The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-25
AN "0PPENsIVE PARTISAN


| The Journal is in possession of the facts of
an attempt to GUST faithful and competent
railway postal clerk under the flexible and
ambiguous offensive partisan" rule. That it
since we have yet to hear of single case in
| which an effort Of this kind has failed. Under
! the conditions under which it is enforced
there is no possibility of its failure. The
prosecuting attorney, the witnesses, the
| judge and the jury all being bent on render
| ing it effective, it is a vain thing to make a
| fight against the inevitable. The case we
speak of, however, is fair sample of scores
| and hundreds, and a recital Of it's features
may serve to show what farce is being made
of the civil-service rules. No charge is made
that this man is not efficient, industrious and
faithful. An investigation of such charge
must result in his complete vindication. But
certain oficious Democrats Of the town in
| which his family lives have made charges
that he is an Offensive partisan" and these
have been forwarded to the Postmaster general
for the purpose of having him re-
moved and his place given to a
Democrat 1t is useless for the
victim to appeal to the department, for it has
been demonstrated that defense is not permit
ted The papers charging offensive partisan
ism are passed upon from ex parte evidence
and in star chamber session. A charge of
this kind, made pro forma, is as fatal as lettre
de cachet, for there is no appeal. The victim
in this instance thought to apply to his con-
gresham, who is Democrat, and presented
the facts in the case, explaining that while he
was a Republican, he had never failed in the
| proper discharge of every duty as everybody
acquainted with him would testify; and,
further, that he had never been guilty of the
| offense charged, which was that he had used
government money to aid in the campaign
| last year The petitioner asked that the con-
gresham secure for him an impartial hearing
of the case, and asked no more. The petit
toner explained that he was the only ex-
soldier and prisoner of war in his county that
held position under the government, and
| requested that if the congressman did not
care to 90 anything personally in his behalf,
that he would simply place the petition before
the Postmaster general The congressman
replied positively declining to file the letter
as requested, saying that he must appeal di-
rectly to the Postmaster general In &C.
cordance with this the clerk did as recon-
mended, and sent to Mr.. Villas petition for his
retention signed by twelve of the best and
most respectable Democrats of his county, in
Guiding Democratic central committeeman,
and another signed by citizens in general, and
a third by his post of the G. A. r. And in
addition to these he sent an affidavit that he
had never used any money to influence
elections in any manner. He further says
that OF his accusers before the department
one has served two terms in the penitentiary,
another is fugitive from justice, while a
| third has been charged at different times with
nearly all the crimes named in the statutes.
1t remains to be seen whether this old soldier.
| and ex-prisoner of war, a man faithful and
efficient in the mail service, will be dismissed
to make room for another, and in defiance Of
the spirit of the civil-service rules, and in
obedience to the infamous, scoundrelly, dis
honorable, sneaking plan officially put into
operation by Postmaster general Villas.
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