The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-10


II. already been appointed, and that
l. withhold HIS commission would be
m great injury to him and would defea
IS the ends OF justice. The nominatto
J. was accordingly sent in.
!, At Wapakoneta the incumbent di
q his work we'll but the post-oilice In
:, spector reported that the feeling wa
:, - almost unanimous among his fellow
y townsmen that there should be
= change, and a Mr.. Moser was an
), pointed, 1t appearing that the post
:. master was not popular with the PEG
pie. while the man suggested for IL,
nomination was unquestionably tn
choice of tho patrons Of the office
being regarded by them as mos
progressive and public-s spirited youn,
business man. possessed of more thai
ordinary ability, extremely popula,
with the people OF his native city, ir
respective of party affiliations"
Three Out of 1,1et.
call your attention to the fac
that the Senate withdrew It's oppositio,
10 one or these four men and con.
firmed him. SO that the charge relate.
to only three out of the whole humble,
1.l6i post offices; that of these three
two were nominated In the usual fash
ION on the recommendation of the out
gong congressman, and the third nom
mated was on the request of the in
+ spector, and would have been made
without the slightest regard as to
| whether there was presidential can
| vass on hand or not
Editorial Untrue"
The statements in the editorial In
Question are therefore untrue in every
particular.
AS for your quotation from another
newspaper, running follows
Federal officeholders may be COM
m mtbdri to use their influence and their
Such command has been issued, and
the President should know of its
Somebody has instructed postmasters
that they must obtain from their sub
ord!nates either their designations or
their pledge of support for Taft dele
gates 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 We're made had
the courage to resist and partly from
other causes"
Deliberate Invention.
There Is really nothing to say ex-
cept that 1t does not contain the slight
est particle of truth, and that tho Mas
sachusetts statement is so gross that
a deliberate invention. There Is not
the slightest foundation for 1t, and
no successful effort can be made to
show that there Is the slightest foun-
dation for it. AS regards the Massa-
chusetts post offices. in all except five
cases my. appointments were reappoint-
mcnts; that is. the incumbent was re-
nominated, with the consent of the SEN
ators or Representative, or at the |
expiration of the regular term OF |
these five cases. new men We're put
twice because of the resignation of |
the incumbent. In each case whether
or appointment or reappointment 1 fol-
lowed the ordinary custom. accepting
the suggestion either of the Senators
or of the Congressman or both, as in
each case the men suggested were emil
nentiy fit.
Not q particle of difference has been
made in this respect between those |
congressman who were for one presi-
dental candidate and those Congress-
men who We're for another, and SO far
ment has fully satisfied the local peo-
pie. In other words. the appointments
have been made not to control, but to
recognize, the sentiment of the local
ity.
Calls for Proof.
If such assertions as those of these
papers are made in good faith, on
knowledge of facts. and with any other
purpose than TO produce political ef-
statement without knowledge, let those
making them produce the specific |
eases to which they refer. Ii in any |
such case the accusation is found
knowledge and shall! deal with 1t in /
the precise spirit OF my instructions /
TO the Civil Service Commission here
matter referred TO.
Two Specific Cases.
So far as l know the only other ac-
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 O., the
sressmen could not agree on nomi-
nee, two recommending one man and
two another l decided to send in a
man, recommended to me by outsiders,
either. The Senate rejected him. His
name would have been sent In If there
had been no presidential canvasses at
al at TINS time. AS regards collect
pointed upon the recommendation of
Senators and some on the recommentIa-
ton OF Congressman. In Ohio the coll
rector OF internal revenue whom
commended by the Congressman Of the
district. In the Tenth District fol-
lowed the accommodation of the two
senators. In other words, | followed
states as regards all these nomina-
tons, the only difference being that
ONO Is the single State where the
pulk OF the Federal employees have been
inclined to be against the presidentinl
candidate from the State.
In New York. Pennsylvania. Illinois.
Indiana and Wisconsin,. so far a. II
Know, the enormous majority of an
rpontees are in each case for the presi- |,
dental candidate from the State This
mas not been true in Ohio and my ,
interference with patronage matters in ID
O!sio has been limited to insisting. as
should insist anywhere else, that on
position to the purposes, policies and II
friends of the administration shall NOT c
be considered as a necessary prereoui-
site to holding the commission of the t
President. - '"' {
Must Not Interfere. y
In my letter to the Civil Service Com. !.
mission Of June II. 1909, which now /,
holds good, and will be enforced Of /,
hcefs are warned not to use their :
places TO control political movements. i
not TO coercc their subordinates nor -
70 neglect their public duties for poIit.
lcal work, not to cause any nuEiic h
scandal by their political activity, hut !
OUTSIDE of the classified service they i
activity !
No officer will be permitted ia vto-
,a,e the above injunction With nv =
MnnoW!edSe, no matter for what can