Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-22
HATTON AND BLAINEs DEFEAT.
He Denies a ssertiOns that He Contribu
ted to the Loss of New York.

ttu 10 inc LOSS OF new 1Ork.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21.-Postmaster
General Hatton sent the following letter
to-day to Joseph Medin, editor of the Chi
CagO Tribune:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 81, 1884.
DEAR SIR-In your paper of Nov. II, in
which MIR. ClarksOn, member of the Republic
can National Committee, gives many, hut in
my opinion not all. the reasons why Blaine
was defeated. find the following:
The order of Postmaster General Hatton
requiring the New York post office, with its
thousands of clerks and carriers, to be kept
open, prevented enough Republicans from
voting to have overcome what is now claimed
as Cleveland's plurality. The usual order
was posted in the New York Office Monday
saying that after 10 O'Clock election day the
clerks could take a holiday until Monday
night. by Postmaster General Hatton's order.
This was overruled, and clerks living in dis
tant parts of the city. who had to go to work
before the polls opened and remain after they
closed, were unable to vote"
No such order as that referred to by MIR.
Clarkson was issued by myself. There is no
law authorizing the closing of post offices on
election days. Prior to the election dispatches
were received from many places asking au-
thOrity to close the offices. These were an
sWered, as has always been the custom of the
department, TO the effect that there was no
law authorizing the closing of the offices on
election day.
QUESTION OF vERACITY.
Mr.. ClarksOn says that my order was issued
Monday night. If Mr.. Clarkson did not know
his chief of committee, Mr.. Elkins, did know
that was not in Washington at that time,
but in Burlington, Iowa, as the following dis
patch will show:
"NEw YORK, Nov. 8, 1884.
"Frdn6 HdttOA, Postmaster General BurIin0-
1T IS said at the post Office in this city that
the letter carriers are not to have the usual
nonday during the elections, and that an or
Ger g mas mas, been issued to that effect.
rms Will lose us many hundreds OF votes
Can you telegraph us some remedyP
IS. B. ELKINs."
To this I replied that there was no law
making election day a holiday, but the Post
master at New York, if he desired, could GER
talnly arrange to allow the employees in his
once to vote without seriously interfering
with the delivery of the mail.
1t seems that the above dispatch from Ell
klns or one similar was also sent to Mr.
HaZen, who was then acting Postmaster
General and who answered it as follows, the
dispatch being sent on the night before the
election:
II. 6. Pearson, Postmaster, Neao York:
Flease give the employees full opportunity to
exercise the right Of suffrage.
A. ID. HAZEN, Acting Postmaster General
Had Mr.. Clarkson or Mr.. Elkins been Post
master General at the time, they might have
issue an order closing all the post offices in
the United States during, election day, but
hardly think they would have done so after
reading the law. Very respectfully,
FRANK HATToN.
Joseph NediU. Esq, editor Chicago Tribune.
CLARKsON READS THE RIOT ACT.
DES MONIES, IA, Nov. 21.-Chairman
ClarksOn, of the State Committee, to-
night sent reply to the Chicago Tribune
to Mr.. HattOn's message sent from Wash
ingtOn tonight. Mr.. ClarksOn charges
that MIR. HattOn juggles with the facts.
While it is literally true that Mr.. Hatton
did not himself issue an order which
kept the New York post office
open on election day and prevented
employees from voting, Mr.. Clarkson as
serts the truth to be that the order was
issued by First Assistant Postmaster
General MARI or Second Assist ant Hazen
during Mr.. HattOn's absence in the West,
but by Mr.. Hatton's order. He
also says that Mr.. Hatton's
friends in New York made no
pretense of denying it, but gave as an ex-
planatIon that the last postal appropria-
t1on bill provided that election day should
not be a holiday, which compelled Mr..
HattOn to have the order issued.
and that his attention had been
caIleG TO the provision by
the Democratic Chairman. Mr.. Clark
son also says that Mr.. HattOn's object
was to assist in the defeat of Blaine. Mr..
ClarksOn further says that Mr.. HattOn
did not telegraph the New York Post
master that employees could be allowed 10
vote, but sent his dispatch to Mr.. Elkins.
The letter further says that it was
stated at the time that enough
employees of the post office were prevent
ed from voting to have given Blaine a
plurality in New York. The letter, which
is long, closes with bit of pleasantly
and raillery touching Mr.. Hatton's and
President Arthur's position during the