The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-07-03
REPLIES TO .
Former Postmaster General Smith
Offers IL supplementary
Defense.

~
puD.Ic on frIday MS rePiS 20 H"0
charges mao by MI. IuII"ch' III to"-
Eerl!oh Win Inc post once iHHtS'5",
tlon' Appended to the FePIS' "hl
"hlch ME- 0lhllh ASKS SHaII oe 'l'd''"
a. a part OF 1t, are, hfSt' Il colIPIt
copy Oh the ltemlzed stationery o. INC
1UI!och charges, as submitted 70 MI
Smith at the tllne they were llaoe, Sec
onH, d complete copy OF lhe c"Hlioe"-
tIaI report Oh inspector III NH"lSV
5h'i'h' "h1ch IS the main uoc"lneH'
accompanying neh' bF!"'o" : 10''eI'
tH'Fu' d compete copy Oh 'ne IeP"I'
when came as a result OF lhe eA"in-
lHalI"h mace NH'h the IuiI0'''
charges were sUDml'led' ana "hic" en-
h"&i's me answer II 'le e~Np'"n"'I"'
OF the transactions referred TO- NIL
Smiih l"eh says:
III Wal DE seen th"t the "''"'i'
Stai"Io'hL ana the inspector IeI'''
are PF'''lcaI'S loeNll'"'' AT many
p"l"iS lhe language Is cNa"'IS '"e
same II IS as II .'neN were "'''''"
ny Inc same h"hN' me l"ii"tn ''!e-
lh'h' was submitted 10 me- me III
SP''Ior report was Su"1hil't" ~ '"e
l"urtA assistant IL was lhe BUSINESS
OF me Inspector 10 m" NHn'eNel
seemed 10 can I"r eNPI"h"'Ion' - M"S
leu o the postmaster genera! mHO
lne rNP'"h"ll"h ana tle 'Iu'n' AH'S
WAS "'he W pI"oiH8 Vle A"IIoc' S."''.
Hic"I "Hei II WAS PItSen'eo' All ol
the lI"hs"C'1oIs "eNV'lo'" d "l'S "'"'
WIZ eN'i"iue" an" 'poi' vas navy
10 Inc NhI'n l"oN ."e"l up l'S'l ~
l.eIl anu groups o l't"lS an" gave
Tue l"e'S an" e~API"n"'I"hs III '"'l'
r"Se' 1" inns 'tp"tI 1 ulIe"' P'l'''"-
lar attention. IL us statements are
coI'e'!' 'Hen oN most points us "a
pl'H''lol'S are SATISFACTORY LIS az
cuF"tS IN an It's specla! aNerl'eH'S mas
never oeei ihlPe"cltu III any 4u"i'el'
"" '"e mann PoiuIS l'iS oelieNeu ~ oe
beyond SuecessIul chaIIeh@e'
iHtse i""iii POINTS Inlay De thus
summed up each III d sentence; rlFs''
nauhes OF HlllF'ary poSlal cIerkS were
put on the general ron VII the mill
Iary appropriation became aNallaple;
theh 'heS were transferred 10 lhe
m'I''alS roll second, 'he ooho preml-
ms Oh lh1ll'arS CLERKS were palu LOT
good reasons Whlch are PLAINLY set
1orlh ana WhIch had the approval OF
the comptf0lIer. 1hlrd, the purchases
OF fofto hlcan supplies were mace
from the regular department. con-
tractors named under competition n
at regular contract prices. FOURTH,
the vouchers TOT expenses Oh Depart
ment o1ilclaIs travelling on o1hclal busl-
AUDITOR. fI1th, the lease OF the Wash
lngton post o1ffce was shown to be
entirely Justl1led. sixth, the appar-
entity double payment OF those m
ployed IN examining letter carriers
claims is fully explained. These points
embrace all that are specified in the
charges, except the items relating to
al cases of Larner and O. H. Smith,
and thus the matters open to question
are reduced to the appointments
which all old involve IS clerks and
seven cleaners. Even this is not an il
reducible minimum. for several of
these appointments were perfectly
right and beyond any question.
Il wish to accept the largest meas
ure of responsibility which belongs to
me in connection with all these mat
tiers, but it seems due to fairness to
state certain facts. The war against
Spain, declared three or four days
later, was dated back to April 81, 1898.
That was the very dav on which 1 was
sworn in as postmaster general. My
first duty. before even familiarizins
myself with the department. was to
make immediate provision for the let.
tiers of The scattered army of 25O,oOC
men which was so nromntlv raised
followed bv nrovision for the full mail
Of the islands. The administration
had been installed for more than a
year. The department force had been
oroanized and of course s. was nron.
erly accented &c 4 w.s fonnd When
the immediate dntv in hand was taken
IN Il w,s discovered cnrious1v
enough that there were absolutely NO
records Of the military nosta1 service