Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-03
DISCUSSING sHIDY's CASE.
The Civil Service Investigation, with Mr..
Hatton as the Only Prosecutor.

/
Hatton as the Only Prosecutor.
| STATEMENTS OF THE coMMIssIoNERs-Ex-PosT-
| MASTER PAUL LIVELY wITNEss-HE DEFENDS
| HIS MANAGEMENT OF THE MILWAUKEE, POST
| OFFICE AND PAYS HIS RESPECTS TO sHIDY.
| The House committee on reform in the
| civil service, rested by the intervention Of the
| Sabbath, was at its subterranean rendezvous
| this morning at 1890. Prosecutor Hatton had
the foot of the table all to himself, for Repre-
sentative Ewart, the associate counsel, was in
disposed and absent There was the customary
crowd Of persons apparently interested.
Mr.. FLYNN ASSAULTED.
| Before the first witness was called the chair
man read letter from Mr.. Flynn in which he
stated that on Saturday last three men called
at his house, one Of whom called himself
W. W. Ashby and represented himself to
be the brother-in-law of Miss Dabney,
who had appeared before the committee and
given testimony in regard to his obtaining
| civil service questions, and demanded that he
give written denial Of all the testimony he
had given before the committee. He refused to
give the denial requested. He was then assaulted
| and when Ashby left he did so threatening to
infiict personal injury upon him at another
| time. Flynn also states that he swore out war
| ."h'o ioi dsuDy arrest, OUT was UNABLE 10 uuO
| MIN, and says that he believes that he gave a
false name and address, In conclusion he asks
that Miss Dabney be recalled by the committee
and forced to tell who the men are and il she
Is encouraging them to try to make him re-
tract his testimony.
The first witness was Representative Browne
OF Virginia, who testified to the truthfulness
| and general good repute Of Miss Emily Dabney,
whose testimony had been impeached by
| another witness-S. w. Flynn.
COMMISSIONER RoosEvELTs sTATMENr.
Commissioner Roosevelt then requested the
committee to hear him make statement. He
said:
"Before the Investigation goes further
l wish to make statement in ref
nsu9sv to the rs. testimony elected sbSS
l have nothing further to say as to the wisdom
| or unwisdOm Of seeking to protect man who
abandons his wrongdoing and at the risk OF
his place turned government witness.
l thought that it was my duty
The testimony OF the superintendent of the
census and of the Postmaster General might
give the impression that had concealed from
them the facts in regard to Shidy. If such an inn
preston was conveyed by MIR. Porter he amply
corrected it when recalled to the stand. 1t is
| impossible that the Postmaster General could
have meant to convey such an idea, for he was
officially cognizant of all the facts in regard to
Shldy by the report in the Paul case-the re-
port which he assigns as in part the basis of his
action in determining on the removal of Paul
THE REPORT IN THE sHIDY CASE.
Mr.. Roosevelt then referred to the report
made on this case where it is stated that Shidy
was compelled to give other postmasters free
access tolthe list Of eligibles and also compelled
to torture nture the the lists and certifca-
ton books SO as to produce q
certiication, which should bear the appointed
name, and also where the report States: 'Shidy
testified that he yielded to all the postmaster 8
demands because he knew that a refusal to
do SO would have entaled the immediate
support. Shidy and johnson were
equally to blame, but of course, if their state
ments are true, an infinitely heavier load Of
blame rests on the postmaster"
Further quotations were made from the re-
port. showing the connection of Shidy in the
matter, one of which. referring to Shidy, says:
HE had the manliness to come forward and
tell what had occurred when the chance was
given him."
JOHNSON AND sHIDY.
Mr.. Roosevelt continued as follows: sIt may
be added that any one who has read the report
even in the most cursory way cannot fail to
understand not only the evidence given
by Mr.. Shidy but the exact
nature Of MIR. Shidy's violation of
j
almost every sentence Of the report and
his testimony as to his wrong doing and that
of his colleagues in integral and
inseparable part OF it. The Postmaster Gen.
eral was also cognizant of the facts in regard
to johnson, who was equally at fault with Shidy
who did not confess, but who is still
retained in Office by sutferance of the Post
master General. There was nothing in
consistent in protecting and giving a
hearing to Shidy, who had confessed
h l.
guilty colleague who had not repented or con-
the Postmaster General the facts
were matters of public notoriety. The Post
master General, am sures did not mean to
convey the impression that anything
regard to Shidy, but in case
such mistake should arise / desire to say that
/ not only concealed nothing in regard to Shidy
from any one, but all the facts i'll regard
to him were publicly and officially
known at the time of my suggestion of him for
| office and at the time of his appointment
Not fact has been elected during
the investigation to Mr.. Shidy's
conduct while in office that we did not clearly
bring out in our official report of last july
which was not only formally brought to the
attention of the Postmaster General, but was
published in the press"
COMMISSIONER LYMAN THEN MADE A STATEMENT
| as to the interview the commission had with
Postmaster General Wanamaker relative to
Shidy. The commission did not demand
Shidy's reinstatement although it favored such
action. The Postmaster General was evil
IDENTIFY Of the opinion that the commission,
in its investigation of the Milwaukee post
Office, had interfered with his management
This, the commission argued, was a misappre-
hension. and it represented to Mr.. Wanamaker
the injustice of Furnishing Shldy for what he
told the committee.
Representative Boatner asked Commits
sioner Lyman whether he had sent for Shidy
while this investigation was in progress, and
the commissioner said he had not; but
Commissioner Roosevelt arose and in
formed the committee that he had re-
quested Shdy to call on him. Then
Mr. Roosevelt took the floor and stated that
he and Gov. Thompson had advised Shidy that
when he appeared before the committee at
tempts would be made to bulldoze him, to con-
fuse him, to make him contradict himself
They told him to keep cool, tell the truth and
to stick to it.
BY this time Mr.. Hatton had an assistant.
1t was ex-Postmaster Paul of Milwaukee, very
much interested in the proceedings and the
audible author OF number OF the interroga-
tories put by the prosecutor.
COMMISSIONER THOMPSON WAS CALLED
by Mr.. Hatton, and was examined as to the
precise time of day when he arrived in Mil
waukee on his investigating trip and as to
whether he or any of the commissioners warned
Paul as to the nature and object of their visit
Mr.. Thompson said that Paul was given every
opportunity to explain matters and utterly
failed to do so. Shidy called upon witness on the