The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-30
HEATH OFFERS COMMENTS.
what the Man Who Is Censured Has
to Say.

What the Man Who Is Censured Has
to Say.
Salt Lake. Utah, Nov. 29.-When
former First Assistant Postmaster
General Perry s. Heath. now proprie-
tor of the Salt Lake Tribune, had read
the report of Mr.. Bristow and the COM
ments of the President tonight, he
said:
ST shall not hesitate to publish in
the Salt Lake Tribune tomorrow. ev-
cry word of this report, and also every
word of this memorandum of the Pres
ident, although there is not syllable
in them except official comment so
far as pertains to myself, that is news
to the public. l hope my enemies, as
well as my friends, will do me the JUS
tice of reading it carefully. The news
papers have been kept informed and
have been publishing it all during the
year past. That which has hitherto
been generally regarded as newspaper
criticism, it is now revealed. was Of
fetal criticism in disguise,
at is no surprise to me to see the
denunciation of me in this report. The
author of IT, from the time he entered
the PostofIice Department UP to the
present moment, has, in his official ca
pacity, pursued me personally in sea-
son and out, as every one who has been
in public life in Washington during the
past six years knows. Innuendo is art
fully contrived and malice concealed
throughout the entire document, as ev-
erybody familiar with the facts may
see. It's very opening pages attack my
friend, M. w. Louis, an honest gem
tleman, as the report itself Is COM
PEELED to admit him to be. and it closes
with impertinent and intrusive ami
madverslons upon my administra ton.
THE author seems to have studi-
ously avoided mentioning the impor-
tant fact that many, IL not a large
majority of these offenses, occurred
after l had left the service. Nor is
the slightest reference made to another
important fact that 1 had heaped up
on me ten times as much administra-
tive and executive work, by reason of
the Spanish-American War, as /
should have undertaken or the fact
that during the time most of the onus
of performing the military postal du-
ties fell upon me, together with the
distribution of much of the patronage
of the service in the way of appoint
ments, and that we had to establish
precedents, as we had no military
laws; and lastly, the fact that If any
one oonjured with my name for COR
rupt purposes, could not know it ex-
cept somebody told me. No intimation
of the kind ever reached me till lately
through the press.
Men like Louis whose supplies were
purchased through a committee of
three appointed by the Postmaster
General, by public advertisement, and
the direction of the Postmaster Gem
eral, he being merely the distribution
clerk, are censured and made to suf-
fer for responsibilities they never had.
when Louis entered the service he
found his division in demoralized
condition. A committee condemned the
ink in use and recommended the ink
purchased. The tremendous increase
in the regular postal service required
the filing of thousands of new orders,
in new offices as well as old ones, and
the military postal service necessitated
the supplying of thousands Of offices
in newly acquired territory.
Because l cannot be truthfully ac-
eused of ever having received any re-
ward in cash, bonds, stocks. presents.
or other form while / was in the de-
partment or since / left 1t, my acts
while in the government employ ap-