Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-22
Dissrancf,isc.i rct,er.Carriers.
THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN POSTMASTER GENERAL
HATTON And Mr.. CLARKSON.

THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN POSTMASTER GENERAL
HATTON AND Mr.. CLARKSON.
Postmaster General Hatton has written letter
to the editor Of the Chicago tribune denying the
statement made by Mr. ]. S. Clarkson, member of
the republican national committee, that he QIat-
tom had issued order prohibiting the closing OF
the New York post Office On election day, thus pre-
venting lettercarriers from voting. He says: mo
such order as that referred to by Mr.. ClarksOn
issued bymySelf There is no law authorizing the
closing OF poSt offices on election days. Prior to
the election. dispatches were received from many
places asking authority to close the Offices. These
were answered. as has always been the custom of
the department., TO the effect that there no
law authorizing the closing OF Offices On election
day. Mr. Clarkson says that my order was issued
Monday night. If Mr.. ClarkSOn did not know,
his chief OF committee MI ElkinS. did know that
was not in Washington at that time, but in Bur-
lingtOn, Iowa" Mr. HattOn then gives q telegram
sent to him at Burlington by S. i. EiktnS on that
day, telling him that it was understood that the
lettercarrierS were not TO have their usual holiday
on election day, and asking for some remedy. To
this he says he replied that there was no law
making election day holiday, but that the post
master OF New York could Certainly, ii he So de-
sired, arrange to allow the employees OF his Office to
vote without seriously interfering with the delivery
OF the mails He says further that acting POST
master General HaZen telegraphed the postmaster
TO allow employees chance TO vote.
Mr.. ClarkSon has written letter In rerly to this,
in which he charges that Hatton Juggle5 with the
facts that while it is literally true that Hatt0n dii
not himself issue an order which kept the New
York post otice open on election day, and pre-
vented employees from voting the truth is that the
order was issued by First Assistant Postmaster
General Mari or Second Assistant HaZen, during
HattOnS absence in the west, by his orders. He
says that HattonS friends In New York made
pretense Of denying it, but gave explanation
that the last postal appropriation bill, in rider,
provided that election day should not be holiday.
which compelled Hatton to have the order issued,
and that his attention had been called TO the pro-
vision by the democratic chairman; that HattOnS
object was To assist In the defeat OF Blaine. Mr..
ClarkS0n further says that HattOn d.d not tele-
graph the New York postmaster that the employees
q ollnJVp6 n mi js ltoh
to Eikins. Mr.. ClarkSon further says that when in
Iowa the last days before the election Mr. Hatton
told several perSonS-anong them a leading demo-
crat OF Mount Pleasant--that he intended to keep
the New York post Office open on election day.
The Election Dispute in Illinois.
THE GRAND JURY INVESTIGATING THE MATTER-THE
ELECTION OF U. s. SENATOR DEFENDING On THE RE-
SUIT.
The case Of the disputed election to the Illinois
state senat e. in which both Brand (GemocraD and
Leman republican) claim majority, was presented
to the grand jury at Chicago yesterday The case is
rendered especially important as upon 1t turns the
question OF the control of the legislature Joint bal
lot According to the returns of the police board
Lemanhad maj ajOrty but the returns OF the canvass
ing board gave Brand majority. The difference
found to be in the second precinct OF the eighteenth
ward. The police returns gave Leman 400, Brand
274. The returns to the canvaSSing board gave
LeInan 225, Brand 474, thus making change or 400
In favor OF Brand and giving him majority of TO-
The figures on the tally sheet seemed to be original
figures, showing no signs of eraSureS In The poll
book the entry appeared to have originally stood
in the return to the police, but was subsequently
erased and made TO correspond with the tally sheet
On behalf OF Mr. Brand 1t stated that the org-
nal entry in the poll book clerical error. on
beh If OF Leman, who claimed that the returns had
been tampered with, it was shown that in this Pre-
cinct the republican candidates for President and
governor received $50 and 40S respectively, while
the democratic candidates for those Offices received
2S3 and 2S7, and he argued that IL was impossible
that such large falling off should have occurred
In his (Leman's) vote. The matter VIII be further
examined by the grand jury to-day. Meanwhile
the ballot box Is under guard.