The National tribune., 1883-09-20
VAN DERvooRT's REPLY.
Neither Guilty of Neglect Nor OF Disobedience OF
Orders
o,, contonhou75 1899


you statement of my side of the case, stating
in advance that have never written, or caused
to be written, to any member of the Grand
Army, without being requested, in regard to
this case. l will reply to the charges made in
the press, as I have not heard one word from
the Department or any officer thereof in regard
to the matter. was not even ordered to turn
over mail keys, my commission as chief clerk,
or other property in my custody. l win here
state that / voluntarily gave the mail keys to
the postmaster at Omaha, for fear that mail
robbery might occur in some part of the coun-
try, and would be charged with that. l have
received no statement in regard to charges
against me; 1 have had no Investigations
privilege granted to the humblest employee in
the service,-and l know nothing whatever of
the alleged causes.
Three days after my election as Commander
in-Chief of the Grand Army, called on Post
masterGeneral Howe in company with Judge
Valentine, member of Congress from Nebraska.
| told hIr. Howe what l desired to do for the
Grand Army of the Republic during my term,
and asked him if / had best resign my position
in the mail service. He replied, No." and
spoke of his love for the soldier his devotion to
the cause for which the soldier fought, and the
part Wisconsin took in the war-and gener-
ously told me to go on with my Grand Army
work. In December last again called on him,
and asked if my absence was embarrassing.
lie said it was-in the shape that it came before
him; Whereupon l said 81 will resign. After
your great kindness to me, do not want to
embarrass you in the least" To this he re-
piled: "No! You shall not" then told him
all that it would be necessary for me to do in
order to finish my work, and he consented to
it cordially, and said, "Go on with the work"
This leave which he then gave me, was to in
clude the time required for my visit to the Pa
cifc Coast and Minnesota. As soon after his
death as 1 knew who his successor was, wrote
april 81 for leave to complete my work. This
involved only trip to the Pacific Coast and
Minnesota. The answer of the Postmaster
General was not forwarded until April 26 by
superintendent White, and had then departed
for California, after waiting nearly month for
reply to my request for leave. That letter
granted me leave without pay, or was so con-
strued by all who read it. When l returned
home wrote MAY 28), asking for a revoca-
nent member of the Grand Army, who could
not believe that Judge Gresham-a mem
Der of the Grand Army himself-knew what
his predecessor, civilian, had done. The
Postmaster-General however, adhered to
his decision, and 7, therefore, made a state
ment of the time 1 had been absent, and
pay was deducted for about twenty sight
days about $40. When Superintendent
White forwarded the letter containing Post
master General Gresham's final decision, he
said: "This will govern your actions in the
future" This was June 5th. The future
could only mean while | was Commander-in-
Chief of the Grand Army, and was construed
to include my proposed visit to Minnesota and
Denver-an absence of two weeks in all. Now,
Denver is the end of a line of postal cars l had
charge of, and, of course, Aever had to ask
leave to go there. / therefore made daily re-
ports while at Denver and in Minnesota, show
ing the exact time spent on Grand Army duty,
so that the Department could deduct pay in
these two cases. 1t failed to do so, how
ever. Yet, in spite of the fact that I made
these daily reports, I am now charged with
falsifying. These reports were only required
during part of my term as Commander-in-
| Chief When they were first sent we did not
understand fully their use, and few were
made out by my clerk and signed by me. After
| that land no more than q half dozen were sc
made) / made each one out in full myself.
took them with me to California, Oregon, &c.
and sent some of them from there. had then
! with me in Denver, and neither night nor day
was without these reports after they were
given to me. Ask the Department. to show
handwriting and show to dot where I wa.
each day and what l was doing.
AFTER THE ENcAMPMENT.
Now, in regard to absence without leave a
| Soda Springs, Idaho. l can prove that Superin
| tendent White knew | was going there, ant
that he consented. Soda Springs, it should b,
stated also, is in my district. Superintendent
White never told me must return TO Omah;
as soon as the Denver Encampment adjourned
He knew / was going to Soda Springs, an(
fully understood that it was an official trip anC
! authorized it, and never transmitted to me any
order, that l ever received, to do otherwise,
left Denver the first train after the Encamp
ment adjourned-not going on any of the ex
cursions rendered by the State of Colorado.
arrived on the line August 1st and found tw,
of the employees at Granger. l telegrapheo
my clerk on August Sd to send me offieia
paper and supplies for the clerks, and on Au
gust 9th / received telegram to meet Superin
tendent White en- route to Helena. / met hin
at Rock Springs and went west with him t.
Ogden. At Granger, by his order and in hi
presence ordered Postal Clerk King to go f
Shoshone on the August 9th train and return
on the 10th. I also ordered Clerk Canif to g
west August 10th and return on the 11th-
thus starting the service on the Oregon shor
line by the personal order of Superintendent
White. His mission west was to change tn
course of the Oregon and Washington Terri
tory mail matter from Central Pacific Railroa
to the Utah Northern via Deer Lodge to North
ern Pacific. He told me all about this matter
as it involved important action on my part.
ordered Omaha and Cheyenne and Omaha AM
Denver clerks to work Oregon and Washington
mail and to forward it by Utah Northern. sen
the schemes to Omaha to use on the lines AM
ordered Idaho mail sent unworked to the Ore
gon Short Line. / went with Captain Whit
to Ogden and we conferred with the chief cler
there, who accompanied us to the meetin
point. l parted from Captain White at Poca
telio, after comforting with Clerk King, VIII
came that far on his way to obey the order