The evening times., 1895-12-11

lie II an Investigation uf The Post-oifice
Department should be ordered by Congress
seems probable fr,iD the testimony OF Tue
three discharged employees.
No new features in the case are expected
to develop before the prcsentnent OF Con-
gressman Oyerstreets resolution in The
House. which will be made as suon as the
committees are appointed by the Speaker
Samuel Beight, the member OF the dis
charged trio whn has as much testimony
= as any one uf them to offer to an investi-
eating committee, asserts that the public
has as yet received bat 4 hint of the charges
which they are ready TO prefer and prove
For prudent reas.,ns it Is necessary TO keep
the evidence. secret. bat they profess Ia
have startling hand TO show when the
proper time c,mes.
The leading officials If the Post-oiflce
Department are as reticent as ever today
on the subject uf the charges. They say
that they do not wish to enter into any
newspaper controversy with discharged
employees.
Congressman Overstreet OF Indiana, who
alreacfy has the resolution authorizing an
investigation ready TO present TO congress,
expresses himself as confident OF Ills pas
sage. He says, that laying all preJuuiceS
ASIDE, such charges as these, brought from
such a source, call for an investigation. 1t
would be wrong for the government TO
ignore the statements of three reputable
men who have been discharged from the
service
DEMOCRATS WILL OPPOSE.
The Democratic members of the House,
he says, generally oppose the resolution
which Mr.. Overstreet proposes TO intro
duce. They assert that the men We're dis
charged tor misdemeanors, and that their
talk rs 10 be expected. The Democrats look
upon an investigation In the Light OF an
attack on the administrations, and II Is
probable that when MI. Overstreet offers
his resolution there will be a Very sharp
division by party lines On the question.
Mr. Beight has called attention to one
OF two new fcatures of the charges which
he. With Mcssrs. Hill and SULLIVAN, makes
against the conduct OF the department.
They call attention to the fact that one
man who now receives IS day as an
examiner of overtime claims of letter car
riers is a brother OF the man who was
postmaster at Toledo, Ohio, under Presi-
dent Cleveland's first administration, and
that Superintendent Machen was assist.
ant postmaster. This, they think, Is a
significant fact in the light Of other in
stances of a similar kind which they cite.
With regard to the misuse Of funds, Mfr.
Beight states that on the 1st OF March OF
the present year he found, according to
his balance sheet, that there would be
surplus Of 5000 900 left over. A high Of
ficiai, he says, Immediately made con-
tract with the Corbin Cabinet Lock Com
papy for $4,000 worth of letter boxes.
The boxes were sent TO free delivery Of
fices all over the country, where they were
not wanted. Numerous complaints were
heard from the offices that the boxes
were not needed, and the official knew
that they were not needed.
But what the discharged men objected to
most was the spotter or spy system.
1t is said that the letters containing re-
mittapces of salaries to the spoilers are
not addressed to Gen. Jones or to any
other man in the office. They are sent
to certain officials lady steDographer.
The reason for this, Mr.. Beight says, is
that the officials are ashamed of the busi-
ness and wish to have as little to do with
it as possible.
Atfirst the remittanees came by mall, and
stamped envelopes were furnished for that
purpose. Now all the money is sent by
express and is directed to the stenographer.
method is to avoid directing attention to
the class of mail for the office.
A large pile of stamped envelopes stands
in the room OF the free delivery system at
the Postoffice Department, and these are
the ones which were left over in August
when the plan OF sending the money by
express was adopted.
MR.. BEIGHT'S CHARGES.
.sI want to congratulate The Times" said
Mr. Beight today. "You are with us in this
and We are right, cternaliy
right.
First of all want tu say that have
no quarrel with the Postmaster General or
the First Assistant Postmaster General.
/ am contending fnr u principle and for the
rights of the government. Poor as 1 am
in this worlds guOds would not surrender
my manhoud for the combined wealth OF the
GouIds, the Vanderbilts, and the Rookie
fellers. What 1 said In my brief inter-
view with The Times reporter last Satur-
day night Is true and speak by the record.
"The secret agency of the free delivery
service, better known Throughout the coun-
try as spies or 'spotters,' Is veritable
political 'jackput' in the Post-office De-
partment.
There are exactly fifty-nine spies in
the service, including one commissioner OF
the United States Court uf Claims They
the uniform salary uf IS per day
and expenses, except the commissioner and
the 'sp6tter Chief, whn each receive So
per day salary and their expenses. The
salary and expenses of the latter for the
month uf October amounted to S479-
$l7.75 per day, 27 working days In the
II win not now give you the names of