Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1886 — BROWN OF MAINE. [ARTICLE]

BROWN OF MAINE.

The Report on This Gentleman Pro* vokes a Lively Discussion in the Senate. Messrs. Voorhees, Vest} and Hale Hava a Three-Handed Forensic Bout [Associated Press report. 1 The Chair laid before the Senate a letter from the Postmaster General, complying with the call of a recent Senate resolution in respect to the appointment of postmasters in Maine, alleged to have been procured through the influence of S. S. Brown, Chairman-of the Democratio Committee of that State. The communication, having been read, Mr. Hale said that before It. went to the country he desired to say a few words with regard to it. It was every day becoming the bdlief of the people, he said, that the civil service of the Government should notbe the reward of party service. Above all, the country desired that we should have a pure civil service. There should be no taint of bargain and sale about it. All parties had recognized this, and the party rallying-cries had been based on this thought. Tne rallying cry of the Democrats was “Turn the rascals out,” which could only mean that if rascals were in office they should be turned out. A singular state of affairs, Mr. Hale continued, has arisen. in Maine within the last six months. Thera ■ were few large offices in that State. There were but twenty-seven presidential postoffices, but. several hundred fourth-class ones. No department of the government came bo neax : the people as the postoffice. The Republicans had expected to go out. The clamor of tho Democrats for offices had been so great thatthey expected to go. The administration hod taken a conservative course, and the President, though pressed to make a general sweep of the postmasters in Maine, had declined. But the people of many places had waked up one morning in Maine and found that persona had been appointed whom nobody wanted and nobody recommended. In one case itwas found that the Chairman of the Democratic committee, Mr. 8. S. Brown, had given np his law practice, closed his office, and had come to \Vauhington to attend to the distribution of patronage under the civil-service system. When it was found that this one-man power was the source of removals he (Halo) received letters from Democrats and Republicans alike complaining of the new state of allairs. Mr. Hale then read several letters—one saying that tne people had sent the Postmaster General a petition, signed by eighty-four persons, praying for the appointment of a person, who, however, was not appointed. When Mr. fl lo came to Washington one of Mr. Brown s letters was handed tohim (Mr. Hale). This letter become the basis of the present inquiry. He had made the inquiry for the purpose of putting before tbe benate full information on the subject. Out of one hundred of the larger postoffices in Maine it now seemed that Mr. Brown had recommended eighty-seven of the new appointments. Mr. Hale acquitted the Postmaster General of any indorsement of Mr. Brown. Brown had come to Washington indorsed by the Democratic party or its committees. The Postmaster General had turned these matters of appointment over to his assistant, who relied upon Mr. Brown, but the Postmaster General, had not made a complete nnsw er to the resolution of the benate. He hi(d not stated whether tho wished of the people had been respected in. the new appointments. No explanation had been made of the infamous system on which, the proceedings complained of bad been based. Mr. Hale read what he termed the most extraordinary exculpatory letter ever heard of—a letter of Mr. Brown to the Portland Argus, Btating, among other things, that the Democratic Committee of Maine and Mr. Brown had arranged that persons whoreceived appointments should pay something for the expenses incurred in their behalf, and also stating that he (Mr. Brown) had secured a large numuer of appointments to postoffices. Mr. Hale referred to the severe denunciation which, on a former occasion, had been expressed by Mr. Beck in the Senate at a circular issued by a Republican committee chairman, calling merely for voluntary contributions. What was the issuance of such a circular compared to tliiacondition of affairs shown by the facts in thecase ? The one may ha\e muddied the water, the other poisoned the fountain. The Republican party had not always been perfect, but in twenty-four years Mr. Hals had never heard that public offices had become matters of pubMo sale. Mr. Hale had heard from an employe of the House of Representatives that there had never been in the summer season more Democrats in Washington than during the past summer, and that the Indiana Democrats had notgone home at all. Mr. \ oarhei s remarked that when Mr. Hale was so told, he (Mr. Hale) was keeping company with a man who did not tell tne truth. Mr. Voorhees warmly denied the truth of the statement, saying that of hiß personal knowledge it was untrue. Mr. Hale did not care whether it vra* true or not, though if the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Vcorlie.'S) had remained here at the Buggebt on of his constituents, to look after their interests it would not have bi en a cuss at all like that under consideration. Mr. Hale believed he spoke for the honest, conservative Democrats of Maine in denouncing the course pursued by the Democratic Committee of Maine and by Mr., Brown. Mr. Vest said it was impossible that the administration should know every man whosolicited office. If Mr. Vest had his way hewould make it a misdemeanor for any man to solicit office. But what was the Postmaster General to do? It had become a part of the common law in both parties for men to recommend people for office. Was the Postmaster General to go to Republicans for recommendations? Mr. Vest characterized Mr. Hale s position as mere cant. He (Mr. Vest) hod beforenow seen in the departments at Washington such indorsements as this: “This man is indorsed by Vest and Cockrell,” and therefore, the appointments had been refused. Yet theSenator from Maine had discovered what he pretended to be a new evil. But for the Democratio success of 1882, there never would have been a. civil-service law passed by the Republican party. Tho civil-service bill had been in the Benate for years without attention until the prospects of Democratio ascendency became clear to the Republicans. Mr. Hale said that hod nothing to do with the question under debate. ' Mr. Vest said his colleague, Mr. Cockrell, and himself, in the course of their investigations heretofore under Republican administrations, bad found unmistakable evidences of the use of' money in the attainment of public offices, and though they could not put their fingers on aletter shewing any use of money they could con-' vince the moral sense of any man that m«ney had been used. Mr. Voorhees said the facts seemed to be that three Presidential Postmasters and some otherminor Postmasters had been changed by the present administration. It seemed to Mr. Voorhees that that simply showed that not as many changes had Been made in the postoffices of Maine as the people had, by their votes last fall, intended should be made bv the administration. Mr. Voorhees sympatl i :ed with the Republican Postmasters who had been turned out. They would get used to it after a while, at tho Democrats had got ure lto it. Mr. Voorhees was not here to defend Brown. He thought Mr. Halo had done a service to tho Democratic party by exposing such a man ; but did Mr. Hale suppose he could make an impression on the country that the Democracy of the United States favored the course pursued by Mr. Brown? Mr. .Voorhees differed from Mr. Vest in one thing. EW'(Mr. Voorhees) was willing to put in power 1 and office the men who had helped elect tho Democrats. He believed it to have been the intention of the framers of the Constitution that the Government'should be adnMiistored by tire friends of the administration which the people should place in.power. Mr. Vest said he had meroly meant to say that if he were to consult his own personal ease be would do what he had stated. He did not mc*n that Be was not willing to help his party friends. ' Mr. Voerheee w'illinglv conceded that fact. Mr. Logan, referring to the allusion made tothe cir ii-service law and the Republican administration, said thgt Congress—meaning the House both-fbad not been for several administrations in the hands of the RepuWioatti ptuiy. ' ''Mr. Vest Bald the Senate had been, and for a part o's the time- every committee was in the bauds of the Republicans.