Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-10

SDencerVflle investigation ny ti'o i'i'Pee
tor showed that it was inadvisaple 10
reappoint the incumbent, and that MI
Wetherell, who had been originally rec
commended for the position by senator
Dick should be appointed Senator DICK
afterwards withdrew his recommendation.
but the inspector reported that MI. "eth-
erell had by that time had already been
appointed and to withhold his commission
would be a great injury to him and would
defeat the ends of justice. The nominal
ton was accordingly sent in.
At Wapakoneta the incumbent did his
work well. but the postoftce inspector re-
ported that the feeling was almost unan-
i,nous among his fellow townsment that
there should be a change, and MI Mo-
ser appointed. it appearing that the post
master was not popular with the people.
while the man suggested for nomination
was Enthusiastically the choice of the pa
irons of the office, being regarded by
them as a most progressive ana Pubic
spirited young business man, possessed or
more than ordinary ability. t.Xtremely
popular with the people of his native
city, irrespective of party affiliations
I call your attention to the Tact that
the Senate withdrew its opposition to one
Of these four men and confirmed him, 50
that the charges relate to only three out
of the whole number, 1164 rostofiicos; that
of these three. two were nominated in thu
usual fashion on the recommendation OF
the outccming congressman and That the
third nomination was made on the report
of the inspector and would have been
made without the slightest regard to
whether there was a Presidential canvass
on hand or not.
The statements in the editorial in q'ies-
ton are, therefore. untrue n every par
-ticular.
AS for your quotation from another
newspaper. running as follows:
Federal ofiiceholders may be COM
manded to use their influence and their
authority in behalf of a candidate. Such
a command has been issued and the Pres
ident should know of it.
Somebody has instructed poStmast"rS
that they must obtain from their subor-
dinates either their designations or their
pledges Of support for Taft delegates to
the convention. Even in
Massachusetts efforts Of this kind have
recently been made. but happily they
have been stopped, partly because the
postmasters on whom the attempts were
made had the courage to resist, and
partly from other causes
There is really nothing to say except
that it does not contain the slightest par
ticle of truth and that the misstatement
is so gross that it is difficult to believe it
other than a deliberate invention. There
is not the slightest foundation for it and
no successful effort can be made to show
that there is the slightest foundation for
It. AS regards the Massachusetts, post
office, in all except five cases my appoint
ments were reappointments; that is. the
incumbent was renominated with the con-
sent of the senators or congressman at
the expiration of the regular term. OF
these five cases new men were put in
three times because of death and twice
because Of the resignation of the incum-
bent. In each case. whether of appoint
ment or reappointment, I followed the
ordinary custom, accepting the sugges-
ton either of the senator's or Of the con-
gressmen or both which in each case the
men suggested were enlinently fit. Not
particle of difference in this respect be-
tween those congressman who were for
one Presidential candidate and those con-
gressmen who were for another; and. so
far as 1 know. in every case the appoint
ment has fully satisfied the local people.
In other words, the appointments have
been made not to control but to recog-
nize the interest Of the locality.
If such assertions as those of these
~,
knowledge Of facts, and with any other
purpose than to produce political
effect by false pretense or by reckless
tntamcnt without knowledge. let those
making them produce the specific case
to which they refer. If in any such
case the accusation is found true, it
will have occurred without my knowl-
edge and I shall deal with it in the
precise spirit of my instructions to the
Civil Service Commission hereinafter
referred to.
So far as l know the only other ac-
cusatiOns that have been made as to
the use Of patronage have been in con-
nection with the pension agent in New
Hampshire and a collector of internal
revenue in Ohio. In the case of the
pension officer the senator's and con-
gressmen could not agree on a NOM
inee, two recommended one man and
two another l decided to send in a
man recommended to me by outsiders
whom | believed to be better fitted
than either. The Senate rejected him.
His name would have been sent in
if there had been no Presidential can
vass at all this time.
AS regards collectors of internal rev.
enue, some are appointed upon the
recommendations of congressman. In
Ohio the collector of internal revenue
whom / nominated in the 1st District
was recommended by the congressman
of the district. In the 10th district I
followed the recommendation of the
two senators. In other words, l fol-
lowed the same course in Ohio as in
other states as regards all these NOM
nations. the only difference being that
Ohio is the single state where the bulk
of the federal employees have been in
clined to be against the Presidential
candidate from the state. In New York,
Pennsylvania, Indiana and Wisconsin
as far as l know the enormous major
ity of appointees are in each case Tor
the Presidential candidate from the
state 1t has not been true in Ohio