The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-12

longer to discharge the duties of the Office. re-
signed, and upon my recommendation MS
daughter, Mrs. Isabella De La Hunt, was APP
pointed postmaster She was the widow OF Mai
De La Hunt, of the Twenty-sixth Indiana In
fantry. He went to the war Democrat, and
came home Democrat. At Pea Ridge he was
shot through the arm. and the arm was disabled.
On his recovery from that wound be went oack
to the 'front.' and in another engagement, snort
ly afterwards was shot through the body his
natural vitality of constitution overcame these
wound, and, thus disabled, he returned to the
home from which he had gone out
He was elected to a county Office as Democrat,
and edited Democratic paper until his death.
When he died he left his widow, and one boy to
her care. She had been acting as deputy in
this postoffice, and naturally succeeded to the
appointment when her aged father retired This
administration had been in power but few
months, when some miscreant filed charges at
the Postoffice Department against her. She
wrote to the Postmaster general. and asked to
be advised as to what charges were filed, and he
would not answer Finally she ascertained that
the charge was Offensive craftsmanship
The editor of the Democratic paper wanted
the postofice and some miscreant was found
vile enough to flo charges against this Demo
cratic soldiers widow What had she been
guilty Off Why, when her husband died be left
her as part of his small property this Demo
cratic paper. 1t must De kept going until it
could be sold, for a newspaper, when stopped,
loses much of its value. She applied to her
brother-inlaw, who was Republican, TO con-
duct the paper for her until she could sell It.
After trying to edit Democratic paper for
few weeks laughter he found himself unequai
to the task renewed laughter ana
said to Mira De La Hunt, II will
have to run this paper as a Republican
paper; there is one other Democratic paper here
already" and so. for short time. until 1t was
sold he conducted it as Republican paper
Mrs. De La Hunt had nothing to do with It's
management, but this miscreant went back to
81 &c AZ I'D 20
publican editorials and filed them in support of
charges against her and she was removed, al
though the paper had been sold eight years be-
fore. All of the facts were brought to the at
tention of the department bat to this day that
Democratic editor runs that postoffice, and Mrs
De La Hunt struggles rs she can to maintain
herself and that soldiers boy. l want to read
you letter she wrote, or rather a card she pub
lished. 1t seems to me have rarely read any
thing more full Of spirit than this letter. She
said:
Had the government seen fit to remove me without
alleged cause as it had undoubted right to do.
should remain silent; but when I am sacrificed by
falsehood may be excused if [ protest against it.
have this to say, that whoever has sworn TO any
act of partsanshp my part in the conduct of the
postoffce here has committed willful perjury and
dare him to appear before any open tribunal and
make good his accusation. call upon him to stand
forth in the glare of honest sunlight and exhibit him
self to this community the author of this caumny
Let him do this and bring from the files Of the star
which he has affixed his infamous name, and pledge
myself to prove their utter fasity So conscious am
of the rectitude and impartality of my conduct IN
the discharge of my official duties that do not hest
tate to appeal to you and all irrespective of your
political preferences, for the truth Of this assertion
Somebody in this community has sworn to a lie to
accomplish that which could not be done through the
instrumentality of truth. For this now publicly
brand him as perjurer. do not propose to lie
der the false accusation of untruhfu coward who
thus resorts to secret assassination of character to
accomplish unjust object. Hence appeal in this
public manner to the honor and consciences of all
honest men and women TO condemn, as know they
must this infamous attempt to do me an injury.
say to the government--take your postofice, but
not under false pretenses Do this and will utter
word of complaint, however uni ust it may appear.
Excuse me- my friends, you who have known me
from my childhood and witnesses of daily and
official life, me if manifest some feeling over
this wrong cannot help it. War; with its natural
and inevitable results, struck down my husband, my
protector and support II was the act OF an open foe
on the field of battle, whom try to forgve but that
the government, to preserve which he sacrificed his
life should connive with secret assassins and false
witnesses to strike down his family without oppor
tunity of vndicaton Is national disgrace, and act
too cowardly and base for absolution.
ISABELLE DE LA HUNT.
OANNELToN, Ind, Aug. 81, 1885
Long continued applause But though the
falsty of these charges was thus exposed, this
Democratic administration still excludes the sol
diers widow from the little postoffice at Camel
ton and she fights the battle of life as best she
can.
WORK OF THE GRAND ARMY
My comrades, have here the report of the
employment committee of the Grand Army of
the Republic at Washington. Most of you are
members of that organization. You know it is
thoroughly bipartisan. / want to read you
what they say in regard to the employment of
soldiers in the departments Major Burke, who
signs this report as commander Of that depart
ment, is Democrat He says
While the employment committee of former years
principally engaged in securing employment for
applicants, and with fair success, the present
mittee have we regret to report owing to conditions
that will be mentioned hereafter received but little
encouragement in proportion to the amount of labor
expended In this direction. Indeed this has been
off year for the class we represent.
This, my comrades. is the statement of a
Democratic soldier, who has been engaged In
trying to secure places for soldiers at Washing.
ton. He says: This year of Democratic admin
istration "has been off year for the class
we represent" namely, the Union soldiers. I
quote further from his report:
The gloomy forebodings of Commander Alexander
in his address to the last department encampment,
to have been realized. But we have the pleas
of knowing however. that In the few whore
employment was secured much real misery was re.
lieved and few homes and fresdes made happier.
BY far the greatest amount of our labors for the
last year has been expended In seeking the reinsate
ment of comrades discharged from their positions
the executive departments and in endeavoring to
the retention in their places of those who had
employment.
AS far as we can learn there have been seventy
eight comrades of the g. A. R. discharged from gov
eminent employ during the last year, also o large
number of exUnion soldiers and sailors who not
affiliated with us, and many of the wards of the Grand
Army. OF those comrades who have been discharged
who have been requested to tender their resigna
tons, this COMMITTEE has been solicited TO its nu
in securing reversal of departmental action in
thirty seven cases. in which have been successful
in ten cases. and this has been effected only by con-
slant and repeated Importantly.
Speaking of the correspondence upon this sub
ject, he says
few weeks elapsed but in the meantime our
comrades in the departments being rapidly dis
placed. and feeling that appeal had not been as
cluded to memorialize the President and request his
official interpretation in their behalf
And again:
1t is estimated that of the total number of en-.
poyes in the departments in Washington the soldier
nearly 40 per cent Of all who have been discharged
came from that cass-there is certainly are large per