Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-11-22
THE FRUITS.
How the Republicans Try
to Fix the Defeat.
FRANK HArros ARRAIeSED,
For Not Closing the Postoffices on
Election Day---President Ar
thur Gets a Slap.

Especial to the Herald on Ass0eidted f'ress.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2l.- Postmaster-Gen
eral Hatton has sent the following letter to
Mr. Joseph Medill, editor OF the Chicago
Tribune:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2l.-In an article In
your paper OF November 18th, in which Mr..
Ciarkson, a member OF the Republican Ma
tional COMMITTEE gives many, but In my
opinion not all the reasons. why Mr.. Blaine
was defeated, I find the following: '.The
order Of Postmaster General Hatton, requir-
ing the New York Postofiice, with its thsu
sands OF clerks and carriers, to be kept
open, prevented enough Republicans from
voting to have overcome what is now
claimed as Mr.. Cleveland's plurality. The
usual order was posted in the New York
office on Monday, saying that after 10 O'Clock
on election day the clerks could take holi-
day Monday night, by Mr.. Hatton's order,
this was overruled, and clerks living In
20 't to work before the polls opened and
remain after they were closed were unable
to vote" No such order as that referred TO
| by Mr.. Clarkson was issued. by myself.
postofiices on election day. Prior to the
election dispatches were received from
many places asking authority to close
Offices. These were answered, as has always
been the custom of the Department, to the
effect that there was no law authorizing the
closing OF offices on election day. Mr..
Clarkson says my order was issued Monday
night. II 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
dispatch will show:
NEW YORK, Nov. Sd.
Frank Hatton, Postmaster General, B.riinq-
ton, Ia.:-It Is said at the P0stoffice In this
city that the letter carriers are not to have
their usual holiday during the election, and
that an order has been issued to that effect.
This will lose us many hundred votes. Can
YOU telegraph some remedy. Answer.
10 this / replied that there was no law
making election day holiday, but that the
certainly arrange to allow the employees In
his Office to vote without seriously
interfering with the delivery of the
mail. Il seems the above dispatch
was also sent to Mr.. Hszen, who was then
acting Postmaster General, and who an |
swered II as follows. the dispatch being sent
the night before ELECTION: W.. ya..
Please give employees full opportunity to ex- |
ercise right Of suffrage.
[Signedl A. d. HAzEN.
Acting Postmaster-General.
Had Mr.. CIarkson or Mr.. Elkins been Post |
master-General at the time they might have
issued an order closing all the Postofiices in |
the United States on election day. but l
hardly think they would have done so after |
reading the law. Very respectfully,
lsignedl FRANK HATroN.
cLARKsoS's ANSWER.
DEsxoIsEs, Nov. 2i.-Mr. Clarkson, editor
OF the State Register and Iowa member of
the Republican National Committee, has |
sent to the editor OF the Chicago Tribune the |
following letter, In reply to the letter of Post
master General Hatton, sent out to the As |
sociated Press to-day:
DEsMoINEs, Iowa, Nov. 81, 1884
have read the letter. or telegraphic ac-
count OF It, this day, addressed to you by |
Mr.. Hatton. as President Arthur's Postmas-
ter General. In 1t he juggles with the facts,
and by saying he did not himself issue the |
order which kept the New York postofiice |
open on election day. aud prevented |
several hundred of the clerks from |
chance to vote for President, tries to |
escape the responsibility before the country |
OF having used part OF the administration |
power In helping to defeat Mr.. Blaine. The |
truth is the order was not issued by Mr.. |
Marr. the First Assistant Postmaster Gener-
al. or Mr.. Hazen, the second, but that 1t was |
done BY Mr.. Hatt0n's order. He very |
shrewdly says in his quibbling letter to you |
that no such order was issued by himself |
That may be. The signature was the sigma |
ture Of Marr or Hazen, the subordinates, but |
the order to do so. was the order Of Hat
ton. the principal. That Mr. Hatton |
knew Of the order, and that he was
responsible !sa BE ior there is not the least
his Republican sympathizers in his desire |
for the defeat of Mr. Blaine--did not deny |
this. but gave as an explanation of it that
ride rider put on the last postal appropriation |
be legal holiday compelled him TO have |
the order issued, and that his attention had |
been called 70 1t By the Democratic chair |
man OF the House COMMITTEES on Appropria-
that he telegraphed the Postmaster at New |
York from Washington suggesting that the |
Postofice employees be allowed q chance to
bic suggestion @ 20 ny EiHns PRhie aciins
Postmaster General at Washington was left |
to send as best he could, under the orders |
Of his chief given by the latter before he |
postmaster at New York, which that worthy
could call a second order. not to let the |
postoffice be closed, which Hatton could |
afterwards claim was permission for the |
employees to vote, and the facts as well |
ployes did not get permission to vote |
and did not get permission of enough time |
In which to vote. 1t was also reliably stated |
to be true that enough of them thus deprived |
have given Blaine plurality In the State Of |
New York and elected him as President. |
Mr.. Hatton's letter Of evasion has the one |
merit Of not denying In fact the essential |
shows a shrewdness worthy of a Postmaster |
General. for when he was In Iowa the |
last days before election, he told sew
Democrat Of the city, at Mount Pleasant,
that he intended to keep the New York post
office open on election day. In talking TO
this Democratic gentleman he said, with his
thumbs twirling gaily In the armholes of
this year and do not intend to let the public
business be interfered with by politics" and
the accent on the words this year" are re-
ported by the Democrat to have been beauti
| ful In their melody and Significance. Mr..
Hatton is noted most and most loved by his
admirers, OF whom m one, for his general
golden quality Of frankness. The dignities
| and necessities OF court life seem already to
have made him diplomatic to very accom-,
plished degree. The gentleman is kind
enough to suggest what Mr.. Elkins or Mr..
Clarkson might have done as Postmaster
General, had either been in his place. do
not know how much Of law MI. Elkins or
myself might have stopped to hunt up but
may freely say that am sure that either OF
US would have hunted up great many
more opportunities to help the Repub-
Postmaster General lIatton seemed able to
nnu. Hatton also grossly gives the impor-
tant information that did not, In his opin-
lon, give all the reasons for Mr.. Blaine's de-
feat. have no doubt OF this. Doubtless
Mr.. Hatton and President Arthur both know
o. number OF agencies employed to defeat
| the party ticket that neither | nor anyone
| Isigaedl Us. cLARxsos.
Blaine Rents a House.
| WAsHiS0ToS, Nov. 2l-Blalnc has rented
the house OF Secretary Window in this city