New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-09
AN ATTEMPT TO USE CoNGREssMEN.

past year for services in the Iilden SUIT
AN ATTEMPT TO USE CONGRESSMEN.
MR.. NATIONS SCHEME Virtually TO CoEBcn
POsTMAsrERs INTO HELPING TO PUeH Bis
WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE.
lBY TELEGRAPH To TnE TgIBUSE.l
WAsHINGrON Jan. s." Civil Service Reform 10
making rapid strides IN the Office of the First A.
sistant Postmaster General" remarked Republic
can Representative to TRIBUNE correspondent to-
day. " If you do not believe me. just hunt np ooe
of the letters that Frank Haton has sent to most vt
the Republican Congressman, and while you are
reading it, do not forget that the terms of greAs
many postmasters at Presidential offices have 70.
C, ntly expired that the terms Of several nundred
more will ex pire within few weeks, and that
sequently great many appointments are soon 10
he made and may now be considered as pending"
"WeIl show me Que OF the letters" said the cst-
respondent.
a cannot DO that. The fact Is. l don't supposs
IL was thought worth while to send any OF them 70
me; but there plenty of them to De had, Ny
impression Is that most of the recipients have oa
haud all they received. Page and few others
dutifully signed those sent to them-but you woaid
better investigate for yourself"
After some difficulty the correspondent sue
ceeded in obtaining one of the letters which he
First Assistant Postmaster. General has obliginsly
furnished to Republican Congressman, to 10 sisnsd
by them {" aud placed in tho House post-ofiee-"
This letter reads as follows:
HOUSE OF RSPREsgNrATIvEsl
WAsHINGToS. ID. e., - lSs
p1sh ss "a: Nsa Rpuoean newspaper has
recently passed tho control OF Mr. Frank Hattons
insuring well and ably edited paper treating N Z
broad comprehensive and patriotic manner nan ax"a ts NAY
IN fearless aud earnest manner, the pr.nclyisa
Of the Republican party ot ana mo conia waay ''sn
The Republican will give complete and detailed te-
port Of the proceedings OF Congress and transactonaiu Ia
potnt@epts. m t promotions aud dismissals in the puss
service. consider 1t the best paper ever published 10
promoting The interests Of the Republican party in ny
slate I therefore earnestly request you !.... %
ing subscriptions in enisting the services OF some
i've active person as an agent As liberal commsslcas
are allowed agents the work viii not necessarily %
g.atuitOus. Yours truly,
Il will be observed that the foregoing letter Is adj
dressed to postmaster in Western New.fork; oJa
mistake it found its way into bundle belongngte
q Congressman from district very remote from
Orleans County. OF course, however, mig
takes are almost sure to happen u
putting up say $50 bundles OF letters
numbering perhaps $4,000 in the aggregate. for
example, one Representative, not generally con-
sidered a Stalwsrt, said: In my bundle found
letter addressed TO -. Do IN q p"Ahoio W.
publican and was formerly postmaster at -. Last
summer he was removed and aStalwart appoiDted.
Thus 1t appears that even the wellkept records OK
the Post Office Department are not infsllible.
Chow did Won receive your bundlef Was there ary
letter accompanying itP the correspondent sskedA
Represent atiye who had said, " ohucked the -
things IN my waste basket"
"Welln he replied, "a person cane TO mo and
said that he was a messenger from the First Assiss
ant Postmaster General, who requested that
should sign the letters and put them in the House
Post Office. There was no etter-slmply the veroai
request" , NJ.
Assistant Postmaster General ~ "a Western Con-
gresslnan asked. -.
Not by good deal. When was elected 70
Congress, supposed l was chosen to higher oince
than that OF pulling one horse newspaper
In response to ike inquiry another Represents-
tive said +" If / am not mistaken, MI. HatIoDs
nswsnaper is the same ono that Guiteau declared
inspired him to remove President daTheio 4
understand that Mr. Gorham is still connected WIN
that paper. 1 do not fancy my constituents desire
tnne6
II were to sign those letters and send them to
the post,uasters In my district it wOiid rum
me poItlcaliy,n declared another REPRESENTATIVE,
who continued, regard the letter as buildozing
performance, In two respects III inc nIs' pi pis.o %
FIrs, Assistant Postna aster-Genersi, who virtually
controls all ,he appointments Oh pos.nue p.s ~
Presidential offices ano who ae.aAi tSa smaller
s ,nIds tIe ofiicaI lives OF these officials IN
S's avn HANDS Now there are many PRESIDENTIAL
annoinimr nj aOout TO be made some of them ID
spy nsn di.trIot have been neld up for weeks for
ya lny mvst.rous reason-w when down come these
isItsrs. with a curt verbal request that should
: gu aud seud them back TO Tue First AssistAnS
p .ttna ter General. What AIN l TO infer ihonl
mud Iu nv bundle letters addressed " the posias'
trrs at al, the smaller offices In my district-msn
whose official existence depends on the VIII vi sh
Hation WHAT are they " infcrT
Syslelnatic inquiries among Repu6llcan hspre.
senta,lyes who received buudles OF these et.efs
snow.d that m every district from two To s'gns
pres,5.nt,ai pst offices are vacant or soon " uo.
oon,s 20 They also showed that comparatively ~