The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-20
COMPLAINING OF FRENCH.
The Testimony Elected by the Investi-
eating Committee Yesterday.
The SubOrdinates of the Superintendent Con-
tinue to Substantiate the Charges
Made Against Him.

of the French investigating commission MI
Spahr, attorney representing the compliments,
said: Sat the Fridays sitting of this commits
sion desired to show the unfairness of what is
called the system of checking errors. l offer
now to prove that this system causes men to
check errors where no errors exist am pre-
pared to prove that the system has been worked
to do this time and again. The reason for
checking errors where no errors exist is that
man who does not check or find hundred errors
receives a censure at the end of the month,
which goes to his discredit on the record, which,
of course, is an inducement for a man to be dis
honest in order to have good record expect
to show by two or more good witnesses that
clerks send prepared or decoy packages through
the mails for the express purpose OF finding out
whether or not some of the clerks are not check
ing errors where no errors exist and in this way
they were discovered or caught on more than
one occasion, thus showing that the system of
checking errors in this division is injurious to
the good of the service and makes men commit
moral perjuries for the purpose of maintaining
good record, or to help Mr.. French crowd
man who may be Objectionable TO him out OF the
division.
G. Jay French, speaking as his own attorney;
The regulations of the department require
clerk to check all errors found in the distIibu
ton of mail received by him, upon the slips &C
companying the same. These slips are forwarded
by the superintendent of the division At the
end of the month the number of errors checked
by a clerk is stated in the report,
which is sent to him as required
by the regulations of the department. If any
of the clerks on the line have failed to check
errors received by them it will be apparent in
the difference in the number of errors shown to
have been checked by each man. For instance,
clerks of the same assignment, and handling
the same character of mall will strictly
comply with the regulations and check all
errors found, while others will fail to do So The
result will show by the record that one clerk
may have checked fifty errors, while another
may not have checked any at all, or only five or
ten. This will show that the clerk with the
small number of errors has not complied with
the regulations. The instructions of the depart
ment would require him to call the attention of
the clerk who should check the small number of
errors, to the Instructions, so that he may com
ply with them in future. The circular calls his
attention to tho instructions of the department,
and requests him to comply with them If
there is any wrongful checking it is very rare,
and cannot be known to the superintendent
less reported by the clerk against whom the
errors may be wrongfuly checked. In such
cases it is always investigated, and if errors have
been wrongfully checked, credit is given to the
clerk against whom they are checked.
M. j. Boland, of Brightwood, who was in the
mail service from 1877 to 1882, was examined,
and stated that Palmer the who acted
as tyrant here, and that French was merely
accessory that more errors were checked against
him than the number of letters sent to the post
office; that he knew an instance where man did
the work of ST. 100 position, and only received
81, 900; that new men in the service were pro
noted over old and experienced clerks that he
was reported for drunkenness, a scheme to that
end being concocted in the postoffice, and had to
appeal to Washington to escape punishment.
He thought French was to blame for appointing
narrow minded men to positions in the service.
Shelah Waters: I live at Nashville, Tenn.
Have lived there nearly all my life was in the
federal army. During month of October, 1880,
was appointed local agent at Nashville, Tenn.
Was required by G. Jay French, as my predeces-
sor l.. B. Jones, had been for two years previ-
gus, to take the run north on the Louisville &
Nashville road, to Bowling Green, KY, when
ever the train from the south ON the Nashville
T. Decatur road missed connection at Nash
Vile This was in violation of the law and regu-
lations regarding the duties of local agents.
Jones resigned because Mr. French refused to
relieve him of this extra service. L applied to
General Superintendent W. B. Thompson,
through Hon. A. A. Freeman, for pay for this
extra service, made seventeen trips in Octo-
Der, alone. My application was referred to Mr.
French who promptly refused it. Mr.. Freeman
told me, previous to the date of this application.
that Mr.. French was violating the law in putting
me on the road. l again applied to Mr.. Free
man. this time to be relieved of this extra serv
ice The result was an order relieving me of
this service. c. Jay French never forgave me
for this act, When the law was changed. in
1882, the term local agents was dispensed with.
and all local agents were made postal clerks, for
the express purpose of transferring them to the
road whenever the superintendent might choose
to do so. Have always believed that Mr.. French
suggested this change My pay as local agent
was $500 per annum; other local agents. with no
more work to do were getting 81, 600 and 81, 200
Believing that | unfairly paid, tried at
three different times to induce General Superin-
tendent Thompson TO increase my salary. He
emphatically refused my request, saying that
Nashville was place of little Importance, and
rather than increase the pay would discontinue
the Office In December, 1882, one E. e. Win
ters, then head clerk on the l.. & n. road, and
a fayorite or c. Jay French, rendered po-
sition as chief of the carriers department in
the Nashville postofice, a. salary of 81, 300 the
same he was getting on the road. He refused.
and gave as an excuse that he wanted another
place. On Dec q, 1882, I was temporarily or
dered on the Nashville & Decatur road by H. B.
jerks. chief clerk at Louisville. Winters saw
his opportunity. and. conspiring with another of
French's favorites in the Nashville postoflce
did succeed, through Mr.. French in having me
transferred to the road on the 9th of February,
1883, and, to my surprise this same E. E. Whit
ers was appointed transfer clerk in my stead,
at a salary of 81, OOO-$2OO more than 1 had re-
ceived, 5000 more than Mr.. W. B. Thompson had
said three times before should be paid, and 5000
less than E. E. Winters was getting on the
road Such action on the part of French and
Winters was, in my opinion, suspicious. In ac-
comprising this change somebody told false
hood to General Superintendent Thompson, that
l requested to be transferred to the road de-
nounced the statement as a falsehood, and de-
manded of Mr.. Thompson his authority He
refused to give it But that French told the
falsehood can be proved. After about six weeks
service as spy, informer and transfer clerk this
same E. E. Winters resigned, and tried to keep
it secret until French could name his successor
Believing that the time had come when Mr.
Thompson could render me the justice he had
promised when he found that | had been i'm