The Sunday globe., 1901-05-12
BULL" OR CITIZEN?
Is the appointment Clerk of the War
Department a Foreigner
HON. LEVI P. MORTON'S LEGACY.
Where did he Find Ford PA Chapter Of Modern
History In The KIpllng Style Of Archl-
tsCturs-Hard Lines for the
EngIIshman Running
The War De-
partment

poithOHh
Hon. Levi p. Morton left remarkable
legacy to the War Department when he
secured the permanent retention of APP
pointment Clerk Ford. Mr.. Morton
brought this Englishman and foreigner
with him from New York. Whether he
was, previous to his appointment in the
War Department, Mr.. Morton's foot
man, butler, or coachman, is not defin-
itely known, nor is it now matter of any
importance. Mr. FOrd knows a good
thing when he sees it, and from the day
he entered the service of the Government
to the present moment he has been turning
the crank for all the machine will stand.
Ex-Assistant Secretary of War Meikle-
John recognized kindred spirit in Ford,
and in the natural order Of crooked de-
velopment Ford soon rose to the dignity
and emoluments of appointment clerk,
salary $1,000, for the War Department,
and chief factotum for Mr.. Meiklejohn.
Every appointment during Meiklejohn's
regime was made with view of further
ing his senatorial aspirations, and the
problem now confronting his successor
is-"What will do with the surplage?'
Ford, who is assiduously cultivating the
new assistant secretary, is having awful
nights OF it walking the floor and won
dering what end he will come out at.
This is the situation of affairs Mr..
Sanger has an Englishman for his ap-
pointment clerk, this Englishman is
Meiklejohn's agent and ally. The De-
partment is full of appointments made
by the firm of Meiklejohn & Ford, and
Secretary Sanger doesn't know what to
do with them. Meiklejohn was beaten
for Senator and is politically dead, but
there is Ford, and Ford is useful man.
He keeps the clerks down after the man
ner OF an old-time slave driver. He
hasn't friend among the clerks or em-
ployees of the War Department, but as
stated, he is useful manlto the new AS
sistant Secretary of War, Hence Mel
klejohn's clerks are hanging on-by
their eyebrows.
Ford has his own troubles. He is in
the hands OF the ten per centers." He
is chronic broke" and always in need
of money. His salary is only $1,000 per
annum, and his appetites are at least
$4,000 for the same time. Where does
he get the ditference2 His hand is al
ways out, but he has many water haul.
He assigned Clerk Wheeler--a regular
wheel horse-to Omaha 10 help Meikle-
john in his fight for U. S. Senator. The
question now is what has become Of
Wheeler since the ignominious defeat OF
his chief2 He hasn't shown up yet, but
he is still on the pay roll.
During the fight in Omaha the War
Department frank and the War Depart
ment stationary were used quite freely,
not so much because of the saving in
postage, etc, but to impress the unso-
phisticated Nebraskans that Meikleiohn
and the administration were fighting
shoulder to shoulder. The Government
was behind Meikleiohn, and Ford was
appointing clerks with the Meiklejohn's
brand on the bosoms of their pants.
| Finally the administration dissolved the
co. partnership, and Meikleiohn was
asked to resign the Assistant Secretary
ship OF War. This was in the middle OF
the Senatorial fight, and was solar
plexis to Meiklejohn's ambition. And
Ford! Well--the frightened Englishman
kept jumping from the frying pan into
the fire. In tact, Ford is IN a hard row
of stumps and doesn't exactly know
where he is at. His income is hypothe-
Gated out of all proportion to his eX-
pected tenure OF office, and his ere iitols
know it. Still he sweats the clerks and
poses with real John Bull nerve as If he
wasn't treading the thin layer of a vol
cano. When was Ford naturalized
Does anybody know? He is John Bull
from his waist up and down to either eX-
tremity- especially that portion Of his
anatomy where his unimpaired digestive
organs reside. But when did he become
an American citizen? o! where did
Levi find him2
Complaints are as numerous as Ford's
outstanding little bills of his discrimiDa-
ton in favor of certain clerks with gen.
erous dispositions and his Tory oppres-
sion of those who neither lend money nor
purchase faYors.
There are someu ugly things said of Ford
touching some transaction in 1898, but
this and other allegations of similar
character doesn't concern the Globe. The
Globe don't care whether Ford plays
poker, drinks whiskey, borrows money,
or defaults on his creditors-all these
things may interest Ford or Ford's chief,
but not us. What we want to specifically
know is, When did Ford become an
American citizen, and is he in fact an
alien? The best information obtainable
is that he is an Englishman born, which
he does not deny land which is greatly
to his credit, but there all reliable data
ends, and nobody knows when, where,
or at what place he was naturaliZed-if
he ever was naturalized. Clerks occu-
pying confidential positions to various
chiefs and high officials in the War De-
partment assert their belief that Ford is
an alien and was never naturalized. This
being the case, the Globe calls upon AS
sistant Secretary of War Sanger to au-
thoritatiVely decide this question by
notifying Ford to produce his citizenship
papers or name the place and date OF his
naturalization.
If Ford is an alien he should be at once
removed from his position OF appoint
ment clerk, leaving out altogether the
irrelevant issues of his pecuniary trans
actions and his chronic mpecuneousity |
or his other vices and virtues.
There are many able-bodied American |
native and to the manor born /
qualified to fill Eord's position, or the |
position ofany unnaturalized English /
man or foreigner, In the service OF the |
American government. There are no
American clerks in the English War F..
nor in the German or French .
for that matter. We have .
an abundance of native and naturalized
citizens qualified to perform the clerical
or administrative duties. either, of any
position In the gift of the President and
heads OF the Departments. Why go to
for an appointment clerk Of the
War Department. Why didn't Levi
take Ford back where he found him?
And when will the Assistant Secretary
Of War announce the result OF his inVes-
tiRation into Mr.. Ford's nationality? Is
he a subject of Edward VII or William
~
Meantime, what's become of Wheeler?
Has Melklejohn sent him TO Manila to
investigate that Hemp Company which
Major Hawkes. promoted, and the Presi-
DENTS protege, Lieut.-Col. Heistand,
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