The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-13
DUNTON.
Appointed to Office While Serving a Term in
a Maine Jail.
New York Sun.

V~~
New York Sun.
We now learn from the unimpeachable testi.
mony Of Postmaster Dunton himself that he is
the identical +. B. Dunton who is at present
serving out an eight months sentence in the
Portland Jail for defrauding the government.
Postmaster Dunton's autobiography is printed
in the Portland Press. From his own account
of his life and circumstances we gather that he
is something OF a mugwump in Center Lincoln
vile. He towns a fine property in the center Of
the town, consisting of a twostory hotel and
also a store, the latter containing the postofice."
lie had filled many positions of trust in the
town" and as deputy postmaster had displayed
so much efficiency and intelligence in the dis
charge of his duties that when the postmaster
resigned. early in April, Dunton's.. promotion to
the vacant Office was regarded as the natural
and proper thing. 1t was almost an ideal civil
service reform appointment. Political consider
atoms did not enter into it. DuAton was no
politician; he could not have told who was
chairman Of the Democratic State committee"
A the selectnen, the collector and many of
the heaviest tax and leading citizens in
the town" were in favor of promoting this expe-
rienced and efficient subordinate to the Office left
vacant by the resignation of the postmaster.
Two other candidates for the appointment
namely, Nat Ross and j. Albert knight, who, as
we infer, went to work in the oid-fashioned UNI
reformed way to get the Office through political
infuence-were nowhere in the race. Yet Dun
tons success has not made him naughty. Even
now, in the hour Of triumph, when the news OF
his appointment reaches him at the Portland
Jail, he speaks kindly of his late competitors,
offensive partisans and unregenerate Jacksonian
Democrats, though they are:
Il do not want to exult over their defeat, for
one of them is a good friend to me; but, you see,
my petition was recognized at Washington, and
I got the appointment. If / was in Lincolnville
now l could readily obtain the names of the best
citizens of the town on my bond, and they would
want me TO have the Office. n . = Here am
in this Jail, and here / shall remain till my
eight months are up. / guess / can live four
months longer, and then l shall go back home
and be thought as much of there as / ever was"
Of course Postmaster Dunton cannot exercise
the functions of his Office while he is confined in
Portland jail. Under the strict application of
civil-service reform principles, we are not sure
whether he should be Immediately pardOned out
or whether a locum tenenS should be selected
by competitive examination to look after the
business of the Center Lincolnville postofice
pending the expiration of the postmaster's term
in prison. The one thing certain is that an ideal
civil-service reform appointment ought not to DO
defeated by the mere fact that before Post
master Dunton's commission could be made out
the superserviceable officers of justice detected
him in stealing money from the government,
convicted him OF his own confession, and had
him locked up for eight months as a thief.
Besides. 1.-THE mugwump postmaster in the
Portland Jail solemnly declares, on his honor as
a civil service reformer. that the amount which
he stole was less than one-half stated by his
enemies"