has honestly resisted pressure for
al removals like that of Gen. Wells, but that
the impact of the whole party has beco me
le too strong to be resisted; that the
m threatened loss of Ohio and New York
k has persuaded the President at last to
Is lower his flag to the reinonstrances of the
party leaders. The appointment, how
e, ever, is not large one from IA National
,e point of view, and would hardly be select
,e ed to mark any change of policy Mr..
,s Smalley has suffered some severe financial
ne losses through the famous Bradley Bar
low failure; he is the nephew of Mr.
" Barlow and was on his paper for IA large
= amount; Mr.. Smaley's health is not the
~, most robust; neither his own domestic
y tastes nor those of his family incline him
n to leave Vermont for public Office at
" Washington or abroad, and the 5000
y annual emouments of the Burlington
custom house would be as good as double
r. that income in Washington or foreign
of public life. The collectorship is the most
Id considerable federal office in the State
,r, Gen. Wells's commission had three wears
e to run, and it happened that there was not
100 even clear case of offensive PARTISAN
ship" to warrant his decapitatlon. The
in removal was in fact a representative
Is instance of the partisan kind of operation
% made the occasion of IA battle between the
adj Senate and the President Some people
to think that Mr.. Edmuuds will take up the
he cudgels in the matter, and if he does there
will of course be good many other SINH
at lar cases involved, and tolerably lively
no. war
X tFrom the Troy Tines
rs In appointing Bradley b. Smalley to be
collector of the port of Burlington, VT,
ed the Cleveland administration has given an
of other indication of the sort of civil service
he principles which controls its policy. Per
lr- sonally Mr.. Smalley is a clever fellow and
genial gentleman, but politically he is one
We of the most offensive of partisans, accord
W ing to the standard pretentiously set up
,t by President Cleveland. He is one of the
n most energetic Democratic workers of the
State, secretary of the National committee
and has for a long period had finger in
m every political pie that was baked. He
OF has, Notwithstanding his politics, been
ST. able to hold on to the comfortable Office OF
re- clerk in the United States district court
X for twenty years or more, a fact which we
Is commend to the attention of civi-service
reform theorists. Mr. Smalley displaces
ad Gen. William Wells, a man who, though
De- "A Republican, has never been a working
ut politician. Gen, Wells is friend of Sena
ed tor Edmunds and has made an excellent
'as official. 1t is doubtful whether the
ed change would have been made had not
nd Mr. Edmunds's absence from the country
SIS. given Smalley an opportunity to get the
Presidents ear without protest from the
Vermont senator. As it is Mr.. EdmundS
may have something to say not very flat
tering to Mr.. Smalley when the appoint
IN ment shall come up in the Senate fol
in confirmation
as [Boston Transcript, Ind
President Cleveland surrendered tC
ol pressure in making b. b. Smalley, the
,ut Democratic leader of Vermont, collector
iiSS' of Burlington, vice-General Wells whom
lS nobody believes to have been guilty o
partisanshIp where he resides SmalleN
poses as the Democratic party of Vermont
His appointment will not bring a vote t'
he the Nermont petmiiocracy, out VIII sum sum
mr. majorities. Nobody has been or will b,
benefited by Smalley's appointment eX
Z cept himself and "A few officers he ma!
be designate, and nothing will be affected b!
OF it except his standing as "bOss. " Senate