The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-01-06
letter, who is to be blamed for this con-
dition but the people themselves
Pretty Small Business.

If there was anything lacking in the
late congressional campaign to show up
Mr.. McCleary's true instincts, for play
| ing peanut politics, the deficiency has
been amply supplied in his successful
effort to secure the removal from the
government service of two rural free
delivery carriers, Eugene Coy and John
May.
After election Mr.. McCleary filed, or
caused to be filed, with the department,
complaints for 'pernicious political ac-
tivity" against Messrs. Coy, May and
Bates, operating rural free delivery SER
vice from Mankato. 1t had been re-
ported to the second district congress
man that these government servants
preferred Mr.. Miller to Mr.. McCleary for
congress. Accordingly, an inspector was
sent here to investigate the charges. He
spent the greater part of thirty days
nosing around to see what he could find
of "pernicious" nature, but how wide
spread or deep-seated this "pernicious-
mes" was, has not been revealed to those
charged with the offence For some rea-
son Mr.. Bates was not disturbed-prob-
ably because Mr.. MeCleary thought to
make an example" of two good and
faithful carriers would serve his purpose
quite as well as to decapitate the third
man. In another place in this issue of
The Free Press will be found the reply
of the carriers to request from the de-
partment to explain their political ac-
ton, also the letter of dismissal. 1t
would require good deal of stretch of
the imagination to find sufficient cause
for the removal of Coy and May in the
evidence submitted unless, of course, we
except the over-weaning desire of our
congressman to discipline these subordi-
nate government employees to the point
of lettering others from the free exer-
else of their constitutional prerogatives
vouchsafed in the fifteenth amendment.
If the civil service is to be thus pros
tituted to personal revenge, then indeed
may we look forward with apprehension.
Mr.. McCleary has postmaster in Man
kato drawing a salary of $1,000 annual
ly whose activity in the recent campaign
was not equalled by any man in the dis
trict. He was, is now, and has been for
twelve years, the chairman of Mr.. Nc
Cleary's congressional committee. He
took an active part in the nomination of
state officers, was delegate to the state
convention and a member of the COM
ton of the party to the extent of UNI
seating the regularly elected delegates
from Hennepin county and seating in
! their stead the other delegation from
that great district. And yet our con-
gresham is not reported as having filed
any charge against his postmaster for
| "pernicious political activity" when in
fact, his action was susceptible to ten
times the criticism that all the rural
carriers in the district could possibly be
charged with. But it makes difference
with Mr.. McCleary) whose OK is gored
For great and growing statesman to
resort to the methods indicated in the
dismissal of these two carriers looks
like pretty questionable procedure and
especially does it partake of the small
potato variety in gentleman who as
pires to the head of the appropria-
tons committee of congress.