The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-27

matter, and he wrote letter to Mr. Calen-
OAR. which he showed me, calling his at
yet, he knowing the complaint to be with
out cause, forwarded to the Postoffice De-
partment the letter las / have since
learned) as charge against me-
When an effort was made z few weeks
ago, to have this soldier reinstated in the
investigation that was made affidavits were
produced from neighbors of Mr.. E. j. Cal
endar showing that he had a vicious dog
ana that 1t was not safe to go to the house.
AIndavits were also procured from the
deputy postmaster and one of the letter
cerIlers stating That this soldier carrier was
competent and efficient. These affidaVits
were sent to the department with other evil
dence, and he received a letter from the de-
partment OF which the following is copy:
.ry n Washington. D; c., May "a. 1897.
H. l. Keith, Esq, Vincennes, Ind:
sir am in receipt of your communica-
ton Of May 10. in relation to charges which
were preferred against you at the time
your remeval from the service was made.
IN view OF the statements made, the de-
partment will interpose no objection to your
reinstatement If the same is recommended
spectfully, E. C. FOWLER.
For First Assistant Postmaster General"
To those who know PurcelPs hatred of
republicans, his feigned admiration for
non theodore Roosevelt and the Indianap-
OILS journal and his honored successor Mr..
Adams, the present postmaster is not only
amusing but disgusting; but it correctly
SHOWS the shallowneSs and obseQuious dis
position Of the man
In one of his filings at me Mr. Purcell saws.
II your valuable newspaper circulated only
where Mr.. Keith is known" etc Look at
that sentence The base f1attery of the first
part ana the lnsinuating slur of the second
part The trouble with Mr.. Purcell is, he
knows me too we'll Several years ago
had the honor of being one of the Republic
ans in this county to expose the corrupt
Democratic ring and defalcation of $50 900
IN Ihe Democratic county treasurers office,
and having Pc
sent to the penitentiary for three years. Mr.
Purcell defended this defaulter to the last
a in,d did what he could to cover up his crime
service postmaster has had dislike for
thorough Republicans, and every time we
nave an election and shake up the old dry
bones of rock-ribbed Democracy in Knox
county, and elect some Republican officers
as we did at the last election, Mr.. Purcell
names in his paper. OF course, we don't
care for that, so we just keep right on with
our Democratic bone-shakng.
So far as my being mistaken in my first
article as to who was discharged first it
matters little, the of a veteran was
first discharged, then a soldier-but they
both went and another son of veteran was
discharged last. And for further answer to
Mr.. PurcellS statement that charges were
always preferred and carriers given ample
opportunity to disprove them, let us hear
from MIR. Reep, the other discharged son
of a veteran, whom l know personally to
have been one of the most efficient, active
and painstaking carriers on the force. Mr..
Reep says:
This is to certify that I was letter car
rier in the Vincennes postofice when Mr..
Purcell took the office. ] was the only Re
publican and only son of veteran on the
force when / was removed. Mr. Purcell
wrote to the department and recommended
my dismissal when 1t was decided to reduce
the force. was the Oldest in service when
removed. He told me there were no charges
against me, but that l could not expect to
continue in service when the tenure was
so uncertain But I learned afterwards
AI11% aI,, va-f
and sent to the department by some one.
| learned later from a letter from F. II.
Jones' first assistant postmaster general,
that Mr.. Purcell sent these charges in. Mr..
Jones, in his letter to me. says i have to
say that the postmaster is the judge of the
efficiency of his carriers, and that he rec
commended you to be dropped as the least
efficient / claim that l was not the least
efficient, and there was no evidence going to
show that / was. / consider that the charge
against me was political only, and that
was removed simply because l was Re-
publican"
Now. what do these stubborn facts show?
First, that Mr.. Purcell told these Republic
an carriers there were no charges against
them, to keep them quiet, while he at the
same time was working secretly to trump
up charges and send them on to the de-
partment. Second that he was protesting
civil-service reform, but practicing the
spoils system theory in its worst form.
Third, he had made up his mind, as Mr..
Reep said, in one of his letters to the de-
partment to get all the Republicans out and
dog at Mr.. Calendars, and that that was
the reason why Mr.. Keith did not deliver
mail to the house when he. sent a copy or
his letter to the Journal for publication.
And this is the way the civil-service law
has been practiced under Democratic rule
here These are some of the benefits from
the operation of the civil-service law dur
ing the past ten years in the VincenneS
postoffice. Under it's benign and healthful
influence here hypocrisy deceit, chicanery,
suppression OF facts, Misrepresentation, in
Justice and UnfairneSS have been practlced
without stint. If necessary l could produce
overwhelming proof that more faithful ana
efficient letter carriers never served Uncle
Sam anywhere than were r.. l.. ToWnSley,
MILFORD Reep, H. T. Keith and Fred Egeler;
the Republican carriers who were removed
by means of deception and fraud Just TO give
places to Democratic carriers. To have re-
moved them because they were RepuDilc-
ans and given their places 10 DemoeratS De-
cause Democratic President had been
elected and Democratic postmaster ap-
pointed would have been all right, because
that is the reason they went out anyway.
But the rule should work both ways But
to remove them on false and trumped-up
charges Of inefficiency and incOmpetency is
all wrong These carriers who were sue
cessful and proficient In other calnngs go
out of the service of the government as
honored and disgraced, ana pLanueo Dy
Uncle Sam as failures. During four years
of bloody war this Union soldier was true,
brave and efficient employe; no complaints
were brought against him then. He re-
ceived an honorable discharge. But in times
of peace when this soldier as civilian has
chance to serve MS country, anu 10
ing SO efficiently he receives dishonorabe
discharge. not because of his ineficiency,
but because q Democratic ward heeler
wanted his place. And this is all done in
the name Of civil service.
Mr.. Purcell says my articles are the wa
porings of disappointed politician have
never asked the government for an once,
am not asking for one now, and don't know
that l ever shall; but this does not prevent
me from being interested in the genera wei.
fare of my country and of the reign Of
Justice and fair-dealing. / may be pardoned
for venturing word of warning here: If
the civil-service law plays such havoc
everywhere with justice and truth and hon
esty and fair dealing between Uncle Sam
and his devoted subjects, and permits SUCH
practice Of chicanery and deception as has
been unearthed in its operations in the Vim
cennes postofice and If nothing is done to
remedy this evil the Republican party may
prepare, in my Judgment. for hopeless de-
feat at the next general election, and the
American people may prepare for another
gloomy era of a Democratic reign or nara
times and failure and deficit and restitution
And the Republican party may lay the re-
sponsibility at it's own door.
JONATHAN KEITH.
Vincennes. Ind, Oct. 25.
-A-9-b-