Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-19
ACCUSES
CARRIERS
POSTMASTER GENERAL WYNNE
TELLS WHY THEY WERE
DISCHARGED.
WORKED FOR INCREASES
In Answer to Request Of Congress .fpr
Statement Regarding the Dismissal
Of Carriers Wynne Makes Public Pa
pers In cases-Wanted More Pay.

Washington, d. c., Jan. 17.-Post-
master General Wynne has transmitted
to the house "a statement of facts
relative to- the dismissal of James G..
Keller, president of the city letter car
riers' association, and Frank Gun
ningham, Warren Tumbler and H. w.
Aldrich, officers of the rural carriers
association. The information is in
response to a resolution introduced
by Representative Hearst and agreed
to by the house. The response says:
"Keller was dismissed for being alb
sent from his post Of duty without
leave" In his showing by the depart
ment Keller states that he received
oral leave from the late Postmaster
General Payne, to be absent from duty
for a year. When the department or
dered him to report for duty, he filed
letter saying it was impossible for
him to do so, at present. His dismiss
sal followed.
Interviewed Heads of Parties.
The campaign of the rural carriers
for an increase Of pay is set forth in
a communication in a number of CIR
cular letters credited to the three mem
Sers named and all based on an ex-
petition made by Carrier Cunningham
to New York where he interviewed
Chairman Cortelyou, of the republican
national committee, Chairman Tag
CART, of the democratic national COM
mittee, and Representative Overstreet.
secretary Of the republican congress
sional campaign bureau.
The plan was outlined at a dinner
at st. Louis, and Cunningham was in
structed to make the best bargain
possible" with the politicians.
overstreet to work" Press.
It was proposed that Overstreet
should give out a newspaper inter-
view to the effect that at the coming
session he will allow to be reported
out of the p%ostofice committee the
Fairbanks bill, the situation in Indi-
ana indicating that Fairbanks would
be defeated. Republicans are of that
opinion and should be glad of the
chance to make this trade, then what
interview will be flashed over
all the country by the Associated
Press that Overstreet will do this.
we will then get in our work OF
getting congressman and candidates
to vote for the bill. We will then get
out the free delivery news with an ex-
ira whooping UP of Overstreet that
he is not such a bad fellow after all,
and urge the carriers to support the
whole ticket.
c~orteIvou or Game Of BLUFF.
"But If Cortelyou does not agree to
this plan, then we must do our turn
in a game Of bluff-say to him that we
will support the head of the ticket, but
as we have nothing to expect from a
house, we will support the
democrats for the remainder of the
ticket"
The comment is then made: 'It is
a bold plan. but it is better to go along
than to stand still.
Both political parties think and be
lieve we have much more strength,
many more members in our organfzh-
ton and more perfect organizations
than we really have. This is very
much in Jul favor and it all comes
from the quantities of kilograms and
petitions sent to Washington last win
ter"
Carrier Cunningham reported to Car
rier lumber by letter from New York
October Ia, 1904, as follows:
Party Chiefs Were "seen."
II saw Cortelyou today and he said
he had a long talk with Overstreet and
that he could not give me any encour-
agement as Overstreet would not com.
NIT himself. saw Taggart this after.
noon and he talked as though the dem.
ocrats would without a doubt pass the
bill if elected. l told him, however,
we could only support a democratic
house. I will meet him again tomor.
row morning"
After a meeting between Cunning.
ham and lumber in Buffalo, October
10, 1904 a long circular letter to the
carriers was prepared by lumber. In
1t he says:
II have presented to you the advice
of the executive board. 1t is the iudg.
ment that all carriers and their
friends should support the head of the
republican ticket, but a democratic
house,"
The postofice department states
that all of the rural carriers named
were absent from duty without leave
in addition to their activity in poll
tics. The carriers were dismissed De.
cember Is, 1904.
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