New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-09
M4GONE,S TRE1TMEST or SICK EMPLOYEES

NE wIrHHoLDs THEIR SALARIES DURING ILLNESS
AND THREATENS TO DISCHARGE THEM
Tho action Collector Macone in stopping payment
Of the salaries due TO Custom House Officers Samuel
MINES and Charles CHASER The ground that absence
through sickness was sufficient excuse for his action
and his subsequent threat to discharge tho ren Should
they prove lnvestigat TO be unable to attend
10 their duties through Illness has aroused the iDdgna
ton of all Grand Army irrespective OF political
opinion well that OF many cifizens who are not
connected with that organization. His treatment
OF he themselves, and of he gentlemen Who intcr
cedcd in their behalf, Is sgmatized on all sides az
harsh and arbitrary and contrary to all precedent In
the management Of the Custom House.
Thomas b. Odcll, the lawyer who waited on Col
lector Magone I'm company with General Day, was
at his Office recently. and in rcfcrcntc to tho
case said The two mon. samuel Minnos and Charles
CHASER, both served through tho war and were both
wounded and contracted sickness In the service from
the effects of which thoy now suffering, and both
have been in the customs service for the past twenty
years without having had a single report made against
them In social o their records equally spotless
and although this was urged upon Collector MaGone
reason for a reconsideration of his hasy action,
1t Is not the ground upon which we clanel the rights
Of the men 10 their salary.
The true facts of the that they applied for
their January salary February By sending mes
scnsois to the auditor at the Custom House, both
being unable To leave home through sickness. The
auditor was personally willing TO Pay them, but was
stopped Icy tho advice OF Deputy Collector McCclland,
who IS also chief Of tho Law Department. General
Day ard myself called the auditor on behalf OF tho
men, and were treated by that officer with courtesy,
but he referred Collector MagOne, at whose hands
we did not fare we'll. The Collector abruptly said
that tho not entitled to their pay. and We
showed him that In of a similar nature, officers
had received clr salaries for tme OF absence through
Illness untfr Collector ltcddenS and previous I'd
minlstf aiOns. At las after reading the letter which
he had ey ed. aud which he thought wa Clnchng
argument against claim, tho Collector lost his
temper entirely. The letter no produced only pro
hibed The payment Of salaries To who were abSons
leave who voluntarily a,scnicd themselves
from duty: 1t said nothing about sickness, and the
Collector evidently hal not read II carefully before
firing this, he thought, fatal shot at We
pointed out the omission of sickness cause for
stopping mems pay, and he abruptly closed tho con
ference"
General Day was at his place OF business,
and cOrrobOracd tho above, adding There Is no
law which stops a mans pay In such cases. The
bat We claim that disabled by sickness are In
voluntarily absent, and preeedents In favor
Mr.. Odcll and myself treated Collector Magone with
every respect, and urged him not TO take such exrone
measures with two such worthy mon Is these I'M
doubleday arc. but he said in most brusquc, and
dlscouiteous manner, 81 will investigate these cases
and ii the really sick Will discharge thcn
and be further stated that he wanted TO FL their places
with men In good health. lie added that the Custom
House as not a pension Office aud the men must be
provided for olsew hero.'