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Washington And Grant

Washington And Grant image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
August
Year
1871
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In liis speech at Chicago, on Saturday eveiiiug last, Senator Carl Sciiurz in stit-ted the followiug comparison between Washington, the first, and GltANT, the present, President as to their marnier ot' dispensiug patronage. The Senator seenis to thiuk that there has been a very close connoction between presonts and conimissions, donations and diguities. As you road, reniomber that the bill of iudiotineut is not drawn by a Deniocrat : Washington recognized the high respimsibility of his duty and gave to his gubordinatea the mensure of his own notion.s of honor by his own exauiple. Howevrr Hun-I' I" iimiw miO ïeward lor Unit which ho had done tor the country - and n.obody ever did or deaerved more before or uttt.i' him - he showud uiat ho looked upon his office as uu opportunity to ronder still greater service, and not as a mere mi.ch covv to food hiin and his kin, and he could ask ot every governniont officer under him tho samo notious ot lionor and duty. President Gruut has placed his coasins and brothers-in-law by the dozen at the public crib, and tho whoie ouorus. o. tlatterers exclaim - " A trifloi who will fiad fault with him tor that," and he who teels the indecency of such acts and oxpieeseB bis feelings is simply deuounced as a traitor whoso haart must bj t'ull of black desigus. Oh, these are no infle:-. The cousins and brothers-in-law of the President itay, as oüicers, be no more dishoneat than others, but when he puts them to the public crib the Chief of tho State teaohea bis subordiuatcs by his example, which is everywherc visible, that in his opinión a public office muy "oo used for selfish ends to make out of it what can be made, and who will wonder that those subordinates also make out of tin ir offioes all that can be made, when the Chief of the fstato takes presente, and then puts the donor into higli offices and dignities. Those uien so appointed may be very worthy men, and the presenta may have nothing to do with the appoiutmeuts, but the Chief of the State has ghown his sul)ordinates that in his opinión an oiHcer muy tuke presents and then graut his favors to the donors in an official way, and who will then wonder when tho subordinates, following the 6Ximph', also take presents, and give their official favors to the donors. The New York papers are making nmch moiseover the tact that while Bepublioan Conventions pass resolutions in favor of civil service reform, a United States Marshal declares to a subordínate officer, whom he had just removed, that for the removal thero wero only political reusons, and none arising trom any official shortconiings. Is that surprising when the Chief of the government, after haying deolared himself in his message in favor of civil service reform, continually and pcrsistently removes offioera whose official couduct was unim])eachable, merely foi' the purpose of ïuitting political tools in their place ? If he, as 1 have shown to yon in one instante, carries the trade in cousciences so far that the world laughs at it, liko master. like man, we uught to bc surprised at ïmtliing. Xo, gentlemen, these are not trilles which show that from the highest position, where a model should be exhibited for imitation, that influenoes proceed which undermino all fair official feoliugS of honor, liad Washington, instead of' furnishing so fine ttn examplo of noble disinterestednoss, given on his part the example of corrupt nepotism, he could by his exhibitio .: tor all future time have poisoned the oharaoter of our public service. That in OUT days this poison defcends in such a stream from the highest place is certainly a misfortune, but it is a greater niisfortune that party spirit covers such acts whioh undermine official honor in the whole Bepablio under the mantle of respeotability. I know well that censure and abuse will rain down upon me for what I ha ve said, but ask those who blame me whether what I have Miid isnot true word for ivord, and whut can they answer ' A private letter from E. H. Wilson, oonneeted with a party of engineera on tho Northern Pueifio Railroacl, statee that sorac days sinte, whilo working about fovty miles from Deer Lodge, the who!c party waspoirom '1 by eating real. 'He tymptomawerelik tho&eattnnH n r - rychni e. Thev all suff"'' ' tenïbly, but none diod. It is not stated how Ojr by whom the bread was poiaoned. Ex-Mayor Opilyke proba' ly did not want thi.' financial management of the city povernmont of N-w York investipatcil upon t!.r grouii'l tlüi' " niisory loves ronipany." Whilc he was mayor he wasebarged with boing a swindlcr and perjnred wretch. Ho sued Tliurlow Weed, tho ai:1hor of the charge, for slander, but was usable lo gct a verdict in Lie favor.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus