The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-05-10
TOLD BY MR.. HILL
An EX-Official of the PCStOffice
Department Testities Before
the Committee
Regarding Administration of the
Civil Service Law in His
Department.
Something About Letter Carrier
Spies--The Department Was
Informed.

WASHINGTON, May 1O.-The commit.
tee Of civil service OF the senate re-
Sumed the investigation of the opera.
ton of the law which was undertaken
ONE time ago. Senators Pritchard of
North Carolina, and Chiffon of Texas,
and President Proctor and George B.
Wales of the civil service commission,
conducted the proceedings. Several
letters from government officials CIV
ing their opinions of the law were read.
Thomas Robinson, a 81. 900 treasury
clerk, complained that he had been
dismissed Oh demand of Georgia sena-
tors and others because he had printed
the only Republican newspaper III
Georgia during Grants second term.
Mr.. HIS Testimony.
W. Hill, former assistant superin-
tendent of the free mail delivery
charged that there had been COLLISION
between the postoffice department and
the civil service commission to violate
the law by the employment in 1894 and
1895 Of 80 spies whose employment was
not authorized by law. Two of the in
spectors, termed spies, Mr.. Hill as
serted. were brothers of Mr.. Machen,
superintendent of the free delivery
service. One of Mr.. Machen's broth.
ers had been under charges of embez-
element i'll Toledo, o., when appointed
and another of the appointees had been
dismissed from the Washington post
! = tI;,a tnr ~, l,xulinv f,,l, ~ +Ln 90
ter Carriers association.
In the campaign of 1894, six of the
inspectors, Mr.. Hill asserted, had been
detailed to influence the votes of letter
carriers In the Fourteenth congress-
lonal district of New York. Mr.. Hill
testified that i'll Philadelphia the Cleve-
land administration had managed to
get rid of many Republicans and old
soldiers on the letter carriers force in
October 1894 by evadlng the law. The
department had increased the force by
the appointment of SO men salaried at
$500 and shortly after had decreased il
by dismissing IS carriers salaried a,
81 900 and 22 salaried at $500. The
salaries of inspectors were paid by
money taken from the r%emittances OF
postmasters made i'll currency and de-
posted to the credit of their chief, Mr.
Bellman, in q Washington bank.
inspectors Were Assessed.
The inspectors had been assessed 70,
} the expenses Of the Ohio campaign il
} 1895. To make arrangements for tn,
l assessment they had been massed il
Chicago at a meeting of them held OF
Oct. 81, which had been addressed b,
Mr.. Machen, superintendent Of tn
3 free delivery service, who had gon
r from Washington for that purpose
That they might better bear the assess
= ment the salaries of the inspectors ha
Il been raised from 81 to s. per day, il
u July, 1895. The witness read a lette
from II of the inspectors to MI
d Machen, explaining in reply to a lette
"a from Mr.. Machen that he had not fol
warded the amount of the assessment
because he had o understood tn
"a arrangements.
h Informed Assistant Jones.
I. The witness had informed Assistar
@ Postmaster General Jones of this la.
matter. Mr.. Jones had told him
keep his mouth shut, saying that
CT was natural that Mr.. Machen Shout
le want to help his friend, Mr.. Campbell
in Ohio. Mr.. Hill had brought Il
Questions of the unauthorized emplo,
" ment Of the "spies" and the polite