The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-26

ex penses, and. as they admitted, violated
the United States civil-service statutes.
the punishment for which is dismissal from
office and imprisonment; hat the commits
sion, upon Roosevelts findings. recon-
mended to the President the dismissal OF
the guilty officials. and that the Civil
service Reform Association OF Baltimore
called attention to the fact that no official
action has been taken in consequence.
therefore the committee Is directed to as
certain whether any or all of the guilty
ot1clals are still in office. and whether
tb ey have been indicted or prosecuted.
mast general was the
hrst witness. Chairman Andrew briefly
reviewed the purpose of the investigation,
stating that twenty-one of the employees
found to have violated the law were in the
Baltimore postOffice. He asked whether
any of those persons are still in office or
had been indicted.
The POstmaster-general replied that the
persons were all In the employ of the gov
eminent and hone had been indicted. The
witness said the postmaster at baltimore
had asserted that injustice had been done
the employees in Mr.. Roosevelt's report and
witness thereupon ordered an investiga-.
tion by the pOstOffice inspectors who re-
ported: 1t is our opinion that the facts do
not Justify the dismissal of the twenty-one
employees or any one Of them for violation
OF the civil-servIce laws as charged" The
employees in tho case, said the witness, were
poor men. soldiers and sons of soldiers. and
the amount of their contributions was not
much larger than the sum that wound be
required TO pay for printing the report. OF
the civilservice commission.
MI. BOatner. a member of the commit
tee. as ked II there WAS any Law authOriZ-
ing tn 9 investigation by the inspector.
The POstmaster-general was unable TO
point to any such law. but explained the
precedents and the functions of the in-
spectors. In this case Postmaster johnson
had been reprimanded.
Mr.. Andrew wished to know whv the
postmaster had been reprimanded. and the
witness replied: For allowing his men TO
be in the position of making statements
that could be excepted TO. If these men
gave An impression To the Civil service
Commissioner that could not be verified
under oath that makes trouble for the
commissioners"
To Mr.. Boatner the Postmaster general
said that II the men were engaged In as
sessiDg each other, or In coercIng votes,
these actions were certainly violations of
the law. but the men denied that they had
done so.
Mr.. Boatner asked of what use was the
Civll-service Commission if the heads of
the departments had authority to go be-
hind the commissioners reports and direct
Investigation on their own account.
The Postmaster general replied that this
was the first intimatiOn given to him that
the Clvil-service Commission or any other
had control of the department. %independ-
ent of it's head. and could step In and order
dismIsSalS at Its own sweet will.
Nh. Andrew asked the Postmaster gen.
eral If an employee who made one state
nlent in April and another at q subsequent
time contradicting absolutely his former
statement ought to be retained in office.
Mr.. Wanamaker said ne did not think
that any untruthful persons ought to be
employed. but he called attention to the
fact that nineteen of the men commended
that they did not say the words attributed
to them. He would not keep o dishonest
person In his employ. but he referred to
the fact that a man might say that he had
done something aud had told another per-
son. through fear. that he had not. There
were two men of the twenty-one he had
not forgiven. but none of tho men were
held for a violation OF the civil-service
law. Mr.. Wanamaker admitted that he
had not read all OF the inspectors report.
"OIeO"-Dealers Not Required To Report.
WASHINGTON. April 25.-The United
States Supreme Court to-day held that
there was no penalty imposed by the oIeo-
margarine act upon dealers who refused or
neglected to keep the books and make
the monthly returns Of receipts and sales
of oleomargarIne required by regulations
issued under the provisions of the act by
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The
court says that Q matter cannot be made q
legal Otfense by q regulation of a depart
meDt. If Congress had intended to make
liable to penalty the dealers who failed TO
keep the required book it should have
done 30 by direct enactment.
The Pres,oenr's Trip to New York.
WASHINGTON, April 25.-The President,
Secretary Foster. Secretary Rusk. Post
master general Wanamaker and Private
Secretary Halford will leave Washington
tomorrow afternoon, at 3:55 o'clock,
on q special train, for New
York, to attend the laying of the
cornerstone of the Grant monument. Sec
rotary and Mrs. Elkins will start to-mor-
row morning. and will. dine with Mrs.
Grant in the evening. The party Will re-
turn to w Washington late Wednesday even
Ing.
Fourth-C Class Hoosier Postmaster.
SJec.al 10 the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. April 25.-Fourth = class
postmasters for Indiana were to-day ap.
pointed as follows: Noah, Shelby county.
j. Walker, vice Z. jackson, resigned; Cen
ter Square. Switzerland county. j. p.
Kitchens, vice +. H.. Bascom, resigned:
Poneto. Wells county. j.. w. Cook. vice T..
Ruth, resigned: TaswelI, county,
w. 5. Evans, vice j. l.. Lynch, removed.
General Notes. o..
SPECIAL 10 the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, April 25.-Mrs. NJ. A. Hal
ford, mother of Messrs. f. w. and A. J.
Halford, accompanied by Miss Jannette
Halford. left this morning for I%ndianap-
oils. The latter will visit Mrs. +. ID. Sc
guin for some weeks.
Mr.. and Mrs. G.. II. Schram (nee Ida
Thomas). of Mount Sterling. o., we'll
known at Muncie. are at the National
Hotel. on their wedding trip.
f. l., Shafer, of Indianapolis. is at the
johnson.
Mrs. A. j. Frybarger. of Indianapolis. Is
visiting her daughter, Mrs. VIII. Smith.
on Stoughton street. She will be in Wash
ingtOn q month or six weeks.
Jacob h. Turner. of the executive man
sion force, left this morning for Muncie,
upon receipt of q telegram announcing the
critical illness of his father.
Orders were issued from the Navy De-
partment to-day putting the Iroquois out
of commission. She will be put in thorough
repair at the Mare island maynard.
The Treasury Department to-day pur-
ing from $40 to $40. The silver purchases
for the month including to-day aggregate
3, 7.6. 000 ounces.
Senator Mcpherson to-day introduced q
proposed amendment to the naval appro-
priatiOn bill authorizing the construction Of
three dOnble-turret iron OF steel harbor-de-
Tense vessels of the monitor ty pc of at least
$500 tons displacement and O speed of if-
teen knots. In place of the single cruiser
proposed by the House bill. They are to
carry two thirteen-inch ritied gun and are
! to be SO heavily armored as to be invul-
nerabie TO shot or she'll
ntn ~, N th~A A.. -A--