The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-04
THE UNKISDEsT CUT OF ALL.
Offensive Partisanship" not Alone Suf-
fcient Cause for Removal.
From the New York Times I

WASHINGTON, March 25.-Postmas-
ter General Wanamaker has given out
q bit OF information concerning the
policy Of the Administration as to the
removals of postmasters that has fallen
like wet blanket upon the Republican
Representatives and the local leaders
in their districts. He has announced
that offensive partisanship'' will not
: in itself be considered as sufficient rea-
son for dismissing postmaster. This
announcement has a particularly de-
pressing effect upon the place-hunters
and their hackers, from the fact that it
follows Immediately upon an Act of
the Administration, which has been
hailed as a precedent<of exactly the
opposite policy.
As soon as tlsenew Administration
. had takegcharge of the Government,
Representative Payson went to work
sGcure the removal of.the postmaster
at his home, Pontiac, Ill. The post
!. master had been exceedingly active as
a Democrat during the Presidential
campaign, and a newspaper with
which he was connected was filled with
violent attacks upon the Republican
candidates. Mr.. Payson laid the case
before the President and Postmaster
General Wanamaker, and asked that
The postmastership at Pontiac be It
once turned over to a Republican. To
the Congressman's surprise neither the
President nor Mr.. Wanamaker seemed
disposed to act at once, and they asked
if Mr.. Payson could not give some
other reason than partisanship for the
removal. Mr.. Payson regarded the
postmaster's political activity as good
enough reason, and he insisted upon
I it SO strenuously that finally the man
: was put out and good Republican
named by Mr.. Payson got the place.
The success ofthe Illinois Congress
man was soon known to other Repub-
lican Representatives, and it was not
long before they began to file charges
Of offensive partisanship against the
Democratic postmasters in their dis
tricts, and to point out to the postmas-
ter general the men they wanted sub
stituted for the outgoing officers. But
somehow the expected removals were
not made, and the Representatives be-
gan calling upon Mr.. Wanamaker to
find out the cause Of the delay. Some
of them saw Mr.. Wanamaker Satur-
Gay, and then they learned that the
charges of offensive partisanship were
not regarded as good reasons for re-
=E5ooExai FIRE case of the Pontiac post
master, was eted by the visitors as
good precedent to go by, and they
wanted to know why; if partisanship
was cause for dismissal in that case,
it was not equally sufficient in their
cases. They were informed that since
the removal Of the Pontiac man the
President and postmaster general had
had little talk on that subject, and
bad concluded not to adopt the policy
of making dismissals Oh that ground
alone.
Mr.. Wanamaker informed his callers
that the only policy to be pursued was
to consider each case in. its own merits.
He would not say that postmaster
would not be removed for offensive
partisanship in particular cases, but
that charges Of that kind alone would
not insure removal. The Representa-
tives who had expected that all they
needed to do to secure dismissal was to
show that postmaster was an ardent
Democrat would have to find other
and better reasons, or wait until the
officers terms expired. The only
crumb Of comfort, Mr., Wannamaker
had to offer was the intimation that
the policy he had announced did not
necessarily apply to the fourth-class
postmasters, who did not receive their
commissions from the President.