The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-20

duties without fear or FAVOR ana as TO you
seemed to be for the best interests of the service
c. Jay French, interposing: wish to say, if
there is any such petition, its circulation is en-
tirely unauthorized by me- l was asked by my
friends some time age about getting up such
thing, and plainly expressed myself against it.
Witness, continuing: This letter is probably
signed by about three fourths of all the clerks
in his division. 1t is in the hands Of his trusted
agents, who are constantly telling the clerks that
French will be here when Gresham is gone; that
he will not be removed, but that in order to APP
pease the Indanians, he may be transferred.
Numbers of men have signed this letter because
they did not have the moral courage to refuse.
So far as | could learn, it was presented to all
the clerks running into Nashville except myself.
AS a specimen of Frenchs bulldozng orders and
want of courtesy and decency to clerks, [ sub
nit one. In that order he states falsehood i'll
the first sentence, and in making his threat at
Mr.. Kellogg and myself, who live at Nashville,
he will in truth only affect the men who live at
the Decatur end of the line.
Exhibit j
CINCINNATI, O., Oct 49, 1888.
Railway Postal Clerks, Nashville & Decatur Railway
Postoffice;
1 have had complaints that when one of the clerks
your line is sick at Decatur that the clerk at Nash
vile refuses to go down and take the run north from
Decatur. desire to say that if there is any
further trouble from any cause whether sickness or
anything else the will be changed that all clerks
on the line will begin and end their runs at Nashville
Very respectfully, c. JAY FRENCH,
superintendent.
On the line between Nashville Tenn, and
Montgomery, Ala, distance of 300 miles, there
are six postal clerks, constituting four crews
two men in the as far Decatur, Ala, and
one man from there to Montgomery. 1t is a no
toriOus fact, and has been for ten years, that
some of the crews have not single rack, hook
or other arrangement for hanging pouches or
tie-bags, and the clerks have to drive nails In
the counters and walls on which to hang pouches
or sacks. Frenchs attention has been called to
this fact time and again, and yet he expects the
clerks this line to do as good work as on
other lines where there are good facilities for
working the mail. 1t is a fact that he has re
CURED other lines to furnish good cars in some
instances.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
The first witness called in the afternoon was
Sam NJ Ollie, of this city He testified that he
had served in the army and had been in the
railway mail service since April %, 1871 Be
gan on the St Louis and Vinita, Indian Terri
tory. Was transferred to st. Louis and Atchi-
son July q, 1872 and was made head clerk Aug.
26, 1873, and transferred to P. & st. L. Dec. 10,
1875 because of detail made on the different
divisions for men familiar with the service and
with the western distribution to start the P. &
St L. 1 may say about that time there was a
good deal of talk among the men about Mr..
Frenchs hardness. I thought it was probably
made by disgruntled postal clerks and cared
little about it. can say that my relations with
Mr. French have not been personally unpleas
ant. have no grievances. Have been fined
once for failure to register and was unable
get it RENTED. I applied to Mr..
French to have it revoked. After lapse of
ten days received communication from
Mr. French that he had given my complaint
to the department, and that the department had
decline to interfere. and refused to remit the
fine, 1t was while Mr.. Palmer was chief clerk,
but cannot remember the date. l am making
no complaint of that 1t was according to regu-
lations-[ Looking toward Mr.. French. Nothing
from the department only your statement
Commissioner Meyers-In what way does the
checking of errors affect mans record
Witness-Badly l will illustrate by giving
my position. was appointed in the railway
mail service through political influence.
Meyers--So were we all.
Witness-I have outlived eight or nine post
master generals and all the political influence
ever had, and now have to stand on my record.
The checking system is part of it. am differ
ent from ordinary postmasters on that account.
Laughter by the five postmasters of the com
mission.
Witness continuing will refer to some mat
ters in connection with the mails which Mr..
French does not know, or else let's go on as they
are. The first is that the New York and Chicago
make ties on Illinois for [. & st. L. local line
west to Nation, which arrives here at ii
o'clock 1t is thrown out of baggage-car here
for transfer to the Vandalia- 1t is what we call
express mail, to be taken to St. Louis and for
the l. & St L. The schedule will show that the
l. g. St L. leaves before the Panhandle. By
leaving it the l. & st. L. it could be taken to
Alton junction. 1t could be taken there on
time, The Vandalia probably makes that con-
nection with the 1. & St L. at the extreme,
about one time out of ten at East St. Louis.
The /. & St L. could return that mail by the
railway postoffice whenever they made it. l
know that this mislnanagement has existed for
years, and has been common talk for years. Mr..
Vale knew of it,
Questionable Mr.. French know of it, Why
have you not reported it to himl
Witness-Mr. French is not an approachable
man to his official interiors, so have never re-
ported this to him. Twice within the present
year, to my knowledge, the Panhandle being
two hours or more late, an extra was sent out
over the Vandalia line The Panhandle was sew
eral hours late, and an extra Sent out and
the mail not taken l want to make this
clear This extra connects at st. Louis, and if
mail for Kansas, Nebraska and California was
sent on that extra train, it would be from twelve
to twenty-fOur hours in advance of the same
mail carried by the train run regular following
it. The point | want to make is that this mail
is detained here for the postal car, that it may
be worked in this division, and credited and not
charged against Mr. French by the seventh di-
vision as unworked. There are four OF five ties
to-day lying on the trucks now at
the Union Depot, ready for the
postal car, delayed for the Vandalia.
Kansas, Nebraska and California have been de-
layed, and al that mail could have been for
warded by sending on the extra to-day. l have
reported these things to Mr.. Vale heretofore,
and asked why this mail was not forwarded, and
he answered because it would be charged against
this division as unworked 1 then asked him if
it was more important that the record of this di-
vision should be maintained than that the mail
be forwarded, and he returned no answer The
mail is there to-day to show that it has hap
pened. Sensation. 1t was General Superin-
tendent Bangs's idea that mails should be for
warded regardless of distance and route, time
and Vandalia leave the Union depot at st. Louis
at the same time, alternately. 1t some
times happens that the St Louis &
Atchson, which brings the principal part of
the mail from the West arrives inst in time to