Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-10
IN OHIO
Continued from First Page.)


Charles Fl. Bryson as postmaster of
Athens. Ohio. vino. he said, was appoint
ed without his solicitation upon recon-
mendat!on OF Representative Aired Doug
las. He then read from local paper an
Interview with Mr.. Bryson. in which he
stated that Taft lost his following in
Ohio and Foraker had greatly grown in
strength.
1t the close of the reading OF the in
terview Mr.. Foraker observed that there
was nothing in it hostile to Secretary
Faf:. but that it expressed an honest diff
ference of opinion on Il subject entirely
within his rights of individual opinion.
MI BrySon returned to Athens. said Mr..
Foraker. entirely unconscious that he had
made any trouble until few days later
when he received a letter from Rep
reSentative Douglass telling of Il talk he
had with Postmaster General Meyer on
the subject of the appointment. Accord
ing to this letter Mr.. Douglass had been
sent for to be tod that the President
mad decided not to appoint Mr.. B.yson
after all. Representative Douglass said
the Postmaster General was nice about
it. but determined. and evidently was
carrying out the Presidents ORDERS.
From the Post Office Department Mr..
Douglass went TO the White House. where
he took up the matter with Mr.. Loeb. the
PRESIDENT secretary. who said the Pres
1oent could see mo reason for appointing
with his policies" Mr.. Loeb. according
to Mr.. Douglass letter. said the President
was determined that MIR. Douglass should
recommend another appointment
Mr.. Douglass Sees the President.
Mr. Foraker said that Mr.. Douglass had
told Mr. Bryson that it would be advisa-
take the matter up himself. After re-
raiy ing I.,.D :,,
which Mr.. Bryson said he would be in
Washington within the day so. Mr..
Douglass saw the President. The story
% the conference at the White House was
told in letter which Mr.. Douglass i'm
mediately sent to Mr.. Hryson. saying:
The President bluntly told me that !
would have to recommend another man.
Mr.. Douglass said that he urged the
President to reconsider, but that he was
nsiStent.
Mr.. Foraker said he did not want to
comment upon the correSp ondenca, be-
yond showing the pressure that had been
brought to bear on one man who had eX
pressed his personal view on a matter on
which he had a right to express them.
ITO 'coerce him. as the President has said
in his letter"
Mr.. Bryson's Letter.
Mr.. Bryson then sent letter to Mr..
Douglass, said Mr.. Foraker. in which he
gave his view of the situation. He said
that in his interview he had said that
Taft was losing and Foraker gaining in
Ohio, and that Taft. if nominal ID could
not carry the state. Mr.. Bryson reiter
ated this and declared that it was true.
He said that he had always been in favor
of the Presidents policies, and that moth
ing had ever appeared in his paper in op
position to the administration. He re-
things q h.3I
however, including the statement that the
President would be compelled to take an
other nomination because with Taft as
a candidate the labor, capital and negro
vote would be eliminated from the party.
He asserted that the Presidents state
ment of his Gryson's) activities as rep
resented to Mr. Douglass. was entirely
wrong, and in conclusion Mr.. Bryson said:
Il favor the President, but not his can
ddate and I shall not so long as | think
Bryan can beat him at the polls.
The letter contained a declaration of
political independence SO far as express
ing preference for candidates is concern
ed. and Mr.. Bryson announced that
while ne would like to continue in the
Office he would not do so by sacrifice of
his independ ence, and the President could
have the office for some one who was
willing to carry out his personal wishes
in all matters.
Bryson's Letter Praised.
Mr.. Foraker characterized the letter by
Mr.. Bryson IAN able, frank candid
statement, with no beating about the
bush in it,
lie said that he supposed Mr. Douglass
bad laid it before the President and that
the President decided to send in the
nomination. Mr.. Foraker gave the Presi
dent entire credit for seeing the justice
of such a course in view of the manly
reply made by Mr. Bryson to the criti-
cism that had been made of him.
The Presidents Attitude.
Il think in the ma in the President wants
to promote the public service. and that
he seeks 10 select good men, but for the
President to say that there has been no
attempt in Ohio to use puplic patronage
to promate political interests is to fly in
the face OF what is, l may say the uni
ersal belief I'm our state and almost the
universal knowledge in our state.
q have not claimed that the President
himself was participating in 1t. but the
record / have read speaks for itself and
shows that in at least one instance he
seems to have a good deal of the same
kind of spirit that has been manifested
in the practice to which others have
resorted."
Concluding his remarks. Mr.. Foraker
asserted that he could establish to the en-
tire satisfaction of any unbiased mind
that there are A hundred such cases in
Ohio. He said that estimate was no
exaggeration. although the Presidents
hand could not be traced to all of them
He said they had been engineered by
men who represented the President.
No reply was made to Mr.. Foraker's
remarks.