Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1892 — ABUSES OF PUBLIC OFFICE. [ARTICLE]

ABUSES OF PUBLIC OFFICE.

Serious Allegations Against President Harrison’s Alabama Appointees. A Washington special says: Some racy testimony against the Republican offico holders in Alabama will be consid ered by the house committee on civil service reform at the meeting which Chairman Andrews has called for tomorrow morning. The matter comes before the committee on the resolution offered Monday by Representative Herbert, of Alabama, for an investigation, and the strong feature of the charges is that they are signed by William J. Stevens, chairman of the Republican executive committee of Alabama, and dated June 35, 1892. This state committee represents the anti-office holding element in Alabama, and it is evident from their complaints that they are not ready to wheel into the Harrison column, even if the president has been renominated. In his letter to Representative Herbert Mr. Stephens incloses a copy of the resolutions unanimously adopted by the Republican state convention at Montgomery on April 20,1892, charging most flagrant violations of the civil service law. He goes further than this, however, and declares that the United States marshal and receiver of the Mobile and Girard Railroad company’s lands has not managed his trust in the interest of the government and that many thousands of dollars l»ve been disbursed without receipts or vouchers being taken. He makes serious charges against the United States district attorney and declares that he has continued cases on the promise of defendants that they would return home and use their influence in controlling conventions and has dismissed cases in order to secure indorsement as a candidate for judicial honors; that he has used his position to control the action of juries and in one case has called men from the jury room in order to change their vote and action before the jury; that the collector of internal revenue has not only violated the civil service law, but has levied, collected and borrowed large sums of money from numerous applicants for office, and that said money has never been returned. Several witnesses are cited to sustain the accusations and affidavits are made to some of them. The charges were laid before the civil service commission, but they have not yet been able to take any action, and Mr. Andrews’ committee is now asked to do something to bring out all the facts and prevent such abuses of their authority by President Harrison’s officeholders.