Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-11-14
a POLITICAL STORY.
We Republican Civil-Service Reformers,
Listen to This Tale of Woe.
From Speech by Benjamin Harrison in the
Itnitad States Senate March Dc 1885


fnitely full of pathos and indig-
nation. Down on the Ohio river. in one
of our Indiana counties, is the town of
Cannelton. The post-office there is of
the fourth class, and regret it exceed
ingly, because it withdraws from our
consideration here the case to which I
am about to refer. Isabelle De La Hunt
was the widow of Major De La Hunt, of
the Twenty-sixth Indiana Volunteers.
He was Democrats Democrat before
the war, Democrat during the war, a
Democrat after the war, or after his re-
turn from the army. He was gallant
man. At Prairie Grove, in Arkansas,
he was shot down by wound entirely
through the body. Recovering from this
desperate wound, he rejoined his COM
mand and again received rebel bullet
through his arm. Disabled by these
two wounds received in his countrys
service, he was compelled to leave the
army and return to Perry County, Ind.
In acknowledgment of his Democracy,
in recognition may hope, of his gallant
service as a soldier, the Democracy of
Perry County elected him to one of
the county offices. But his days
were few. His vital forces had
been so Slapped by the wounds
which he had received that it was not
long until sorrowing widow and one
only child followed the remains of as
brave soldier as ever went out from
Indiana to his last resting place in the
grave. This widow, left with small
means, entered upon the work of main
tanning herself and that soldiers orphan
boy. For many years her old father
was postmaster at Cannelton, and she
his principal and most efficient deputy.
Something like a year or eighteen
months ago, her old father being beyond
eighty years of age and unable to dis
charge the duties of the Office, Isabelle
De La Hunt, the widow, was appointed
on my request by Mr.. Hatton, then
Postmaster-General, to this little post
office.
If there was in all this country one
person who by reason of her sex, who
by reason of her widowhood, who by rea-
son of the sacrifice she had made in Civ
ing the arm on which she leaned to her
country's service, was entitled to be
kept in office, was entitled to have her
reputation guarded jealousy by all men
who represented the Government, it was
that some person might be mean enough
to misrepresent her for the sake of OBJ
tanning this little office, she wrote to the
honorable Postmaster-General in March
last expressing her apprehension and
asking him in case charges should be
made against her to do her the favor of
giving notice thereof, so that she could
refute them, and also informing him of
lo,, Hf hnr
financial necessities, and the further
fact of her husbands politics.
Mrs. De La Hunt was removed, and
neither to that appeal nor to la ter APP
peal to know the character of the vile
charges that had been preferred against
her was she given the simple recogni-
ton of an answer.
Now, Mr.. President, perhaps my dis
tinguished friend from Kansas, whose
command of language SO far surpasses
my own, might characterize this trans
action, perhaps he could touch it up
little; but to me that work is impossi
BILE. The story of Mrs. De La Hunt car
ries it's own pathos and its own indigna
ton.
CHAPTER II.
[F'rom the New York Evening Post, Maye5, 1891
The Cleveland administration having
gone out, and General Harrison having
become President, Mrs. De La Hunt ap-
piled for restoration to her old position
as postmaster. There was no doubt as
to local sentiment demanding the resto-
1ation of this most efficient and worthy
person to her old office. She presented
! petition more numerously signed than
that of any other applicant, and repre-
senting an overwhelming majority of
the patrons of the Office. Of course,
Mrs. De La Hunt was reappointed to her
old position as soon as her old champion,
Ben amin Harrison, became President?
On the contrary, the Office has been
given to John Zimmerman, who has been
chairman of the Republican County Com
mittee, and whose only claim to the
place is party service.
CHAPTER III.
from the New York Press June ii, 1891
WASHINGTON, June 10.-A reporter of
the United Press to-day called the atten-
ton of Mr.. Clarkson, First Assistant
Postmaster-General, to the post-office
case at Cannelton, Ind, about which the
President has been criticised because of
the appointment of Mr.. Zimmerman.
Many papers have quoted Mr.. Harrison's
speech in the United States Senate in
. 1885 in opposition to the removal of Mrs.
De La Hunt, former postmistress, from
this office, and have criticised his action
in failing to appoint her now, when she
was an applicant WITH Mr.. Zimmerman.
Mr.. Clarkson said: 'The President had
made a memorandum directing the APP
pointment of Mrs. De La Hunt, suppos-
ing the Office to be Presidential, but the
appointment was really of the fourth
class, and 1 had already appointed Mr..
Zimmerman upon the recommendation
of Congressman Posey, whose indorse-
hents are usually followed in the dis
trict,. knowing nothing of the desire of
tfe President for Mrs De La Hunts re-
appointment, nor Of the circumstances
of the case. / am Inclined to think that
it will yet be changed, and that Mrs. De
La Hunt will be appointed, as it was the
intention of the President to appoint the
Union soldiers widow to the Cannelton
post-ofice."
CHAPTER ".
[From the Dover On. j. Index. October25 1891
CHAMELEON, Ind, Oct. 10, 1889. |
Messrs. Humnaez d. 7THyer, Docer, N d.:
Gentlemen: In reply to yours of 10th |
inst, / have to say that l have not re- |
ceived the appointment, and it is with |
out doubt settled that / am NOT to IT, |
ceive it, for have learned that shortly |