Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-07
4 RASCAL TURNED OUT.
ROME'S N. W POSTMASTER sUS.
PENDED FROM OFFICE.

master at Rene, n. Y, was to-day sus-
pended from further duty in his office by
order of the President, and James B.
Corccr1n has been designated to perform
the duties of the Office In hi stead. The
President proposed the removal of the
Postmaster and nominated Blr. Corcoran
to the Senate at the recent session, and as
it tailed to take action On the nomination
the Postmaster General applied to the
President for his directions in the case,
and received a written communication,
which has been procured from the depart
ment, and is as follows
EXECUTIVE MANSION !
WASHINGTON, April 4, 1885.
Hon. W. F. Vi1as:
DEAR SIR-ln answer to your inquiry as to
the disposition 10 be made of the case of the
/ Postm ster at Rome, Oneida county, n. y,
which was pres mt d to the Senate on March
26, with proposition that he be remove for
| cause, and which proposition was not acted
| upon prior to the adjournment of that body
o. April ?, have to say that to me it clearly
seems to be my duty to exercise, by prompt
action, in this case all the power which the
present condition Of the law has left in my
hands, so far as it may be done independently
of the Senate, to protect the interests of the
| government, to vindicate the laws which have
been enacted for the regulation of the postal
service, and to impress upon Federal Office
holders the fact that no indulgence VIII be
granted by the executive to those who violate
or neglect their public duty.
NO RETURNS MADE.
This Postmaster, under section 4044 Of the
United states Revised Statutes and the regu-
ations of the Post Onlce Department, was re
quired to transmit to the department weekly
a report OF the business done by him in the
money order branch of his office.
1t appears from the Official report of an In
spector Of the Post ONCE Department, now be-
fore nae, and which was submitted to the
Senate Committee, while the proposition to
remove this official was before it, that an ex-
animation of his office was ordered on Jan.
%, 1885, in consequence of the fact
that no suCh weekly reports had
been made since December 6, 1884.
1t further appears, from this report that
such examination deV eloped most dlsgracefut
confusion In all that pertaned to the accounts
and financial condition of the office; tnat
there had been no entry in the money order
cash book since July. 1884, and that. as might
have been Hcted, there was deficiency in
the money order accounts OF more than 500,
and in the postal accounts OF more than "a 0.
| There IS, | think, no dispute touching these
facts.
THE DEFICIENCY MADE GOOD.
The deficiency has been refunded to the
government under an arrangement with one
of the sureties of the delinquent official, and
he attempts to excuse the wretched condition
of his Office by alleging that his as
sistaut had entire charge of the
the other details of the Office. In making
such an exeuse as this, this officer admits, it
seems to me, a violation of plain duty in
turning over the operation Of his office to au
assistant without any preteXt of sickness or
unavoidable absence of the POstm aster, which
is contrary to reasonable construction of
section 403I of the Revised Statutes, which pro-
! Vides that ''in case Of sickness. or the una
voidabe absence of the Postmaster Of any
money order post office, he may, with the ap-
prOval Of the Postmaster General, authorize
| the chief clerk, or some other clerk employed
! therein, to act in his place, aud to disch arge
/ all the duties required by law of such
| Postm master." BY the claim now made
that the assistant, having had fun charge, is
| responsible for the delinquencies and irregu-
| larities complained of, the Postmaster also
appears to contradict his own sworn state
ment, made TO the department as late as Sept.
30, 1884, TO the effect that he himself had per-
| formed for the preceding quarter the money
order business in his Office cept when nee
| essarily absent. | shall do all that is in my
power to rid the public service of officials who
exhibit such loose ideas Of their duty to the
government.
wORTHLEssNEss OF PETITIONS.
The fact that have before me documents
signed by many residents OF the city where
this Postmaster is located, and who belong to
both political parties, asserting tht ir
entire confidence in his honesty and
fidelity, demonstrates the unfortunate
facility with which such papers may be OBJ
tanned, and gives rise 10 an unpleasant sus-
picon touching the too prevalent standard Of
political honesty. If | cannot remove this
delinquent Postmaster / can surely suspend
him. This l have determined to do promptly,
and | desire yOu at once to present to me the
papers necessary for that purpose, Yours
truly, GROVER CLEVELAND.
At an interview with the Postmaster
General be stated to a reporter Of the AS
socated Press this afternoon that the
Senate committee asked for and had sent
to them the papers in the case, including
the inspectors report and the reason for
their declining TO approve the proposed
removal was unknown to him, and could
only be surmised. The facts are plainly
shown, he said, by the official report Of
the inspector, made during the term of
President Arthur, and open to no susp-
ciou of partisan or personal unfriendl-
ness. The President in his letter has only
mentioned those in respect to which no
opportunity for question is open.
THE OBJECT IN VIEW.
The removal was not proposed for any
other purpose than to improve the service,
and the nominee is man against whom
no lust objection could lie. The Post
master General added that the present
may be a good opportunity to say that
from the evidence before MIN he believes
a notion to be prevalent and the practice
TO be general, accordingly, that Postmas-
ters should have allowances for CLERKS
sufficient TO enable the business Of their
Offices to be transacted chiefly by them
while the Postmaster bims II, though the
best paid, should be required to give no
personal labor beyond a general SUPER
vision This case illustrates what
may happen from such practice, if the
excuse Of the Rome Postmaster be true
IN fact, and in every case Of default
clerk or assistant viii be made the scape.
goat 1t is the intention of the depart
ment to make careful scrutiny OF these
allowances, and reduce them when neces-
sary materially. requiring the Postmaster
TO give his personal time and attention 10
the duties OF the Office and assist In their
performance, except in those few larger
Offices where his time may be necessarily
required IN general supervision. Ii Is be-
lieVeu that by such a course the public
will be much better served and, that
considerable reduction in the annual eX-
penditures Of the department may be
realized.
TEE COMMITTEES EXPLANATGoN.
A member OF the senate Committee on
Post Oflcos and Post Roads, who was
asked tO.night by an Associated Press re-
porter for an explanation Of the failure Of
that committee 70 act upon the n0mina-
tian of Mr. orcOran TO superscde the in
cumbent OF the pOstmastership at Rome,
Ia view Of the Presidents statement that
charges against the incumbent we're laid
before that committee, said that he Is