The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-07
TYNER WRITES LETTER.
Addresses the President on Sub
ject of BristOW's Report.

Washington, Dec. IA letter has
been sent to President Roosevelt by
James N. Tyner, who was assistant at
torney general for the postoffice de-
partment until removed during j. L.
Bristow's investigation. Exception is
taken to the statements of the fourth
assistant postmaster general, who, in
his report, Tyner says, "misquoted and
falsified" data bearing on his case. The
letter to the president follows:
Washington, Dec. 2, 1903.
The President, Sir: In your official
statement as president of the United
States, addressed to the American re-
public in connection with the report of
the fourth assistant postmaster gem
eral, Mr.. BristoW, on the alleged pos
tai frauds,you make certain statements
concerning my supposed connection
Herewith, which I take the liberty of
answering in order that 1 may proper
ly go upon your official records.
do not desire to question your good
faith or sincerity in accepting the con-
clusion of your subordinate, Mr.. Bris-
tow, and in Identifying them with the
weight of your high official position; but
has it occurred to you that. pending the
trial of the three indictments against
me, based on the allegations of the re-
port, and without having heard one
word from me in my defense, your pre-
mature and unwarranted announcement
of my assumed guilt and your call to
the court and jury to indorse the same,
is, to say the least, extraordinary and
dangerous. I am not even asking that
/ should be presumed innocent or that
before I am condemned by you or the
department l should be confronted by
proof or witnesses or given an oppOr-
tunity to be heard in my defense; or
that in the trial which confronts, 1
should have a fair trial-all I am ask
ing is that in view of the uniformity
of my life and the fact that my lips
may at any moment be forever sealed,
1T L. ID Il
records of my case together with my
letter of July p, 1903 to Mr.. Bristow, a
copy of which I attach.
I desire again specifically to defy any
one of the yelled charges made by Mr..
Bristow in his report and to call your
attention to the fact that not one indi-
rect or specific charge is made against
me in the conduct of my high office, nor
has, nor can, one cent of gain be traced
to me. If my life is spared, I shall fully
refute all the surmises and insinuations
of Mr.. Bristow and shall be able to
show the reasons which lead him to
withhold from you full data and to
misquote and falsify that which he did
submit to you.
I also desire to say that if any of the
friends of Tyner have. as you allege.
the chief offender was my nephew,
Barrett, and that my alleged offenses
were due to my failing mental and
bodily powers, they did so without my
owing to two strokes of paralysis my
bodily powers have failed me and
may have to face a third and a truer
and Sterner judge ere many days, but
my mental powers I thank God, have
never suffered, and I trust will not fail
me until 1 have convinced the Amer
lean public and you, as chief executive,
that my acts have been honest, hon
orable and straightforward in the
sight Of God and man. I am confident
that the relations of Mr.. Barrett with
me and my department were as inno-
cent and honorable as I am sure We're
all my motives and acts.
also wish to-deny your utterly I'M
warranted statement that gross cor
ruption," etc, in the case of Tyner
has gone on for number of years"
You should know, and your subordi-
mates do know, that no single act of
corruption, gross or mild, has been dis
covered against me; and the United
states government, with it's forty in
spectors and its chief inquisitor Mr.
Bristow, Will be unable to discover one
nave tried by forty odd years of
faithful service to my country to prove
my zeal for faithfulness and honesty
IN the public service, and / now saw
to you, the President of the United
states, my executive, as if it were the
last word I shall ever utter. that in
your well recognized and honorable zeal
Tor the public good, you have allowed
yourself to be deceived and imposed
upon, and while 1 can not hope for a
nearing at your hands, shall at least
give myself the wretched solace of hav-
ing denied these wrongs and of having
demanded that hearing which right and
Justice ought to accord to me- Very
respectfully. JAMES N. TYNER.