The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-06
THOMAS TRIES TO
GET FROM UNDER
Attempts, as Usual, to Shift Re-
spOnsibility Upon Sub
ordinate Official.
MAKES EFFORT TO
D0UBLE-CR0SS EMPLOYEE
Latter Strikes Back and Makes
a Statement Giving the
Real Facts.

The flag upon the Federal building
on Labor day was upside down, as
printed in The Tribune Tuesday, Many
persons who saw Old Glory as it floated
from the flagstaff declare that 1t was
unfurled upside down. The custodian
of the building told Tribune represen.
tatlve who was sent to see him and
ascertain if he had permitted the flag
of his country to be unfurled in that
manner over the building that it was,
but that 1t was corrected as soon as
discovered. To the inquiry made Of the
postmaster custodian as to how the flag
came to be thus unfurled and who had
put it up, the postmaster custodian
said:
81 do not know, but it must have
been Rivers Let g go out and see if
we can find the ianitor''
Walking into the corridor Of the
postoffice, an employee named Oleson
was encountered
"Did you run up the flag9' asked
the postmaster, Ono, / did not, was
the reply from Oleson,
FLet's go out and look at it, we're
the next words of the postmaster.
Together with The Tribune represen-
tative and Oleson, the postmaster
walked into the street and looked at
the flag, finding it all right HWell,
t's all right now: 1t was corrected as
soon as it was discovered"
Why Did Postmaster Say so7
If the flag was not in the position
stated by The Tribune, why did the
postmaster say 500 Why was cit cor
rected as soon as discovered9' The
facts are that the custodian, who found
himself in hole, attempts to do just
what he always does when he is cor
raled, to shift the responsibility upon
some one else. But in doing this he has
again got himself IN a hole, by mis-
representing an employee. This en-
ployee, John B, Ferguson, made state
ment Of the occurrence and submitted IL
to the postmaster, not for newspaper
publication, but in order to prevent the
postmaster from making complaint TO
the department at Washington, as he
appeared anxious to do. The article
appearing in the Smoot organ was not
the statement of Mr. Ferguson, was
used without his consent, knowledge or
authority. and, as to how it got to the
Smootite organ can readily be inferred.
Herewith is given the statement signed
by Mr.. Ferguson, and which shows how
he feels about the matter, and which
completely e1onerates The Tribune:
Mr.. Ferguson S Statement.
Editor Tribune Regarding the article
Tuesday morning regarding the Stars and
Stripes having been upside down the Fed
eral building; after talking with your rep
resentative l find that the whole matter was
due TO a misunderstanding
The flag, after 1t was run up the mast
head. was caught by the wind and hung
on the pole in such manner that anyone
seeing il from the street would have thought
that it really was upside down, inasmuch
as the blue field hung below the stripes, and
this made the mistake n most natural one.
| do not consider for a moment that you
meant TO do myself anyone else an in
justice and feel that you were simply mislcd
by the statements OF several people who made
very natural mistake, well by people
who could have given you the correct in
formation, but would not, and did not
1 wish to thus cxonerate The Tribune
from any blame in the matter, as its treat
ment has been fair and impartial
Furthermore, when / made out my state
ment, / did not give IL TO the Intermountain
Republican, and the article appearing in that
paper my name not my statement
and was without any authority whatever
from me.
(Signed.) JOHN B. FERGUSON
Salt Lake CITY, September 5.