The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-08
KNOX WARNS OFFICIALS Attorney General Con-
 demnS Activity. RECENT CORRESPONDENCE Office Holders Must Not Direct Campaigns. Attorney General Knox Calls Atten- ton to the Fact That Office Holders Are Servants, Not Masters

While government officials and federal employees in Montgomery decline to dis cuss the matter it is known that they have received peremptory orders from Washington to cease activity in political matters.
 Moreover 1t is said that there has been considerable correspondence between Montgomery officials and departments in Washington with respect to the recent action of certain Montgomery Noficehold- CTS and 1t is said that surprises may come at any time.
 A circular recently received in Mont- gomery from the Department of Justice and signed by Attorney General P. c. Knox. calls especial attention to a de- pertinent circular issued two years ago recommending that all persons serving under the Department of Justice refrain from service on political committees charged with the collection and disburse- ment of campaign funds.
 After repeating the injunction of this circular Attorney General Knox continues as follows:
 Rule of the Civil Service rules pro- vides that no person in the Executive Civil service shall use his official authority or official influence for the purpose of in- terfering with an election or controlling the result thereof. The spirit of the civil service laws and rules renders 1t highly undesirable for federal officers and em- ployes to take an active part in political conventions or in the direction of other parts of political machinery. Persons in the government service under this depart ment should not act as chairmen of politi- cal organizations, nor make themselves unduly prominent in political matters. It | is expected and required that all officers and employees of this department shall act in conformity with the views herein | set forth.
 United States Attorneys and United States Marshals are hereby directed to use
 every available means to direct the atten-
 ton of their subordinates and of all those
 who are in the government service under
 this department to the injunctions of this | circular"
 The circular issued by Attorney General
 Knox is highly interesting to Montgom-
 erians in view of the fact that Hon. Warren s. Reese, United States District
 Attorney here is chairman of the Repub-
 lican Executive Committee of Montgom-
 cry County and Julius Sternfeld Assistant
 United District Attorney is the Republi-
 can nominee for Congress in this district.
 L. J. Bryan United States Marshal here
 was a delegate to the State Convention 1 recently held in Birmingham. l Accompanying the circular letter of At- l torney General Knox is a sheet setting out
 instructions issued by each of the depart
 ments on July IA. 1886 under direction of
 President Cleveland. The Attorney Gen. eral says these instructions are still in ] force and effect.
 The caption of the sheet Is 'Warning Against Political Assessments and Partisan | Activity of Officeholders." and the first | paraeraph directs attention to the fact | that levying political assessments against federal officers or employees is misde- meanor.
 Referring to political activity of office holders the circular says:
 "Oficeholders are agents of the people, not their masters Not only Is their time and labor due the government. put they should scrupulously avoid, in their politl- cal action as well as in the discharge of their official duty offending by display of obtrusive partisanship, their neighoors who have relations with them as public officials.
 "They should also constantly remember that their party friends. from whom they have received preferment, have not in- vested them with the power Of aroitrariiy managing their political affairs Ihey have no right as officeholders to dictate the nobtical action of their party asso- oio+ss or to throttle freedom Of acton u,,tbin marty lines by methods and prac- tices which prevent every useful ana iustiniable purpose of party organization;
 "The influence of federal officers should should rot he felt in the manipulation of political primary meetings and nominating con. ventions. The use by these ofncials or their positions to compass their selecuon as delegates to political conventions ls indecent and unfair; and proper resat1 sor tbe nroprieties and requirements or omc,aI niace will also prevent their as- snming the active conduct of political campaigns" D..t If is said the circular from the Depart rent of Justice has caused some concern in Montgomery Republican circles.