Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-13
GREEN-GOODS MEN.
eomr FIFTEEN NEW YORK LETTER
CARRIERS IN THEIRPA"
,,ox n.,,v.rea az. D." Maii-Eight otthe
Accused booked for sn'pen'''" "
Seven for Discharge
rrou YORK World.l

\ last CAtufubl "i' II -
held in the inspectors room oil inc posi-,
oa,ce New York, in tho presence Oh
General.superintendent Morgan, recon-
mendations have been sent to "aSnins
ION for the discharge of seven lotter-car-
riers and one clerk and the suspensiOno i
eight other letter-carriers'
The investigation was made at the in
s,once Of Chief Post Oflice-Inspector L.
q Rotbbope, of Washington, who is at
the head of the Secret service, anu ~
was conducted by Inspectors harIeu ~
and Jacobs. the latter having come rom
washington a month ago Tor the pui-
nose of working up the case against
number OF letter .u-
The charge against the pfacticailE
suspended and discharged men Is tno
sa,5o in everv instance" delivering let
ters to green. goods men.
SUSPENSION in the post-oihce Is fhe
game thing as discharge, so the men as
eert Several OF the sufferers talked to
World reporter yesterday afternoon,
and one OF them said:
"Those letters for the green'g!oods
and sawdnst-men we're put IN our bags
durjnQ the rush days OF the election,
when we did not have time to examine
ovorvtbipQ carefully. 1t was trap to
catch us. and we were picked out Tor
slaughter because we did not pay cur
nolitical assessments. We did not put
mn for the Republican candidates, and
that is why we are suspended ana dls-
charged. This green-goods business IS
Only an excuse.
"What will follow the recommends
tions Of dismissal and suspension?
"They will be acted on unless me men
concerned have a great deal OF influence.
One of the mon who was suspended has
pulIed wires hard enough to get himself
nut back on The list and escape with
fine of five days pay. But he had big
men behind him, you sec.
TEL me the names Of some OF the
discharged carriers or clerks"
mThat wouldn't do at all. l can't do
that.
"Win you let mo print your own
name?"
"No I can't afford to-"
All the carriers spoken to bod the
qame objection to telling the names OF
the discharged and suspended men.
They were wiling enough TO talk az
long rs they were guaranteed against
exposure.
"Our fate would be settled if we talk
ed. As it is, some Of us may save our
selves. You remember Walt. Tulley got
his place back after he was suspended"
"He did after being ont year, re-
marked another OF the carriers. "When
he left the post-otiice he was receiving
$1,000. he was taken back at a salary
of 5000, and is only getting $3.50 now,
and he was an unusually good man.
That shows you what suspension
means"
ONE CARRIER SAYS IT'S SPITE.
"This thing is the result largely Of
the spite which Republicans feel at their
defeat" said another. "Ihey want to
get even with the men who did not sup
port them by contributing to the cam
paign fund. OF course, Postmaster Van
! Colt was not present at the investigation
in the inspectors room yesterday, but
all the same he had b. I. Morgan, the
general superintendent, there to see to
carving out the orders from Washington
| know it TO be true that these dis
charges were for political reasons. OF
course. there are not many Democrats
in the post-oflice, for Pearson, acting
under Cleveland's orders, did not DIS
charge many of the old men ; very few
were dismissed in fact. But this had
much to do with spelling the post-otlice
as political machine. The men, find
| ing that they were not assessed or turned
out under Cleveland, thought that they
need never pay any more assessments,
| and n number Of them were 'shy this
year. Only the men who were shy IN
their assessments had to lay their heads
on the block"
1t is suggested that delivery Of mail to
preen-goods men was not the sole offence
relied on, because one Of the examina-
tons went something like this:
"Mr. -, you have heen drinking
today"
" les, sir.
"Was it whiskey you dronk2"
"No, cir.
"Beer 2"
ono, sir.
"Then what was it?"
"a little GIN"
That will do. We will have to recon-
mend your suspension"
POSTMASTER VAN cOTr DENIES IT.
Postmaster Van Colt said to the World
reporter:
Il did not take any part in that in
vestigation or the subsequent recon-
incubation TO suspend and discharge, but
everything was done regularly under the
direction of Chlef-Inspector Wheeler, of
New York, and a special secret-service
man from Washington. Politics had
nothing whatever to do with the matter.
am sure / don't know and don't caro-
whether the men were Democrats or Re-
publicans. These men who are dis
charged were all in the pay of the green
goods men, and were delivering mail 10
those fellows against our express orders.
They were aiding and abetting q vio-
lation of the law. / see it is charged
that these men were singled out by me
and my subordinates for punishment for
not contributing TO the Republican cam
paign fund. l wish you would say most
emphatically from me that there is not a
word of truth in this statement. J dare
say the state Committee sent circulars
around among these men asking for con-
tributions. The State Committee usually
does send such circulars to every man
who may be likely to contribute. We
. A : 4. -.
ting into the hands Of our employees, but
we don't know who got them or who did
not. 1t wouldn't make any difference in
their treatment by u.s."
els it true that these letters for tho
sawdust and con6donce-men were given
to them during the rush days before the
election ?"
"No, sir it is not. They were given
after the election rush was over. But
lnsDeotOr Wheeler ran Give Won tho da.