Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-04
WANAMAKER'S REPLY.
He Forestalls Investigation by Civ
ing the Correspondence
IN THE PNEUMATIC TUBE NATTER.
4 Positive Denial Inclosed From Transit
Company Attorney.
NO STOCK WAS USED FOR CORRUPTION

T WASHINGTON, June 3-Postmaster Gen.
eral Wanamaker has sent communication
to Representative Henderson, of the House
Committee on Postoffices and Postroads, in
answer to the sworn statement of Samuel F.
| Leake, President of the Pneumatic Trans
| portation Company of Philadelphia, in
which he charges irregularities on the part
| OF the Postmaster General in connection
| with the pneumatic tube service CT Phila-
delphia The Postmaster General says in
part:
without waiting for q formal call from
your committee, but in accordance with the
statement alleged to have been made by
: your chairman, that the Postmaster Gen.
eral would be called upon for informa tion,
and to save time and unnecessary trouble to
your committee, beg to lay before you the
correspondence between the department.
and Samuel F. Leake, and between the de-
partment and Hon. John Field, the Post
master at Philadelphia, in relation to the
same; also correspondence between the de-
partment and James G. McHenry in relation
to pneumatic tubes, which, without further
statement is sufficient to give your commit
tee clear understanding of the whole mat
ter.
may add that, inasmuch as no appropria-
tlons have been made specifically for pneu-
matte service, and no authority exists for
the expenditure of public funds to investi-
gate it, the department. has not been able to
do more than receive propositions and
gather information.
The Government Is Not Committed.
Ihave thought it proper to study the sub
Ject from every standpoint, and have en-
couraged all parties to submit to the de-
partment whatever they pleased bearing
upon this new and interesting method for
the transmission of mail matter. 1 have
endeavored to avoid, either verbally or
otherwise, any committal to any respon-
sibility for the Government.
While, as no doubt you have observed the
Supervising Inspectors report would have
precluded the acceptance of the Leake
proposition, under no circumstances would
the city of Philadelphia without opening it
to competition by public advertisements.
submit, also, the letter of the attorney Of
the .d' rheumatic Company, which was
unsolicited and unsuggested. 1 have only
TO add that l never heard of any Govern
ment official having any interest in either of
the Pneumatic Tube Companies until
newspaper reporter called upon me after
the publication of the memorial which was
presented to your committee. 1 shall be
pleased to answer any call that the COM
m1ttee desires to make upon me, personally
or otherwise.
P. S.-Since writing the above am in re-
ceipt, through the Postmaster of Philadel.
phia, of q statement of George Bratton, re-
ferred to in the Leake affidavit as authority
for certain statements, in which he makes
an unqualified denial Of the statements at
tributed to him.
Mr.. Bratton was reported BY Mr. Leake,
In his statement, as saying that the Post
master General was financially interested in
the companies which owned the Clay system;
that by reason of his interest the CLAY sys-
tenn was certain to be adopted by the Post
office Department, and that $500
shares of the capital stock of
the Pneumatic Transportation Company
had been deposited in the National Bank
of the Republic for the benefit of Mr. Wana-
maker and others subject to their delivery
when the Pneumatic TRANSFORMATION Com
pany should have secured the right to con-
struct the pneumatic tube line between the
points above referred to. The letter of the
attorneys of the Pneumatic Transit Com
pany, referred to by the Postmaster Gen.
eral in his communication, says:
We are. and ever since its organization
have been counsel of the Pneumatic Transit
Company. The stock books of the said COM
pany are in our possession. Not a share OF
stock has ever been issued. The state
ment which has recently appeared in
the newspapers, made in the interest Of the
Leake system, to the effect that 1900 shares
Of the stock of the company have been
placed in the hands of banking house tor |
partment, is absolutely false. No person in |
any way connected with the postoffice is in |
any manner, directly or indirectly, inter. |
ested in our company.