The farmer and mechanic., 1906-09-25
Swinging Federal Office
Holders Like a Club.
SIM MONS is AROUSED
mental Investigation and. ii That
Fails to Ask That Congress
Stop Inuarrantcd Po-
HticaI Activity.

Chairman Simmons, speaking with
reference to the attitude Of Federal
office holders in this State toward
that the situation in North Carolina
was somewhat anomalous this year.
he said OF course everybody knew that
the Republican party and its cOnVen-
tons had been for many years con-
trolled and run by postmasters and
revenue officers and other Federal Of
ficials of low and high degree, and
more OF less active in behalf of their
candidates against Democratic candi-
dates, but this year he said. they were
marshalled as an army under the di-
Irection Of its chief, and present a
front Of organized activity never be-
fore shown by them in this state.
This he said. was due to the fact that
the President and the Departments
OF the Government had turned over
TO the chairman of the Republican
party all Federal offices in this State
not under the civil service. TO furth-
Ter strengthen the poWcr of the chair
imam over these office -hoIders. the Re
pubIicans at their recent State con-
vention in Greensboro. passed reso-
.Iution requiring all candidates for
Federal positions to file their appl-
cations for appointment With the exec
utiEc committee and to agree in writ
ing to abide by the decision of the
committee. This puts every Fedora!
office-hOidcr i'm the State absolutely
under the control Of the Republican
chairman. He can Kill or make alive.
Hence the office holders scattered
throughout the state furnish rcGu-
Tar army always at the beck and call
.of the Republican chairman What
lever he commands they must do or
IT,, H.. tI>
do is to issue his orders and they must
lay aside their public duties if ncces-
sary and obey.
The Senator commented severely
upon the spectacle Of Il state chair
man marshaIling thousands of Federal
office-hoIders in q fight to gain con
troll Of the State for his party He said
there had been no such Federal inter
ference i'll the politics OF a state in
orr history 50 far as he knew, ana
that it could not he too severely con
dcmned.
That the people Of North Carolina
would resent this interference of these
minions Of the Federal government
in a way that would be uncomfort-
able for them ana for their chief lie
said there was no doubt.
Concluding this part of his state
ment Chairman Simmons said the Re
publican activity we hear about is not
the activity Of the Republican masses
but of these Republican officials car
ryinG out the orders of the man who
has Hy the action of the President and
the Republican convention been in
vested with the power of official life
and death and put over them.
continuing. senator Simmons said
that shortly after the outrageous as
81 ult Of Revenue Agents Samuels and
HaStE upon the editor Of q news
paper Who had dared expose the col
lusion in the Western Collection Dis
trict between the revenue officers and
the blockaders and licensed distillers.
he had declared that conditions in the
revenue service in that collection dis
trict had become 50 diSgracefuI that
they must be investigated and the Of
tenders be brought TO justice. and that
if the government and the courts did
not take hold of the matter he would
be compelled To demand a Senatorial
He said that shortly af-
ter t~>leclaration the government
did make an investigation which dis
closed Il condition Of official rotten
ness without Il parallel in the revenue
service of the country and tnat the
prosecutions which followed resulted
i'll the conviction ana punishment Of
a great number If Republican rpxc-
nu" officials. and he hoped in the bet
terment Of the conditions in that sec
tion II the state.
The Senator added vith eurne,tuc..
that he intended to call upon the peo-
pie Of the state to advise him Of anv