The Portland daily press., 1890-10-23


Referring to the transfer of the custodian
ship of the post Office from the collector in
whose hands it had been from slime i'm
memorial" to quote its own language. to the
postmaster. the Evening Express on last
Thursday said:
Since the recent appointment OF collector, Con-
gresham Reed has desired to relieve that office
of the custody II the post office and custom house
building and it has been accordingly transferred
from naon1 fSe ianoy Bagg
the post office building directly, instead of
through the collector.
Everybody of common sense interpreted
this as an insinuation that Speaker Reed had
not been content with making dignified
protest against the appointment of Col. Dow
but had sought to pursue him in petty way
by depriviDg him of some of the ''time i'm
memorial prerogatives of his Office. The
Argus so construed 1t, the Sunday Telegram
SO construed it and we have yet to find a
person who read the paragraph who did not
put that construction upon it, After obtain
ing the official documents the PRESS showed
that Speaker Reed was in no wise responsible
for the change, that he knew nothing about
1t, and that therefore the EXPRESSES insinu-
alton was unjust and untrue. Under these
circumstances the fair and manly course for
the Express would have been to withdraw
1t. 1t did nothing Of the kind. But last
night as the result of considerable prodding
1t issued this explanation:
In the local columns of the Express few days
sibce reference Was made TO the change of custo-
dy Of the post Office In this city, approving it in
every particular. There was not a sentence a
phrase. word, letter or suggestion In the ar
10 hsnf.
Change" to its closing sentence cit is a change
which canuOt fail to be much more satisfactory Ia
all concerned than the former cumbersome
method'-which did not breathe approval of it,
Days before that change was made 1t was under
stood In this Office that it was contemplated The
newly new appointed collector had been so informed
declined 10 do on two grounds, either
sufficient to prevent action on his part First he
part would have been an effrctlyeless imperti ri.
nence; second, his past experience had taught
him that in and Of Itself the proposed change was
desirable. Now 1t was no discredt to any one to
desire that change. The postmaster desired il
the newly appointed collector desired it, and the
Express. having shown that both postmaster and
the incoming collector must have desired It, stat
ed that Congressman Reed desired 1t also. There
was nothing expressed or implied In this state
ment that was not to the credit of Mr.. Reed.
There the matter should have ended. AS mat.
ter Of fact, there was nothing more to be said.
This is certainly the most remarkable per-
Torrance in the way of an explanation
which has emanated from the Express since
about two years ago when it was caught
stabbing In the back the candidate for COVER
nor it was protesting to support Observe
its guilelessness: "The postmaster desired
1t, the newly appointed collector desired 1t,
and the Express having shown that both
postmaster and the incoming collector must
have desired it, stated that Congressman
Reed desired it Also" Compare this version
with the language used in the original item
"Since the recent appointment of collector
Congressman Reed has desired to relieve
that officer of the custody of the post office
and custom house buildings. and it has been
accordingly transferred from Collector An
derson to Postmaster Briggs"
The EXPRESSES explanation will do we'll
enough for the Bath Times and Bridgton
News. but we imagine nobody else will be
found on the face of the earth sufficiently
destitute of guile to swallow it,