The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-11-19
THE NEW YORK wEIGHER.

which has under it the control of several
hundred clerks, laborers, ETC., excited the
cupidity of the spoils-hunters and ward
bosses in the dominant party, and Col
Bacon, who had held the Office since Gen.
Grants first term, and had given exceptional
satisfaction to the business men of New
York, was removed to make place for a
man named Sterling, a leading saloon-keeper
of Brooklyn, an Alderman, and influential
ward-politician. The leading papers of New
York-Republican, Democratic and Mug
wump-denounced the appointment, and
Rdrper'S Weekly cruelty printed the pictures
of the old and new Weigher side by side,-the
thoughtful, intelligent, refined face of the
Union soldier showing in splendid contrast
with the heavy -jawed mug" of the "man
of inflOOence in his ward"
President Cleveland, upon the facts being
presented to him, directed the suspension of
Mr.. Sterling, and the Office was declared to
come under Civil Service Rules. Mr.. Ster-
ling surprised everybody by deciding to COM
pete for the place under the rules, and he
bore the examination in way that excited
still further surprise. His penmanship was
excellent, and in some other branches he was
fair. OF the 10 who appeared before the Ex-
aminers, 80 received a rating above the
minimum of 65. Sterling's rating was only
6904, and he stood Odd on the list of the so
who passed, or very near the foot of the
class.
To the delight of the old soldiers the five
veterans who were among the competitors
stood at the head of the list, and at the head
of these was John w. O'Brien, disabled
comrade of the Goth n. Y, whose rating was
1892.
The usual practice has been for the Board
Of Examiners to certify the four highest on
the list to the appointing power from which
to make a selection, but such was the desire
to give Sterling every chance to get the ap-
pointment that it was decided to certify the
whole so who had been rated at 65 and over
to the Collector, and the following commu-
nication was sent to the Examiners:
The Civil Service Commission has to-day directed
the Board of Examiners at New York to certify to
the Collector, in the case OF the examination for
weigher, the whole number at once of those found
eligible for appointment, placing the disabled SOL
diers first, in the order of their grades.
The strongest pressure was brought to
bear upon the Collector in favor of Sterling
by the class of politicians of whom Boss Nc
Laughlin is the head, and it was confidently
asserted that he would be appointed. The
right of the Collector to appoint any one he
pleased who was on the list was asserted
just as vigorously as a few weeks ago it was
denied that the Brooklyn officials had any
right to 60 a few numbers down the list to
promote ex-sOldiers from firemen to foremen
The matter came to a conclusion on last Fri
day by the writing of the following letter:
CUSTOM House, COLLECTORS OFFICE,
NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 1885
The Hon. Daniel Manning. Secretary Of the Treas
uTy, Washington, d. c.:
SIR The Board of Commissioners of Civil Serv-
ice having determined, with the approval of the
President that the office of Weigher is not within
the exemptions under Rule 49, as had been their
prior decision, and an examination having taken
place under the order issued therefor by the Com
mission and the entire list of applicants who sue
cessfally passed having been certified to me- by
which it appears that John w. O'Brien obtained
the highest grading given to any candidate, and
further that he has been honorably discharged from
the military service of the United States, and be-
lieving that he possesses the business capacity
necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of
the Office of Weigher, in pursuance of Section
175i, of the Revised Statutes above quoted, which
provides that such persons shall be preferred for
the appointment. therefore nominate the said
John w. OBrien for the said Office of Weigher.
Very respectfully, your obedent servant,
E. L. HEDDEN, Collector,
Comrade O'Brien, the lucky competitor,
was born in New York in 1888, graduated
in 1856 from st. Xavier College in that city
in August, 1861, enlisted in Co. C, Goth N.
Y, and was so severely wounded in the left
leg at the Antietam that he went to the hos
pital for several months and was never able
to rejOin his regiment. In 1868 he was one
of some 40 clerks appointed by the Govern
ment from among wounded soldiers, and
since then he has been almost continually
in Government employ, making good rec
ord in every situation he occupied. He has
been an earnest and active Democrat all the
time. He is very popular with all who
know him, and soldiers everywhere are de-
| lighted with his well-deserved success
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND TEMPER
| ANCE.
The cause of temperance in this country
is about to receive powerful ally in the
shape of the entire Catholic Church. Here.
| tofore, while the church has taught temper
ance in the abstract, and individual priests
and bishops have thrown their personal in.
fiuence against liquor-selling and liquor.
drinking, the church has taken nosuch stand
on the matter as the Methodist, United
Brethren, Presbyterian and other denomi
nations have. At the Plenary Council helC
in Baltimore last Fall, this matter was thor