Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-28
THE POSTMASTER ACCUSED,
Employees of the House Post Office Make
Charges Against Their Superior.

C. j. McCord, an employe of the House post
office, who is a son of Representative McCord,
has filed formal letter of charges against
James l.. Wheat postmaster of the House.
The letter. which is signed by McCord and five
other employees, says: I'VE, the undersigned
employees of the House of Representatives post
office, make the following charges: That J. L..
Wheat. postmaster of the House of Represent
atives post office, has been guilty of gross ir-
regularities in conducting the business of the
said office, to wit: His son, Walter r. Wheat,
is receiving the pay of two positions, while it is
impossible for one man to do the work con-
nected with these two positions. and. in copse-
quence, the work falls upon some other EN-
plOye or employee in the Office; that MANY
newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets, circulars
and other publications addressed to members
eX-members and employees have been thrown
III the waste paper basket every day; that ".
IL. Wheat has been guilty of opening at least
one sealed and postage-paid letter addressed
to a member, and j. l.. Wheat was aware of
the fact within an hour after il was done: that
he has compelled, through fear of dismissal the
route ,men, to the number of three, each
week to do work entirely foreign to their regu-
lar work, viz: one in the post Office to do work
which his son should do and two to do docu-
ment room work, which should not be done by
any employe of the post Office. We believe that
j. L. Wheat receives pay from the document
room for this work. We further charge that he
has shamefully imposed upon us in many ways;
that he is subject to violent outbursts of tenn
per, is arrogant tyrannical, despotic, overbear-
ing and insulting; that. in our judgment. he is
entirely united In every way for the position
he occupies, lacking dignity. executive ability
and a proper sense OF justice. In conclusion
We wish to say that the employees of the House
of Representatives post Office are poor men and
have stood these impositions and insults simply
because they could not afford to lose their
positions-about half Of them being married
men. Most of us resigned good paying posi-
tions which we cannot return to, to accept
position in the House of Representatives post
Office. We urgently ask that an investigation
be made at once into the official conduct of ].
L. Wheat. postmaster OF the House of Repre-
sentatives."
WHAT MR.. WHEAT SAYS.
Postmaster Wheat says that the charges
made against him are inspired by feeling of
resentment on the part of young McCord He
says that he had some trouble with young Nc
Cord on account of insubordination on the
part of the young man. He does not consider
the charges very serious
The papers and communications which have
been thrown into the post Office waste basket
he says, are such as members asked him to
dispose OF in that way-chiefy matter which is
left at the Office without postage. He said he
did not think there was anything out of the
way iii his sons doing substitute work after he
got through with his own work especially as il
was done for short time only for the conven-
fence OF the Office. As to the charge that he
was tyranincal he said he was only trying to get
efficient work out of the force. The waste paper
he says he sells and uses the money as a stamp
fund.
AN INVESTIGATION PROBABLE.
1t is likely that there will be an investiga-
tion and it may be that some new regulations
will he far he
Office. A good many complaints are made,
chiefly by employees of the Capitol of delay in
getting their mail and members complain of
their mail getting mixed.
Hartfords election was decided in favor of
the democrats yesterday
A girl twenty years of age registered at the
Boston House at Troy, NY, as Lizzie Meyers
OF Boston and procured room. She was found
dead next day, having taken a dose of srsenic
A syndicate from London. England, and
Philadelphia have made extensive purchases Of
real estate around Norfolk.