Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-26
ROOSEVELT TO WANAMAKEa
The Civil Service Commissioner After Som
Information He Cannot Get

Tho Civil Service Commissioner After Some
Information He Cannot Get.
WASHINGTON, May 25.-Civil Service Com
missioner Roosevelt this morning appeared
before the House Committee on Reform in
Civil Service, and had something to say with
reference to the statements OF Postmaster
General Wanamaker as to the Baltimore
postofice matter. Mr.. Roosevelt said that
on NAV Is he sent to the Postmaster General,
by registered mail, letter, of which the
following is a copy:
UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
WASHINGTON, May 49,
To the Honorable, the Postmaster General:
s1R-In your report of the inspectors of the Bati-
more postonice submitted by you to the committee
OF the House. these Inspectors state that my
examinations were unfair and partial In the ex-
lead such as committee of investigation hunting
for nothing but the truth. and deslrous of doing
my report on the postmaster's concuct was mot
only unjustnable but malicious., These are
tives. There is no need of commenting on their
gross impertinence and ippropriety. used as they
ence to the head of another who is. like yourself.
responsible to the President only. But / have
nothing to do with these SubOrdnates. 1t Is with
you. the official head responsible for their action
that have to deal.
claiming amy r II
seem to assume that responsibility and make 1t
your intention. but shall be obliged to take the
statements. which In any way reflect upon my acts
with The same pnbIsty with Which they we're
made to the committee. therefore respectfully
ask whetheF you will or will not make such dis
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he had received no an
swer, and was therefore reluctantly OBJ
liged to assume that the Postmaster General
made these statements his own. The Post
master General had said it was not for him
to consider whether the inspectors report
contained anything that could be construed
rs disrespectful or hostile to the Civil Ser
vice Commissioner.
"On the contrary" said Mr.. Roosevelt, "he
is precisely the person called upon to make
this decision, and when he acts upon this re-
port and submits it to this committee with
out expressly repudiating tho offensive
have never sheltered myself behind my sub
ordinates. and decline to allow the Post
master General to shelter himself behind
s Ihs IN
vestigation by the Postoffice Department
had been made with the deliberate intent of
shielding the accused, covering up their
wrong doings, and tempting them to perjure
themselves SO that the office could be cleared
from the effect of their former truthful con-
fessions it would have been managed pre-
cisely as it actually was managed"
The statement of the Postmaster General
that "he must he governed" by the reports
OF his subordinate officers in these cases
seemed to Mr.. Roosevelt an extraordinary
proposition. In q case of the importance of
this one, where the reports of his subordin-
ates and of the Civil service Commission
were in direct conflict, he could not under
stand how the Postmaster General could
fail to see that it was his duty personally to
investigate the matter, at least to the extent
of reading the evidence upon which the two
reports were based.
The committee voted to request the Post
master Gene Ial to furnish a written copy of
the report he had said the Assistant At
torney General had made verbally, in which
the law officer held that contributions to
primary elections were not political contri-
buttons, as contemplatedin in the civil service
law.