Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-11-19
AUSTIN.
Defense of Inspector Foster In Regard
10 His Official Conduct.
special TO the Gazette.

| Special 10 the Gazette.
Austin. November 1s.--This morn
inp's Statesman publishes a lengthy
defense from Judge Amos i. Foster,
concerning the cause Of his dismissal
from the government service. After
referring To the humiliation which he
has suffered, he says:
The pcr diemr question has
been n mooted one since the law passed
never, as am aware of, any official
construction of 1t, and each agent or
| INSPECTOR constituting IL as he believed
his labor entitled him TO, thinking, u
was an emolument pertaining TO ms
position for there have been, until the
late Nov. inst construction by
Postmaster-General Gresham, three
grades of inspection, with salary ana
per diem allowance of 81 200 and ~ per
diem; 81 400 and 81 per diem, ana
81 800 and IS per diem, and some Sl ,bOV
salary inspectors were only allowed
81 per diem. The construction and
order of Gen. Gresham, as | now UNI
derstand II, is, that all inspectors are
paid 81 900 per annum salary, except
ten, who are paid $500 salary, and
from this on no per diem is TO be al
lowed 10 any, but, in lieu thereof, they
are to be reimbursed, not to exceed 80
per day, for their actual expenses,
when the same is presented to the de-
partnent in proper voucher form.
with an affidavit attached thereto.
During my late visit TO Washington
City, | ascertained that nearly all if
not quite all inspectors were drawing
their fall salary and per deim, under
one construction or another, and with
both, in full. The paw is not common
surate for the iabore arv perform, and
the responsibilities tnyy ere expected
and required TO assume; nd the pay
of similar officials in ether depart
ments of our government Is largely in
excess of the total salary and per dcim
of postoilice inspectors.
The law upon which my claims
have been based reads rs follows:
"Shall only be allowed for their actual
and necessary expenses, not exceeding
s. per diem, when they are actually
engaged in travelling OIL the business
of the department. ! will be oh
served that nothing is said in the law
about the residence of the inspector or
his headquarters, and, as has been
heretofore stated, the in pectors were
graded In both salary and per diem-l
presume in accordance with their ei-
flciency or time of service, clearly
establishing that the ''per diemn
was then considered as
an emolument to their salary
for superior ability as agents for the
government. Otherwise, why should
not all inspectors of different grades
in salary have received the same
amount of per diem, for it costs n
81 300 inspector Just "a much To travel
as 1t does "a 81 800 one. MY salary wa
81 800 and S. per diem during the time
| was called upon to explain--frOm
September /, 1882, to September 30,
lSS3--and there were with me most OF
that time four other inspectors, max
ing five in all, aBd with the exception
of last May and June, the department
did not furnish me with any clerk, and
all the cares and responsibilities of an
inspector in charge" clerk for the
Office, and my duties in the field fell
upon me alone, in fact have done the
work of three men, never allowing Of
ilcial business in my charge to lack
! immediate attention or be delayed,
causing me W WORN Jay ana tight 10
Keep my business up. During that
tiine my letter books show 1874 pages,
all written matter, in my own hand
writing or copied from my pencil re-
ports aud FORMS. besides which, dur
ing That Tune, l have Investigated per-
sonaliy and reported to the depart
ment oOl cases-nearly double what
any inspector with me accomplished
and have travelled nearly ns many
whici uoea nor include the days IN
I NV, ior when 1 oeehied, under
inc many preceaehts lthat 1 shall
iit,eu,'cr hhliie), l was entitled To, and
Wnich charges were most conscien-
LOUSY mlaae. a - ooo inspector was
.lalslcIscu from me 81 LOUIS division
W - 9a go rihhclsco, oai.' ana changed to
9i,pou salary anu 90 per dlem. He
,ooh poaru over NJ oakland across the
pay rom oah nrhhclSco-.he would so
oNol w oai fraiicisco from Oakland
gnu anu return there aI niSht or remain in
,1Y francisco, MS commission passed
n ,l lree' was NJ no expense Tor trav-
elngi anu wheh ne dld travel was not
'i"Nci'llS on business lor the depart