The Indianapolis journal., 1886-03-30

ty-three presidential postof1ces that were held
by soldiers have been vacated either by expirar
ton of term, resignation or removal, and that
in these Offices only ten soldiers have been
placed by appointment In other words thirty
three soldiers have gone out and ten have come
In In the whole State Of Indiana have found
that three hundred and sixty-one soldiers and
eleven soldiers widows have gone out and that
ninety soldiers and one soldiers widow have
come in.
Mr.. President when this administration came
in the United States courthouse at Indianapolis
was filed from top to bottom, with single ex-
ception, with soldiers. The United States mar
shall was soldier, now he is mott the United
States district attorney was q soldier, now he is
not; the collector of customs was a soldier, now
he is not; the collector of internal revenue was
soldier, now he Is not. There just one of
the larger Offices there that filed by a civil
ian. and that is the postofice, and it is still filed
by civilian.
am sorry that have not time to go more
fully into this matter. have in my hand the
report of the employment committee of the
Grand Army Of the Republic, for the District of
Columbia, signed by Jerome B. Burke, who,
understand, is Democrat. He is a Democrat,
as the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Logan tells
me. aud Is now the commander of the Grand
Army for this department, the District Of CO.
lumbia want to read extract or two from
that and see what these gentlemen outside of the
departments who give their time gratuitously in
order to secure to worthy soldiers employment
in tie departments here say about the changes
under the new administration
They say
While the employment committee of former years
were principally engaged in securing employment for
applicants and with fair success the present commit
tee have regret to report owing conditions that
will be mentioned hereafter, received but little
couragement proportion to the amount of labor ex
pended in this direction. Indeed this has been an
.off year" for the class we represent. The gloomy
forebod1ngs of Commander Alexander, in his address
to the last department encampment, seem to have
been realized But we have the pleasure of knowing,
however. shat in the few where employment
was secured much real misery relieved and few
homes and hresides made happier.
By far the greatest amount of our labors for the
last year has been in seeking the reinstatement of
comrades discharged from their positions in the
ecutive departments and in endeavorng to the
retention in their places OF those who had employ
ment
As far we can learn there have been seventy eight
comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic dis
charged from government employ during the last
also large number of ex- Union soldiers and sailors
who not affiliated with u.s. and many of the wards
of the Grand Army. Of those comrades who have
been discharged who have been requested to tender
their designations this committee has been solicited
to use its influence in securing reversal of depart
mental actionfn thirty cases. in which have
been successful in ten cases. and this has been effected
only by constant and repeated Importantly
Knowing that many of our comrades were anxious
to the future and fearful that they might lose
their places and thus bring suffering upon themselves
and their families by the loss of their monthly
stpends, and also knowing that there infuen
tal element here that anagonistic to organi
zaton. clamorous for places and endeavoring to in
fuence those in power to make wholesale discharges
caring nothing for the fact that the boys in blue
had earned right to hold their places under any ad
minstration and that Congress had enacted laws in
their interest we concluded to address the President
upon the subject.
Then follows statement of the address and
the response of the President
few weeks elapsed
But in the meantime comrades In the depart
ments being rapidly displaced. and feeling that
to expect, we again concluded to memoriaze the
President and request his official interposition IN their
behalf.
Again:
In the present instance It is known that the dis
charge of comrades has not been occasioned by
reduction of the force is it believed to have been
caused except in instances by any supposed in
efficiency personal dereliction, for it is doubtful
that those who saved nation skulkers, shirks and
bun,mers in these piping times of peace" Nor can
it be said that the civlservce act intended
to place obstruction in the way Of those holding
office at the time of at any time SINCE its passage
provided always that the ofceholder capable. eff
hcient and honest
It is said further:
It is estimated that of the total number of employees
in the DEPARTMENTS in Washin gton the soldier element
is about 30 per cent and it is believed that nearly
from that cass-there is certainly a large percentage
against 1t almost indeed, amounts in some places
to ostracism and practical notification of law.
They say further:
Nor IS this the worst feature OF the case bad as it
may be. Not satisfied with looking with dsfavor upon
the boys in blue" it has sometimes seemed as if the
boys in gray were to be recognized prodiga
returning from their wanderngs for whom the fatted
calf was to be especially devoted. We have
comrade whose army record of the very BEST and
whose rreproaehabe, degraded
from high position that he won by meritorious
ice and his place filed by who in armed rebel
lion against the government
We have had an illustration of that kind even |
in our own State, as my colleague knows Gen.
John Coburn, one of the best and most patriotic
men who went out on the call of the Governor
of that State, has been replaced IN his Office of
associate justice of Montana by Mr.. c. P. Pol |
lard, of Carroll county, Indiana, who was con-
federate soldier.
So much with reference to the last resolution
which the committee have submitted for our
consideration had some other matter in this
connection to which L intended to allude but 1 |
feel that an apology is due to the Senator from
Vermont who has charge of the pending resolu |
tions for the time have already occupied
therefore yield the floor.
Real Estate Transfers,