The Washington bee., 1890-06-07
MATT. O'BRIEN.

an employee in the Brooklyn Ma
Wv ward is to be dismissed because
1t has been discovered that he
was a seaman on the Privateer
Alabama. The attention of Pres
ident Harrison is respectfully
called to one Matt 0'Brien, su-
pervising inspector of steam yes
sells, tenth district, headquarters
at New Orleans O'Brien was
appointed by ex-President Cleve-
land, April 29'h, '85 aud was con
frmed by the Senate, March 18th
SO, and has held the Office of Su-
pervising Inspector continually
up to the present day. The re-
tention in office of Matt O'Bric n
by a republican administration
is giving wide dissatisfaction
among the republicans of the
tenth supervising district which
embraces the states Of Louisiana,
Alabama, Texas, Florida, Missis-
sippi and Georgia. The appoint
ment of Matt O'Brien, by Mr..
Cleveland was herslded by the
democratic press of the city of
New Orleans as being a distinc-
tive recognition of bis "distin-
guished services on the Aiaba-
ma," a rebel pirate craft that
wrought much havoc amnng the
merchant marine during the late
war, destroying millions of prop
erty of loyal American citi-
zens.
This appointee Of Democratic
President who has held office un-
der a republican administration
fourteen months, and who desire
to continue do so, Is the self same
individual who started out in
April 1861, on the pirate craft
"Sumpter" as au assistant engI-
neer with Raphael Semmes, af-
terward served as assistant engi-
neer on the Alabama" under the
same commander and when that
vessel was destroyed 10y the
plucky "Kersage" he became chief
engineer of another pirate craft,
the Shenandoah" aud continu-
ed in his practical work for four
months after the close of the war
during which later period the
whaling fleets in the Behring sea
and other waters were destroyed
by this rebel cruiser propelled by
the skill and ingenuity of Matt
UBrien. These three rebel cruis-
ers destroyed more than $4,000
900 of American commerce
capturing, burning aud destroy
ing 123 American vessels with
their cargoes and causing Us
Amer can vessels to be sold and
TO sail under the English flag
See Sharks history of the Confed-
crate Navy, 2. p, 1872 to 819.
Autographs of these rebel cruis-
ers adorn the walls of the office of
Matt O'Brien In the New Orleans
Custom House, and are referred to
by him with much pride On all
occacions of visits by his friends
and admirers.
The first official act of Super
vising Inspector O'Brien was to
remove good and efficient local
inspectors OF steamboat boilers and
mills because they were republi-
cans and replace them with men
who were appointed on their dem
ocratic records, without regard to
qualification or fitness, aud these
local inspectors, ten in number,
each drawing salary Of $4,000
per annum are still holding their
office by virtue o. the retention of
OBrien as Supervising Inspector.
After the close of the war Matt
OBrieN settled in Louisiana as a
RECONSTRUCTED and repentant"
southern pirate, took very con-
spicuous part with the Louisiana
State ARTILLERY on the 14th of
September, 1874, riots in the city
of New Orleans, when brave re-
publlcaus were moved down bv
the deadly missils from gatllng
guns manned by rioters. O'Brien
was actively engaged in The last
national campaign as an offensive
partisan" O'Brien declared in
bis stump speech that no South
ern born white man who voted
the republican ticket Harrison
and MortOn) was fit to be a citi>
zen of the United States. The
seaman lex -pirate) referred to BY
the Baltimore Herald, ought to
60 and so should Matt O'Brien
the ex-pirate chief engineer.
What says our loyal, patriotic,
able and popular Secretary of the
Traas,,,r,2