Omaha daily bee., 1893-04-10
SECRETARY MORTON'S VIEWS
He Talks of the Impeachment of Nebraska
State Officials,
CoMNENDs THE LEGISLATURE FOR IT
Laws that should BE Amended-The PIac-
ing of officials Under Bonds Con-
demned-Onicers Should Iic Elected
for Their Known Honesty.
WASHINGTON BUREAU OF THE BEE,
5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET.

5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 9.
Secretary j. Storing Morton talked freely
today to THE BEE correspondent about the
impeachment proceedings in the legislature
OF Nebraska against a number of the state
officials
81 am not at all surprised" said he, "to
see the impeachment resolutions pass the
legislature without opposition of conse-
quence. 1t has been plain to me for years
that some of the state officers were corrupt
During the last campaign | announced from
the rostrum at Fremont that if the con,
nection between the state treasurer
and the Capital National bank of Lincoln
were broken the bank would fail. President
Mosher wrote me a leading letter, imporing
me not TO mention such thing. He said it
would break his bank. / replied that 1t
would not harm him if he were honest. To
my mind he gave away his case and ad
mittcd the truthfulness of all of my asser-
tions The fact is the state treasury was
holding up the bank. When the funds were
demanded the bank failed and the treasury
was found to be looted. | expect Il number
of impeachments before the Nebraska legis-
lature is finally through. The good work
ought to so ahead.
Sorry for the Bondsmen.
II am exceedingly sorry for tho bondsmen
of the officers who are impcached, T." continued
Secretary Morton with sigh, for it is an
awful thing for a man to lose his hard
earned money by the corruption or reckless
ness of friends. Some mon will be ruined.
1t is not often, however that bondsmen are
made to paw. 1t is not once in ten times. /
9 a.
a loss by defalcation. They have way of
getting out of it. Generally the bondsmcn
are given notice of the trouble and get rid of
their realty | wish the system of giving
bonds to secure money in the hands of public
officers was abolished. | don't believe in re-
quiring treasurcrS, diSburSug officers and
agents elected by the people to give bonds for
the faithful performance of their trusts. We
should select men for positions requiring
financial integrity VINO have established
regulations for honesty, and who are known
to be honest. Then there should be an aC-
counting to severe criminal law
uShouId BE Dealt with Severely.
"lf a man defaults when he is trusted
upon his honor he should be dealt with by
an iron hand. 1t seems ridiculous to elect a
man by the franchise of the people, to re
quire him to pass the crucial test of a cam
paign and after election require the same
citizens who selected him to give money
bond guaranteeing that he will not steal; it
reflects disCredit upon the acts of the
people. 1t is inconsistent with our forms
of government 1t is easy enough for
any man elected by popular vote to give
bond. If necessary he has only to inform u
banker that his deposits are at the banks
disposal and the bond is forthcoming; but
what guaranty is there for the people in
bond as it is nowadays made, If we would
trust public officers more upon their honor,
select them for their honesty as well as their
capubility and popularity, and then IiX laws
for punishment, not guaging defalcatiOn by
dollars named in bond, we would natur-
ally elevate the standard for men
who get Office Now it is not a question of
integrity as much as a mans ability to get
elected. People say his bond secures the
state or the government; it doesn't 1t fixes
Il premium upon dishonesty by naming the
limit above which an officer can steal. A
cabinet officer has no bond to give and yet
he disburses much more money than Il state
treasurer. and none has ever defaulted. |
don't believe in fixing a standard for one
officer that CO mot be adapted for another.
The bond business is farce"
Thought Their Time Had Come
An amusing illustration Of the trepidation
among the clerks in the departments was
furnished at the PostOfice department today.
Postmaster General Bissell in his desire to
reorganizc republican clerks out of office, does
not wait for the cumbersome red tape
methods hitherto employed but sends down
a list to the appointment clerk, and then
sends for victims on his list, and notifies
them that their designations are wanted.
Hence summons to the appointment clerk's
Office has come to be regarded by the Post
Office department clerks pretty much in the
light of the visit of the sheriff on the morn
ing of execution.
Yesterday morning the twelve clerks in
the appointment division were Mortified one
after the other, to hear the electric bell in
each mans room summon him to Appoint
mcut Clerk Fenton's office Those who
dallied moment 10 arrange the papers on
their desks were startled by a second ring
ing, louder and longer than the first. There
was a rush along the corridors and the clerks
in the other rooms, hearing the bells and
seeing the victims on their way to the gull
lotinc, looked up in sympathy, and
then speculated how soon their
turn would come. The twelve
clerks filed into Mr.. Fenton's Office
and the latter looked up in surprise at the
invasion. They explained that they had
been summoned hastily. Mr.. Fenton re
piled that he had not called them. and that
the day of their execution had not therefore
arrived, Meanwhile the bells were still
ringing. Mr.. Fenton looked around for an
explanation ana found il in the person of Il
portly visitor who, in order TO impress his
cloquence upon Mr.. Fenton the more impress
sivcIy, had sat down on the keyboard in Mr..
t'enton's desk which connected the electric
wires with all the bells in the rooms of the
different clerks.
The clerks were too grateful for their cs-
! cape to make any reproachful remarks to the
| innocent cause of their terror, but MIR Fen
ION invited him TO get of the table,
Maintaining the Senate's Dignity.
Visitors who while in Washington pro-
| pose to view the United States senate should
| be careful to remember always the awful
! soemnity of the spectacle on which they are
! permitted to gaze. Visitors to the house of
! representatives are permitted almost all
| freedom from restraint, except that they
! must not bring dogs into the galleries, and
| must exercise sClf-rcstraint when chewing
! tobacco. But in the senate galleries the ut
/ most decorum must always be preserved No
| person is permitted to lay an Ovcrcoat on
! wrap on the railing in front of the seats
| overlooking the senate chamber nor are men
! permitted to hold their hats beyond the rail
| ing, There is an awful tradition that once
! upon Il time man who carelessly leaned his
! hand over the railing, dropped the hat he
held, and that it fell upon the head of sen
ator, who was sitting upon Il sofa Just be-
| low
The other day an old lady had been sitting