The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-14

Washington, June Thames N.
Tyner, ex-assistant attorney general
for the postoffice department, who
was removed on charges of corrup-
ton and was recently tried and ac-
quilted, has appealed to President
Roosevelt to fright the great wrong"
unwittingly done him in a statement
made by the president and based upon
the charges of Mr.. Bristow, fourth
assistant postmaster general. Mr..
fTyner's appeal is in the form OF let
ter to the president, in part as fol-
lows:
Z The President:
4 Sir-In November, 1908, on the strength
of certain charges contained in report
by Mr.. Bristow, the fourth assistant post
master general you gave to the press or
the country a statement to the erect that
t"gross corruption in the case of Assistant
Attorney General Tyner has gone on Tor
q number Of years. and after referring to
me as the chief offender" you cay that
in my case 1.-The corruption took the form
Of favoring get-rich- quick concerns and
similar schemes; in other words, the GRIM
inals whom 1t was (my) sworn duty to
prosecute, paid (me) for permission to
fleece the public unmolested." After thus
giving your official opinion as chief mag
istrate of the nation as to my guilt, you
referred to the fact that there were three
indictments pending against me- and you
called upon jury to do its duty.
--.--~ Effect of Proclamation. .-~ -,
No verdict Of jury nor sentence Of Judge
could have had such far reaching or ir-
remedial consequences for me as this ex-
traordinary official proclamation of guilt
by you, and the ordinary machinery Of
Justice is probably Dowerless fully to recti-
fly the injustice done. Immediately upon
seeing your charges in the press I ad-
dressed you a letter protesting that on the
mere say so Of Mr.. Bristow you had no
right without at least first giving me a
chance to be heard in my defense.
When I wrote this letter 1 had little
hope that Il merciful and just God would
spare my life long enough to. enable me
to face a jury Of my peers, and I wished
merely to record what believed to be a
deathbed protest against your unusual
unjust and arbitrary action. Fortunat ely
I have now had my day in court, and &C.
cording to the law of the land, I have
established my innocence Of any crime OF
of any misconduct in office. I instructed
Messrs. Worthington and Hershey to lay
fully before the court and jury every act
of my official and private career, and tt
take advantage Of no legal technicalities.
dr.. ~" Sought VlndcatIon
7, The jury was asked by me and by my
counsel and by the court to ignore my
age and physical condition. I asked no.
Sfor an acquittal, but for a vindication
and so far as possible, every act of mine
Preferred to in Mr.. Bristows report, wa:
Fplaced before it fully and exhaustively
1.-THE jury, without moments hesitation
pronounced me mot guilty" on all tn
indictments. It's verdict, I am advised
and believe, expresses the unanimous sen
ltiment Of every member of the bar ant
iof the community who followed the case
And 1 may add, was not content t.
crest my vlndication on the government
failure to prove a crime but I insisted
Son affirmatively proving my innocenc
fof any wrongdoing.
& Such verdict in a trial brought il
good faith would ordinarily be a suffi
scient vindcation Of an accused party, bu
unfortunately in this case your officia
proclamation of my assumed guilt ha
such weight and is entitled to have sucl
weight that to many it practically over
rides the verdict Of the jury
In my letter to you Dec. 2, 1908, I In
y timated briefly that your action was un
just and wrong, and that you would no
ghave taken the course you did if you ha
Rnot been misled and deceived by MI
tBristows report.
3 do not mean for moment to ques