Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-13

selling of public places one other thlng, tue
perversiou, the thwar'ing, the denial, the de-
bauching of the suffrage, then political hon
esty NAV cry aloud in the streets. when
that condition of affairs has set in with the
American people then you have an evil go
colossal that civil-service boards and exam
nations for promotion and appointment are
"mere leather and prunella;' they do NOT
begin to touch the evil; and here we are
confronted in nv own State At any rate. oy
this condition of things. 1t is the first time
in the history of that State that anything OF
this kind has appeared.
| The republican party has not been BY any
means a perfect party; it has not always sue
ceeded in getting the best men to hold us
Offices. but in txenty-four years OF the 40,
minstration of that party OF the general
government with the patronage OF the state
of Maine in its hands, with a Senate to con-
firm always with the exception OF two orlef
wears, have never heard the charge made
that public Office had been sold and mar
keted for money, whether under the guise OF
paving for expenses or paying for MAINTAIN
inc q brokerage in public office; and no man
| 10 the State Of Maine, or out. l venture II
saw, has heard of it. do not know whether
this infamous system has extended to other
States | do not know what the process has
been there. l do not know whether State
committees have taken charge in otner States
Of patronage, and have beat at the doors of
the President and the doors of the depart
ments, demanding that their nat shall be car
ried out TO appointments l do not know
how il has been done in other States l asked
the other day an old employee of the House OF
Representatives, whom l had known in for
mer years of my service there, if good
many members had been here during the
summer. Yes, sir" he said, ''never so
many mostly democrats. He said Il do
not think that the Indiana democrats have left
here at all. 1t appeared as though each was
afraid somebody else would get ahead of him,
and they have been here"
Mr. VOORHEES,. Allow me to say to the
Senator from Maine
The PRESIDENT pro tenn. Does the Sena-
tor from Maine yield?
Mr.. HALE Certainly.
Mr.. VOORHEES,. Allow me to say to the
Senator thai he was keeping com pany at that
time with man who did not tell the truth.
Whether that has been hi. misfortune in re-
gard to other branches of this discussion, or
not. do not know but happen to know
that the statement which he has just enter
tanned the Senate with is absolutely untrue.
Mr.. HALE. | am only giving the state
ment made to me by employe of the other
House; and | was going to say that if the In
diana delegation did-and l do not care
whether they did or did not remain here on
the ground to control patronage-it was an
infinitely better way than it was to select =
man, AS the democratic State committee of
Maine did, and send him on with concentrated
power to distribute the patronage of the gov
erDment among the people of the State of
Maine and if the Senator from Ind ,.n.. pat
ting aside his characteristic modesty in such
matters, consented at the solicitation of has
people to remain here in Warrington, and to
help advise the President and the heads of
departments, better result would have come
out of it, | am sure, than resulted in the
State of Maine.
Now, the question is, What shall be done
in this case? | am not particular. The
papers should go to proper committee, per-
haps that upon civil service, as the case
touches the great question which is commit
ted to that committee, an further investi-
CATION, If need be, made; but | care not
whether it 10 done or not. That letter by the
! chairman of the democratic State committee
of the State of Maine, citing his authority,
giving the discussion upon which it WAS con-
fded to him, and what he did and his intend
ing to exact assessments from men for whom
he had secured appointments to cover ex
penses, tells the whole story. No investiga-
ton can go bryond that The man seems to
be- color-b.nd as to what is or i. not political
morality. He would not be of that import
anc that he is excepting as the representa-
tive of the organization that sent him here
Mr. President have not called up this
matter because care about one of these Of
fees. As | have said, the republicans of
Maine are not dependent upon them, They
made gallant fights years ago when thev had
no patronage. and expect to do it again and to
continue to battle for the cause and for the
principles of the republican party; and |
trust it will not be seen that their numbers
have been essened by the loss of patronage.
They expect under these clamorous demands
of tn democratic party to go out of Office.
but they expect to do it decently and orderly,
aud 1t is a shame t. my State that the system
of brokerage 10 public Office should have been
i will not say inauguratsd there, for | do
not know whether it was inaugurated there or
not, but that it should have been set up and
carried out in this fashion. And when l ask
for the exposure of this do it not in the in
terest of any man who has lost his place; no
man upon whose neck the axe has fallen has
solicited my intervention; but the
fscts furnish such example of the in
sincerity OF the cry of civil-service reform, Of
regarding the wishes of the people, and of
getting pure men from pure sources and upon
examinations into the public service in prop
or wavs, thai deemed it fitting to bring it
before the Senate. have asked the exposure
in the interest of the people of Maine in
Guiding the republican party and the honest
conservative democracy of Maine, and they
are numbered by thousands, who to- day are
shocked and indignant at what has been done
by the leaders of their party.
do not know what will become of this
/ | have little with