Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-01
HAMMER AND T0NGS.
Lively Style of Warfare Between Frank
Hatton and Theodore Roosevelt
Each Calls the Other
Few Pet Names.

|
Hatton and Theodore Roosevelt
Each Calls the Other
| Few Pet Names.
| ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPATcH.l
WASHINGTON, July 31.-During the last
few weeks the Washington Post, whose
editor is ex-Postmaster General Frank Hat
ton, has had a series of editorials criticising
very severely the civil service law and the
public acts of the Commissioners. Yester-
day Commissioner Roosevelt was quoted in
the Press as saying that he would as leave
discuss the moral aspects of the Sullivan
Kilrain tight with Richard X. Fox as to
discuss the merits of civil service reform
with such spokesman as Frank Hatton.
This personal allusion rather angered
Hatton, who, in the Post this morning, Bit
terly attacks Roosevelt's reform pretensions,
and charges that during his candidacy for
Mayor he accepted without protest the ben
efts of the usual amount of dirty work that
is customary in all compaigns. Hatton goes
farther, and makes a charge against Roose-
welt that is
VERY SIGNIFICANT,
and which, because of its mysterious nature,
has aroused much interest. The charge is
that Roosevelt, since he has been a Civil
Service Commissioner, has received more
money from the Government aside from his
official salary, than Hatton ever received
during his entire career OF Office holding.
No one seems TO know what Hatton means
by this charge, but he makas it emphati-
cally, and, in effect, dares Roosevelt to deny
it. As Hatton was formerly Postmaster at
Burlington, First Assistant Postmaster
General and Postmaster General, he has
drawn considerable money in salary, and
his charge against Roosevelt, therefore,
causes the greater surprise.
Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt this
afternoon dictated to a correspondent the
following statement, in answer to the charges
made against him in the editorial columns
of the Post:
RooSEvELT's REPLY.
have no possible interest in the opinion
that Mr.. Hatton or the Washington Post has of
me personally, and decline to enter into any
controversy with either, but as regards the
statements of accusations or innuendoes in the
editorial columns of this mornings Post. will
say categorically that any statement that dur
ing my candidacy for Mayor of New York I
employed any bat legitimate and honorable
means to be elected, OF that entered into any
deals OF any kind whatsoever, or knew Of any
such deals being entered into on my behalf, or
that would not have instantly repudiated any
such deals the moment 1 had known of their
DcAnk udut- - q ldlsenOOo, pure anu Simple
Any assertion that the civil service law has
been repeatedly violated with my knowledge and
without my protest is q falsehood. the promo
tions and appointments to which the Post al
ludes are made under a long-standing rule of
which personally do not approve, exactly as
personally disapprove of the appointments of
chiefs of divisions from outside; but they are
not made in contrayentlon of the law Any
statement that have received any money from
the Government outside of my salary and of
my necessary travelling expenses while on
official business in the service of the Govern
ment, is a falsehood- To be exact, should use
a still palmer Anglo-Saxon word decline to
have any further controversy of any sort with
a writer or paper wilfully falsifying the truth,
ana to no statement or assertion of the Wash
ington Post will hereafter make any response.
Mr.. Hatton was seen by the correspond
ent, and, without knowing of Mr.. Roose-
velt's statement, as given above, said that
he intended to make no charges against the
personal honesty of the Commissioner, but
was simply comparing his practice of spend
ing the Governments money in travelling
expenses with his (Hatton's) own contrary
practice when Government official, to
show which was more of reformer.