The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09
wCLEVELAND'S SPIES
CIVIL-SERVICE ACT IGNORED BY
THE LAST ADMINISTRATION.
sensational Testimony by w. w. Hill
That Reflects on Ex-Ofiicers of
the POstofice Department.
Mr.. BLISS RECOMMENDATIONS
NEW S~TATISTICIAN FOR AGRI-
CULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
Resignation of SiIverite Robinson, of
Observation-Disclosures PGstmasters-
New Pension Board.

WASHINGTON, May 8.-The committee
on civil-service of the Senate to-day re-
sumed Investigation of the operations of the
law. which was undertaken some time ago.
Senators Pritchard, of North Carolina and
Chiffon. of Texas, and President Proctor
and Mr.. George r. Wales, of the Civil
service Commission, conducted the proceed
tngs. Severed letters from government OFF,
Gals giving their opinions of the law We're
read. Secretary Bliss recommended that
each commissioner of the department have
the right to appoint a private secretary or
confidential clerk, and that the chief clerk
of the department and chiefs of the divi-
sions be exempted from the classified serv-
ice. The appointment of special agents.
such as land, timber and mineral-land COM
missioners, and particularly special Indian
agents, he wrote. should be more directly
under the control of the secretary who is
responsible forAthem. He suggested an eX-
aiming board of the secretary and the
four commissioners to make special exam
nations for such offices. Commissioner of
Pensions Evans and Commissioner Her
mann, of the General Land Office, recon-
mended that the chief clerk, appointment
clerk, private secretary. chiefs of divisions
and examiners and inspectors should be
exempt from the classified service. Director
Wolcott, of the Geological Survey, and
Wade Hampton. commissioner of railroads,
recommended a continuance of the present
law.
Thomas Robinson, a 81, 600 treasury clerk,
complained that he had been dismissed ON
demand of the Georgia senators and others
because he had printed the only Republican
newspaper in Georgia during Grants sec
Ond campaign.
William w. Hill, former assistant super
ntendent of the free mail delivery, charged
that there had been collision between the
Postoffice Department and the CiviI-service
Commission to violate the law by the en-
ployment in 1894 and 1895 of ffty-nine spies
whose employment was not authorized by
law. Two of the inspectors, termed spies,
Mr.. Hill asserted, were brothers of Mr..
Machen, superintendent of the free mail
delivery service. One of Mr.. Machen's
brothers had been under charges of en-
De1Zlement i'll Toledo, o., when appointed
and another of the appointees had been
dismissed from the Washington postoffice
Tor embezzling funds of the letter Car
rlers Association. Sixth Auditor of the
treasury Howard had at first made violent
0bJectlons to approving the accounts of
these inspectors because they were NOT au-
Ihorlzed by law, but a~fterWard Nj. Howard
had Deen allowed the nomination OF one in
spector each quarter and had approved the
disbursements. First Assistant Postmaster
General Jones had refrained from assuming
the authority of signing the appointments
OF the inspectors and had Delegated the
duty to his private secretary, Mr.. Lamar.
In the campaign of 1894 six of the inspect
ors, Mr.. Hill asserted. had been detailed
to influence the votes of letter carriers in
the Fourteenth congressional district of
New York.
Mr.. Hill testified that in Philadelphia the
cleveland administration had managed to
get rid of many Republicans and old SOL
Qlers on the letter carriers force in Oc-
tober, 1884, by .%evading the law. The de-
partment had increased the force by the
appointment of eighty men salaried at 5000
and shortly after had decreased it by dis
missing seventy-eight carriers salaried at
$,OOO and twenty-five. salaried at $500. The
salaries of the inspectors were paid by
money taken from the remittances of post
masters made In currency and deposited to
the credit of their chief. Mr.. Bellman. in
q Washington bank. The inspectors had
campaign in 1895. To make arrangements
Tor the assessment they had been massed
Oct. 81, which had been addressed bv Mr..
Machen, superintendent of the free de-
livery service, who had gone from Wash
1ngton Tor that purpose, and that they
might better bear the assessment the sal
aries of the inspectors had been raised
from "a TO 50 d day in July, 1895.
The witness read a letter from one of
the inspectors to Mr.. Machen, explaining,
IN reply to a letter from Mr.. Machen, that
ne mad not forwarded the amount of the
assessment because he had not understood
{ }nfr arrangements; The witness had in
49, 81 IOSlI1dSteT AUE1DI1l
Jones of this last matter. Mr.. Jones had
tod him to keep his mouth shut, saying
tEat 1t was natural that Mr.: Machen should
want 70 help MS friend, Mr.. Campbell, in
ONO. Mr.. Hill had brought the questions of
the unauthorized employment of spies"
and the political assessments to the atten-
ton of the Civil-service Commission. Pres
ident Proctor lad told him that the COM
mission had no jurisdiction over the un-
authorized appointments. Mr.. Machen had
informed the witness that former President
Ko9seXelt. OF the commission, had author
lzed the employment of the spies. Evil
dence of the had been given the
commission, including evidence that Mr..
Machen had declared that he would dis
charge the men who failed TO. pay the as
ssssments. The witness had been informed
that the commission made a report incrim-
lnatlng Machen and Bellman, but. that the
attorney general had quashed the charges.
an aHldaElt was read from an employee of
the Postofflce Department that Mr.. Machen
nSu wi'Knel1 money from the salaries of
MT mn declared that Assistant Post
master General Jones had employed spies
70 IoIoW nm. had learned that he gave in
formation to Representative Overstreet. of
lndlana, regarding the m and
nag then discharged, him, upbraiding him
with lngratitude. The personal character
of the spies, Mr.. Hill declared. was very
bad, MANY of them had been arrested in
various cities FOR drunkenness and disorder
~ conduct one spy named Lorenz had
been appointed Oct. l. 1894. The money for
Ihe Tune IN which he had not worked
drawn by Mr.. Machen and appropriated by
him through the forgery of the check and
voucher, all of which was shown by the
records of the department and treasury.
IN Diminishing Mr.. Hill from the Postofice
Department Assistant Postmaster General
Jones had told him that he would pursue
him and secure his dismissal from the De-
partment of Justice as assistant commits
sioneu OF claims. which he did. Mr.. Hill
was a lifelong Democrat. Congress in 1896
specifically prohibited the employment of
spies.
incidentally Mr.. Hill said that inspectors