St. Paul daily globe., 1892-10-28
IT HAS CONE TO THIS,


man and hears the ominous hiss, Your
money or your lOb!'
Thomas III. Carter holds the pestle
and, unless the force of public opinion
or the stringency of the law stay his
hand he will bray in the mortar of
Campaign Necessities every employe of
the United States government and, by
that same alchemy which changed him
from paltry Swindier to the manager
of a national political campaign, he will
convert the healt's blood of the servants
OF the government into shining dollars
to buy an office for his chief and pol
itical power for himself.
This is what the Republican national
committee has sent to every federal enl-
plOye in the government:
Our corruption fund is getting low.
We cannot mislead the people of this
nation any longer. We cannot elect our
candidates to the highest offices in the
gilt OF the people unless we buy the
votes, but we must have money to do it.
We will have it. By the grace of this
Republican administration you are
drawing salary to put food into the
mouths of your wife and children. We
want part of that salary. Republican
success is of greater Importance than
food for your family. Give us part of
that salary Or we will cut off all of it.
what If your family does starve! That
Is nothing to US if we get the Offices"
Tie letter does not read exactly that
way, but that is the meaning of it. The
actual letter is cOuched in much milder.
more diplomatic terms. When he was
book agent Thomas II. Carter learned
that he could not force money from the
pockets of his intended victims; he
must wheedle it forth. He follows the
same plan now.
But beneath the soft glove of invita-
tion is the mailed hand of eXtortiou.
These statements are not imaginary.
Herewith is produced a Photographic
copy of letter that has been received
by every pOStottice employe of Mime
apolis.
You will notice in this Photographic
reproduction that the letter is written
on the official paper of the Republican
national committee. 1t is an official COM
muuication from that committee. 1t is
signed by the assistant secretary of that
committee. 1t is all as plain as the nose
OIL mans face.
The letter pats the recipient on the
back by telling him that the Republican
national committee understands that he
is prominent Republican in his vicin-
lty. That is but another way of saying
that the committee knows he is a fed
eral employe, and, therefore, a legiti-
mate subject for the fat-frying process.
But the national Republican commit
tee does not want to take the hard
earned dollars from the pocket of the
federal emplOye without giving him
something for it. Not bit of it. For
the express purpose of giving him some
thing which he may treasure as a SOU
venir of the proud moment when he
was slapped on the back and called
''well-known Republican" it has gone
to the expense of having engraved on
banknote paper an elaborate certificate
showing that he has contributed money
to the Golfers of the Republican party.
That certificate he may file away among
his keepsakeS, and when he is old he
can fetch it out and show it to his
grandchildren as souvenir Of the oc-
casion when he helped save the "grand
old Republican party" That is all very
nice-so. far as it goes. Thomas H.
Carter Is perfectly willing that every
contributor should have a souvenir of
the campaign. Of course he is.
The Republican national committee
will give the federal employe several
certificates if he will only give it the
money.
A Photographic copy of this certifi-
cate, given by the Republican national
committee in exchange for the money
Of the postoffice emplOye, is reproduced
here. AS can be readily seen, it is a
real pretty thing in its way, and it
bears fac-similies of the signatures of
Chairman Carter and Secretary Nc
Comas, of the Republican national COM
mittee.
Does not the civil service law say
something about compelling federal
employees to contribute to campaign
funds? Of course it does. But that
makes no difference.
Thomas Ii. Carter has shown his dis
regard for the laws of the nation before
this, for the laws are stringent against
obtaining money under false pretenses.
Now, the virtuOus Republican will
rise and say that the Republican ad-
ministration is not responsible for this
blackmail of the federal employe. This
virtuous Republican will point out that
this letter does not come from the Re-
publican administration, but from the
assistant secretary of the Republican
national committee. He will assert,
probably, that the government officials
know nothing about this attempt to eX-
tort money from the minor employees.
With the most brazen effrontery he will
assert that the Republican administra-
ton does not cOuntenance any such
work.
What nonsense.
The assistant secretary of the Repub-
lican national committee is working un-
der the direction of the secretary of the
national committee. and under the di-
rection of the chairman of the national
committee. He does not write the sort
of letters reproduced here unless he has
authority fol SO doing. The certificate
enclosed with the letter is proof posi-
tive that the scheme has the approval of
Thomas FL. Carter, the chairman, and
Secretary McComas. of the Republican
national committee.
For whom but the officials now in
power is the Republican national COM
mittee working? No one will deny that