Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-03

am at loss to understand their meaning and sus-
pect that they have but q dim idea Of il them
idea that his promotion was illegal
because made when Mr.. Lyman was sole COM
missioner, before Gov. Thompson and myself
came on the commission But by an examina-
ton Of the testimony it will be seen that both
President Harrison and President Cleveland
officially recognized the legality Of Mr..
Lyman's acts when he was the only member of
the commission, and Of course IL they were
legal In one respect they we're legal in all. GER
tainly after their legality had been recognized
BY both Presidents We we're estopped from
questioning them"
This, he said, ended the charges as far as
they affected the legality of the acts Of the
present commission.
THE sHIDY MATTER.
The remaining charge, that relating 10 Shidy,
he said, affected merely the Judgment Of the
commission. The prosecution, he said, had
not produced any fact that was not already
generally known; that every fact brought out
had already been set forth at length in the
commissioners report Of last July Every
and all the facts in the case,
he said, had been given full
publicity at the time. He restated the case
briefly. Shidy, he said, was one of the board
OF examiners at Milwaukee while Paul was
postmaster. Paul forced the board to make
Il
own illegal and improper appointments, and
being completely at his mercy they consented.
The other members of the board, johnson and
Fahsel, together with Shidy, certified to the
correctness Of these swindling cersif-
cations. They were therefore, he said, all
equally guilty, but Of course Paul was the
real and great offender and it was Paul. not
the poor tools, who needed to be most severely
punished: Shidy, when given the chance, con-
fessed, while his colleagues would not. He thus
abandoned his wrong doing and did all he could
to help us right it. Paul was not condemned
on Shidy's testimony, but it helped materially
In getting at evidence which rendered Pau,'s
guilt clear beyond shs dow Of doubt. The COM
mission told him that they would try to pro.
tect him, not against the consequences Of his
Ing endeavored to atone for it by telling
the truth. They laid especial emphasize on this
point In their report to the Postmaster Gen.
eral. Shidy was dismissed in spite Of their
efforts to prevent it and in spite Of the fact
that his equally guilty colleagues who had not
confessed were not molested. As they had
failed to secure for him the same treatment ac-
corded to his equally guilty colleagues-that is
to have him retained in the govern
ment service-they endeavored to have him
relnstated so that he might be no worse off
for having confessed than johnson and Fahsel,
who had not confessed. As he was not dis
missed because OF any delinquency or miscon-
1uct he could be reinstated in either the classi-
ned or unclassified service. There was of course
not the slightest difference between having
him retained and having him reinstated; if he
was worthy of the one favor he was worthy of
the other, and his colleague johnson, is retained
in office to this day.
sHIDY's REINSTATEMENT.
Mr.. Roosevelt stated the facts relating to
Shidys reinstatement in the government sSrv-
ice as clerk in the census bureau at a salary
of S720 instead of the 1900 he had received
through the action of the Postmaster General
and the superintendent of the census taken at
his tRoosevelts) suggestion. The Postmaster
General, he said, was cogniZant of all Of Shidy's
past conduct. as the reports which led to Post
master Pauls removal showed what Shidy had
done. The superintendent of the census Mr..
Roosevelt said, was also given ample opportu-
nifty to know the facts. He had not, he said,
Intentionally or unintentionally concealed sim
gle fact IN the case from either the Postmaster
General or the superlntendent.o of the census
The wisdom OF the commissioners course in
reference to Shidy was in nowise affected by
what Shidy said or the witness stand when
frightened and bulied by the prosecution at
ter the method SO familiar to all who have ever
seen anything Of certain cheap variety OF
criminal lawyer. Unjust be borne in mind, he
said, that they could have had no possible mo-
tive In protecting Shidy save desire to benefit
the public service. To them he was an entire
stranger, without personal or political infu-
ence, and they did not know his politics.
PROSECUTING LAW BREAKERS
Mr.. Roosevelt after stating that the present
commission hold that the best way to zee the
law executed was to prosecute law breakers,
said that often needed evidence could be OBJ
tanned only from those who have in a minor
way taken part in the wrongdoing, and such
testimony could not be had unless witnesses were
protected from the consequences of their tes-
tlmony.
He said the commission was now endeayor-
ing to bring about prosecutions of a number of
government clerks and the like who we're i'm
plicated in violating the law concerning these
assessments, and that they would willingly let
these small fry go if they could thereby get at
the bigger men who have stood behind and di-
rected them.
AssAILED FOR ADMINISTERING THE LAW WELL
In conclusion he said: This ends the charges
made against the present commission. To saw
that the proof adduced in support of them is
finlsv Is to pay it an unwarrsnted compliment,
for no proof has been produced at all. We have
been in office one year, and have had to ad-
minister the law during the difficult period
immediately succeeding a change of admins
tration, when the rage for Office is hottest and
the anger of disappointed applicants most in
tense. We have been busily engaged not
only in repelllng outside attacks, but
IN waging active war against wrong
doors, who were often entrenched behind
the most powerful political influences
With insufficient means we have been forced
to meet and solve problem after problem of
the most difficult character. Under such cir
cumstances it was to be expected that we
would make occasional mistakes and it is very
possible that we have done 50, but certainly
none have been pointed out by our prosecutors.
1t is really remarkable that the most rancorous
and mendacious- singularly unintel-
lgent-- malevolence, after resorting to every
means to procure evidence against us, has
been unable to point to so much as a single
error OF judgment on our part. The simple
truth is that we being assailed not for
having administered the law badly, but for
having administered it well. There are up
right and honorable men who do not believe
in the civil service law and who oppose it on
its merits fairly and openly, but none Of these
are to be found in the ranks of our present &C.
cusers Those who are now assailing us hate
us for precisely the same reasons that the
criminal classes hate an efficient policeman.
The best tribute to and measure of the work we
have accomplished is to be found in the impo-
tent malice of these men, malice which does
not excite our anger because it is incapable Of
rousing deeper feeling than profound con-
tempt"
Couldn't Prove Ownership.
Mr. n Drauev who hos tho stroat svro,,,