The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-09-05
Sketch Of The Career Of The
Assistant Postmaster General
IElD MANY POSITIONS Of IRUS,
Nestified With Hawaii Through His
Connection With the First
American Bank.

Now that the First American Bank
Of Hawaii is to open its doors in a
day or two a sketch Of the public ca
reer Of its first and foremost promoter
will not be inopportune.
The recent official visit Of First As
sistant Postmaster General Heath to
Porto Rico, resulting in the placing Of
the postal service OF that island upon
an Independent basis. and his selection
as eeneral secretary upon the nation
al c00mirtee to receive contributions
for the purchase OF home in Wash
ingtoa for Admiral Dewey, have again
brought that popular young man into
public view. The secret of Mr.. Heath's
success and popularity Is not strange
when a little of his life is known.
Those who have only known Perry
Sanford Heath, First Assistant Post
master General. as the suave, adroit,
hardworking executive officer of the
POstOffice Department-the greatest
business concern in the world" as
POSTMASTER General Charles Emory
Smith described 1t in recent maga-
zine article--those who have only
met him. surrounded by prominent
public men in his business office.
equally alert in his intercourse with
them to grasp political point or to
master complicated executive detail.
might think that, like the traditional
poet, he was born. not made for his
position.
lnis would be far from the truth.
The facts are that he has been ham
mered into shape, so to speak, by hard
experience and variegated vicissitudes.
Some of these have been told; others
and the most interesting are not gen.
orally known. That he was born on
farm in Indiana and passed the early
years of boyhood in farm labor, has
often been published. There Is moth
ing very significant in this, in view of
the bright galaxy of familiar names in
American history who received similar
initiation into public life But Perry
s. Heath had training of otner kinds.
Printer, banker. newspaper corre-
sp0ndent in fields of special danger at
home and abroad; the confidant OF men
Of more than national reputation: I:
Newspaper editor and publisher, and
manager OF one of the most successful
Of political literary bureaus, he made
q name and mark in each avocation
before he was called upon to fill an OF.
fce, which, but for inherent modesty
would have frequently placed him In
the Cabinet councils OF the President
Of the United States. as a representa-
tive OF the Postoffice Department In
the absence of his immediate chief, the
Postmaster General.
In the earlier years of his life. after
leaving his fathers farm, Mr.. Heath
entered printing once and learned
all the branches Of the "art preserva-
tive OF arts" From that experience
dates his sympathy with all legitimate
trade organizations designed to pro.
tect the interests of labor without at
tempting to do wrong to capital. This
feature OF his public life has been rec
Ognized by numerous formal resolu
ti0ns OF organized trade bodies. One
case In point: During his manage
ment of the literary bureau of the Nc.
Kinley campaign, in 1896, at Chicago
when he was furnishing matter to IL
900 newspapers and political literature
by the carload, he ascertained that one
large order for printing, amounting tC
probably $4,000 or $30, 900, had faller
into the hands of a non-union Office
He refused to accept the work after il
was completed, and SO firmly resisted
all pressure and threats of litigation
that the important firm which hat
made the contract as last resource
took itself into the Typographical
union, with its hundreds of non-unioT
employees, and then its work was ac-
cepted, and printers all over the United
States rejoiced. He induced eight oi
ten of the largest non-union printing
Offices in Chicago to unionize, augment
ing the rolls of the unions by several
thousand names. For this action the
Allied Printers Unions of Chicago
passed eulogistic resolutions ant
thanked President Mckinley for ap
pointing him First Assistant Post
master General. II was like sym
pathy with labor that led him to ex
ert himself successfully, in his present
Official capacity, to secure the classifi
cation OF clerks at postofiices, another
achievement which has been widely
recognized.
While acting as newspaper cores
pOndent at Washington-lsS1-S3-h'
devoted much attention to financia
topics. and. with his brothers, started
several banks in Indiana and Ohio
serving as director in them as long az
his time would permit, or until 1894
when he became president and genera
manager OF the Cincinnati CONNER
cial Gazette" Company.
The year 1887 was one TO him full o
adventure. lie was sent by the Unite,
Press to Paris during the Boulange
excitement, with view OF becOmin
war correspondent II that redoubtabl
general succeeded in bringing on a re
newal Of hostilitIes with Germany owe
ce-l.orraine. lie had u celebrate
interview with Boulanger, In while
that baifled agitator admitted he coul
not raise sufficient forces To accon
plish his purpose. following up IA
eonfesson by retiring 10 Belgium al
committing suicide,
From France Mr., Heath went 10 Ru
sia ana studied Nlhllism, ubtainiI
much important information, viii,
he contributed "a magazines ani al
erward rspublishsd in book form "
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