The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-07
CHAIRMAN BROWN.
Mr.. Haie's Speech in the United
States Senate.


for Republicans expected that but he
showed that the greater part of these were
cases where the postmasters have been APP
pointed against the wishes of majority of
| the users of the office. He also read Browns
letter asking for contributions and one to
the Portland Argus defending himself,
which Mr. Hale pronounced ''the most ex-
| traordinary eXculpation ever heard of The
Republican party is not perfect" he said,
''but in its twenty-four years of power pub
lie offices were never matter of public
| SALE
| Senator Vest and VOORHEES, replied, but
they made no sufficient answer to Mr.. Hales
points, and their speeches practically
amounted to you're another; if we have
done this, so have YOU
The matter was referred to the committee
| on civil service and retrenehment.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-The chair laid be-
| fore the Senate a letter from the Postmaster
| General complying with the call of q recent
| resolution in respect to the appointment of
postmasters in Maine alleged to have been
| procured through the influence of S. S.
| Brown, chairman of the Democratic State
| Committee of that State.
The communication having been read, Mr..
| Hale said that before it went to the country
he desired to say few words with regard to
| it. 1t was every day becoming the belief of
| the people, he said, that the civil service of
the government should not be the result of
| party service. Above all, the country de-
! sired that we should have pure civil ser
| vice. There should be ne faint of a bargain
and sale about it. All parties had recog-
nized this and the party rallying cries had
been based on this thought. But the rally
ing cries of the Democrats had become to be
Turn the rascals out" which could only
mean that if rascals were in Office they
| should be turned out.
A singular state of affairs, Mr. Hale con-
| tinued, had arisen in Maine within the last
! six months. There were only few large Of
| fees in that State-but 81 Presidential post
ofices-but there were several hundred
fourth class ones. No department of the
| government came so near the people as the
Post Office Department. and no department
| was more interested in pure adminiStra
| ton. When President Cleveland came into
Quoted. He (Mr. Halle made no appeals for
the men who had been turned out, for the
Republicans had expected to go out. The
clamor of the Democrats for offices had been
so great that they expected to go, but the
administration had taken conservative
course and the President, though pressed to
make a general sweep of poStmasters in
Maine had declined.
But the people of many places had awoke
some morning in Maine and found that per-
wanted and nobody recommended in one
case. 1t was also found that the chairman of
the Democratic committee, Mr.. S. S. Brown,
had given up his law practice, closed his
office and had come to Washington to attend
to the distribution Of patronage under the
civil service system. Mr.. Hale acquitted the
Postmaster General of any endorsement of
Brown. Brown had come to Washington
endorsed by the Democratic party or its
committee. The Postmaster General had
turned the matters Of appointments over to
his assistant, who relied on Mr.. Brown. But
the Postmaster General had not made COM
plete answer to the resolution of the Senate.
Mr. Hale had received letters from Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike complaining of
the new state of affairs.
Mr.. Hale here read several letters, one
saying that the people had sent the Post
master General petition signed by S4 per-
sons praying for the appointment of a per-
son, who, however, was not appointed
When Mr.. Hale came to Washington, one of
Browns letters was handed to him (Hale)
and it was the letter which became
the basis of the present inquiry. He had
made the inquiry for the purpose of putting
before the Senate full information on the
subject. Out of 100 of the largest post Of
fees in Maine, it now seemed that Mr..
Brown had recommended 81 of the new APP
pointments.
Mr.. Hale read what he termed the most
extraordinary eXculpatOry letter ever heard
of, the letter of Mr. Brown to the Portland
Argus, stating among other things that the
Democratic committee of Maine and Brown
had arranged that persons who should re-
ceive appointments should pay something's
for the expenses incurred in their behalf,
and also stating that he Brown had secured
large number of appointments to post Of
fees. Mr.. Hale referred to the severe denun-
citation which, on a former occasion, had
been expressed by Mr. Beck, in the Senate
at a circular issued by the Republican COM
mittee's chairman, calling merely for volun-
tary contributions. What was the assur-
ance of such a circular compared to the con-
dition of affairs shown by the facts in this
case The one may have muddied water,
but the other poisoned the fountain. The
Republican party had not always been per
feet, but in a years Mr.. Hale had never
heard that public offices had become matters
of public sale. Mr. Hale had heard from an
employee of the House of Representatives
that there had never been in the summer
season more Democrats in Washington than
during the past summer, and that the 1ndi-
ana Democrats had not gone home at all.
Mr.. Voorhees, remarked that when Mr..
Hale was so told he (Hale) was keeping COM
pany with a man who did not tell the truth.
Mr.. Voorhees, warmly denied the truth of
the statement saying that of his personal
knowledge it was untrue
Mr.. Hale said he did not care whether it
was true or not though if the Senator from
Indiana, (Mr. Voorhees, had remained here
at the suggestion of his constituents to look
after their interests it would not have been
a case at all like that under consideration.
Mr.. Hale believed he spoke for honest con-
sentative Democrats of Maine, in denoun-
cling the course pursued by the Democratic
committee of Maine, and by Mr. Brown.
Mr.. Vest said it was impossible that the
administration should know every man who
solicited an office. If he Vest had his way
he would make it a misdemeanor for any
man to solicit an office. Ithad become sort
of common law in both parties for men to
recommend people for office. Was the Post
master General to go to the Republicans for
recommendations Mr.. Vest characterized
Mr.. Hale'S position as mere cant. But for
the Democratic successes of 1882 there never
would have been civil service law passed
by the Republican party. Civil service bills
had been in the Senate for years without at
tention until the prospects of Democratic as
cendancy became clear to the Republicans.
Mr.. Hale said that had nothing to do with
the question under debate
Mr.. voorhees, said the facts seemed to be
that three presidential postmaSters and some
other minor poStmaSterS had been changed
by the present administration. 1t seemed to
Mr.. voorhees, that that simply showed that
not as many changes had been made in the
postoffices of Maine as the people had by
their votes last fall intended should be made
by the administration. He voorhees, SYM
pathiZed with the Republican postmaSters
who had been turned out, but they would get
used tot after while as the Democrats have
got used to it. Mr. Voorhees, was not here
to defend Brown. He thought Mr.. Hale had
done service to the Democracy by exposing
such a man. But Mr.. Hale supposed he
could make an impression to the country
that the Democracy of the United States ia
vored the course pursued by Mr.. Brown, Mr.
Voorhees, differed from Vest in one thing.
He (Vaorhees) was willing to put in power
and office the men who had helped to elect
Democrats. He believed it to have been the
intention of the trainers of the constitution
that the government should be administered
by friends of the administration Whic the
people should place in power.
Mr.. Vest said the Senate had been and for
part of the time every committee was in
the hands of the Republicans.
Mr.. Hoar did not wish to claim that up to
the time stated either party was especially in
favor of the civil service BILL from which the
civil service cause was a growth. The Demo-
cratic platform on which Mr.. Cleveland had
been elected had declared for that cause.
Mr.. Vest said President Cleveland had
considerably endeavored to carry out every
particle of the pledge made by him to the
people of the United States before his cleo
tion, and he Vest was astonished that any
complaint of him in that regard should come
from Republicans. It was certain that much
complaint had come from the Democrats be-
cause he had not made removals enough.
The debate then closed and on motion of
Mr. Hale the communication of thA PoStmaS