The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-07
Senators and Politicians Disapproved the Ef.
fort to Muzzle the Press and Hide the Fact
that Removals We're for Partisan Reasons.
Civil-Service Law WantonIy Defied and
Violated by Secretary Hoke Smith.
Statisticiau Conner Removed-Judge Lockrsn
Appointed Pension Commissioner and Han
mis- Taylor Given the Spanish Mission.
sHoRT-LlvED ORDER.


Cleveland Forced Rescind His 'No Pub
Iicationv Order-RemovaIs by Hoke Smith
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, April 6.-The dark-lantsru
order which was issued at the Postoffice
Department yesterday. upon the direction
of President Cleveland. forbidding the
publication of changes In postmssterships.
and which promised TO cut off from the
public all information relating to the ap-
pointment of postmasters of the fourth
class in Indiana and other States was TO-
day rescinded. 1t is not probable that II
Will ever be renewed. The order had the
effect of depriving the readers Of the Jour-
nal of the news relating to the appoint
ment of large number of postmasters yes
terday, but there is no probability that
any further effort will be made to curtail
in the least information for the public.
1t was learned, to-day. that the reason
the President directed the appointment
book to be closed againstth newspaper
men was that somc of them have been ir
the habit of writing blood. curdling intro.
ductions to their dispatches each day, in
which they note the changes which tool
place in their States. and referring ia
"headsman Maxwelps bloody ak" and the
''fiow of gore which followed the leading
of so many innocents TO the guillotine
block" etc., and which furnished the text
for severe criticisms upon the part of certain
mugwump newspapers. The President 90,
it into his head that the country was com.
ing to the CONCLUSION that he was choppiAs
off the heads OF postm asters without regard
to the time they had served, their efficien.
cy or popularity. or anything else. and was
simply beheadlng Republicans, as such. TO
give places TO spoiismen Democrats. The
order to close the books brought O perfect
storm of disapproval from men in all par
ties. Senators especially denounced tho
programme for secret decapitation. and a
number of resolutions were prepared and
would have been introduced In the Senate
to-day had not the order been fescinded.
At the bottom of the list OF appointments
made to-day appeared q note explanatory
of the changes, and intended TO excuse the
large number of removals of Republicans.
After stating the mum ber of appointments
for to-day. the number of removals, resig-
nations and vacancies created By death
which were filled. the explanatory official
note observed that twenty of the post
masters removed served four years AID
over. and thirty-t served over three
years" This disclosed the point whore
President Cleveland's shoe pinched. He
wanted the mugwCmps TO believe he had
some regard for tenure for time served.
even II he did not for efficiency and general
merit.
The fourth class postmasters appointed
to-day for Indiana were as follows:
Akron, Fulton county, n. Hettmansferger.
vice A. Strong, resigned; Buena Vista, MonrSe
county. }. ": Kirk, vice ]. 7; CroI; resigned;
K. ID. Hayes, resigned; Disco, fulton county. J.
w. Beare. vice II. w. Case, resigned; Elrod, Rip.
ley county N. II. Delap, vice +. NJ. Hancock, re-.
signed; Ewing, Jackson county, n. L. Bennett,
vice T. W. Bland. resigned; Flora. Carroll couns
ty. F. Ames. vice N. Minnick. deceased: Green.
ard. removed; Lagherty. Ohio county, d. NJ. Smith,
vice f. a. Ross, resigned; Lovett, Jennings
Perce Mr
A.kimble, resigned; Moscow, Rush county. J. A.
Barlow. vice I. II. Carter, resigned; Owasco.
Carroll county, B. Il. Clauser, vice A Delong, re-
signed; Radnor. Carroll county, M. Swami. vice
]. Kendrick, resigned; Saint Omer. Decatur
county, G. ID. Harwood, vice r. l. Laird. re-
vice L. r. White, resigned; Weston. Jennings
county, p. Gardner. vice ]. b. Lowell, resigned.
It Is learned on the highest authority that
the list of fourth-class postmasters which
are daily being given out at the Postofics
Department are not complete. and that
they give no adequate idea of the extent to
which postmasters are being removed and
their places filed by Democrats. This 10 q
SERIOUS statement and will undoubtedly
be denied in positive and official terms,
yet it is absolutely true, and is made on
authority which cannot be questioned.
1t seems that the dark-lantern principle
is to be introduced into other departments
of the government. Secretary Hoke Smith
has removed between thirty-five and fifty
Republican special examiners for the PEN
sion Office who are out in the field. and he
refuses to give the names of the men re-
moved or to assign any reason for his
action. The exact number removed
he will not state. One report has
1t forty-eight. and another over
thirty five. Some of them are from Indi-
ana. An.intimate friend of the Secretary
of the Interior told the Journal corre-
spondent this evening that the reason there
had been wholesale removals of special
examiners In the pension service was "be<
cause il was found that out of eighty exam.
iners but two were Democrats, and the SEQ.
retary ls determined to have some Demo.
Gratis in the pension field" Since these ex-
aminers are appointed through the Civil
service Commission, 1t Is hard TO conceive
how forty or fifty Democrats are to be 80.
looted from the party for these sitions,
to take the places of Republicans. il tho
law is not openly and criminslly violated.
But it. lis safe to say that all of the men who
will take these positions will be Demo-
Gratis. IL the Civil-service Commission OBJ
jects there will be new Civil-service Com