Year: 1872

Among the abuses in the New York
Customhouse, which the Congressional In
vestigating Committee have already brought
TO light, is that of assessing clerks for polit-
ical purposes. The system is not confined
TO New York alone, but extends through
out the entire civil service, and exercises
most pernicious influence in all the public
Offices. Its object is to provide fund for
defraying the election expenses Of Radical
candidates. Public officials who receive
their appointments in consideration of the
services they may have rendered the ad-
ministration, are expected, while they hold
their offices, to contribute a portion of
their salaries to support the party in power.
Some unknown authority, on the eve Of an
election, makes out the rate of assessment,
and each official is asked to contribute a
certain per cent. of his salary to the cam
paign fund. OF course no compulsion is
exercised. The whole thing is conducted
on the voluntary system; but the clerk


knows better than to refuse the gentle re-
quest. He knows that if he refuse
his official head would pay the
penalty, and some less stiff-necked
patriot, or more stif-recked Radical,
would take his place. By this system of
moral suasiOn, the means of conducting
elections in States where it would be unsafe
to employ the bayonet for the purpose, are
obtained. How the funds thus collected
are expended, can well be imagined.


Mr.. Lindsay, who is an honest and re-
spectacle Republican, testified that he saw
an assessment list passed among the
clerks of the New YORK Customhouse
previous to an election in New HABP-
SHIRE. The amount called for on that &C.
cssion was two per cent, and it was paid
with ahling by the clerks. He
also s6aving seen the clerks ''as-
ses hds to conduct an election in
Co 1fcUT: The evidence clearly es-
Ia ned the fact that this fund was paid by
tths clerks against their will, and that it was
demanded contrary TO the wish of Collector
GrinneI. The tax was levied and collected
by power superior to his, which could only
be the Administration at{Washington. These
revelations TPve that the Southern States
are not the on y places in'which the Fede-
raj authorities have interfered to defeat the
will of the people in local affairs, and it
shows that Grant and his party are not
above resorting to bribery and intimidation
TO secure the success of their favorites.


We clip the following from the Journal Of
Commerce, Of the Sth, the leading CONNER
Cial paper in the United States:
To the Editor Of the journal Of Commerce:


DEAR SIR notice in your money ar
ticie to-day, you condemn as weak and
cowardly the action Of those merchants who
will not come forward and give testimony
as to extOrtiOn Of harbOT masters. Allow
me to state our case and ask your advice
thereon: Ours is a steam line. running
daily to a southern port. We pay the Har-
Dor Masters deputy 81, 800 year to leave
us unmolested. If we refused this fee, he
would quietly place sailing vessels so as to /
all up all dockage loom, and so interfere
with US as practically to destroy our bust
ness. Do me the favor to let me know
what your action would be in this case. l
would add that ours is not the only case;
there is not a steam line on North River
that does not pay fees, many Of them a
great deal more than we do, and few
less.


New \ York, Jan. B.


There can be little doubt that much of
the prevalent dishonesty and corruption
among public officials. is traceable to this
assessment abuse. Men who are blsd to
benefit candidates in whom they have little
or no interest, are not likely to be very
scrupulous in performing their public
duties, and if opportunities are offered to
get rich by defrauding the government, the
temptation is strong to recover, if they can
with safety, the amount extorted from them
by their Radidal masters. In the interests
of public. morality and official honesty, this
widespread evil should by promptly sup
pressed. VIII Gen. Grant do it? We
Rause for reply.