The times., 1897-05-09

| sequenty rcconcled to them Why, Mr..
Hill did not say. but he dropped the OBJ
| servation that subsequently Mr. Howard
was permitted to, and did, designate cer-
tain inspectors Of bis own choosing
Mr. Hi also made the statement to the
committee that Six OF these spies were
employed In the Fourteenth Congressional
district OF New York, in which a great
many letter-carriers resided. to do cam
palgn work among the employees The
addition of eighty carriers to the Pbila-
delphia force, In 1894. and the subsequent
reduction, within a very short time, OF
100 clerks, was related by the witness, to
show the apparent violations of the law
Mr. Hiii contended that the increase in
carriers was made in order that the rio hit
men could lie taken in, and the right men
dismissed when the reductions we're made
or the 100 then discharged. seventy light
were at 81 600 year. and twenty 1.-TWO at
$500. thus indicating that they were old
and experienced men, 81 900 salary
coming ouly with three years service
Mr. Hill stated that the men discharged
were most universally Republicans, and
in many cases old soldiers
OF spies as Mr.. Hill called them. he
stated that in 1895 the salaries of these
men were paid by the postmasters OF the
large cities in the district to which they
were detailed. The money was transmitted
u the department in currency, by express,
addressed To a clerk, and opened, Mr.
Hill said, by MI. Beilman, the so-cailed
chief of the special agents portion
OF this money was, he asserted. deposi sed
in the Ohio National Bank by BeIIynan, to
his own credit The Ohio campaign was
on a [ this time, witness said and there
was no secret of the intention to assess
these special agents for campaign pur-
poses, nd IL was witness belief that heir
July salary had been raised So that their
assessments might be increa sed.
on the subject Of campaign assessments,
MI Hill submitted a letter to BeUnlan,
written by Joseph NJ GurdenheIer. one
of these agents, stationed at the time at
Monmouth, HI. In this letter Mr.. Gurden-
heier tells of the receipt of n telegram frcm
Bcllman, in which Bellman reprimanded
the agent. The writer of the letter said
that before he knew he was expected to
contribute TO the Ohio campaign, he had
done so at home, and on this account his
funds, at the time he received the tele-
gram, were quite low.
In October, 1895, number of these
special agents, ma Ssed in Chica 20. were
called together for a meeting to discuss
this subject OF assessments at which
Supt. Ma chen was present and explaiued
The situation. Concerning the personnel
OF this force, Mr.. Hill said members of 1t
were frequently arrested for ,lisorderiy
Conduct and other ndsdemeanors. When
he returned from Chicago he reminded the
then First Assistant Postmaster General,
Frsnk Jones, Of Chicago, of the way the
thing was going, and said the work of
these agents We're working an injury TO
the department Mr.. Jones told him to keep
quiet and mind his own business, "and
it would have been better for me, probably.
if / had" Mr.. Hill added
The reason for these assessments, wit
ness said. was Mr., Machen's anxiety to
help out his friend, Gov Campbell who
was a candidate for re-election in Ohio.
First Assistant PostInaster-Gen Jones
asked witness if he thought he had acted
honorably toward the Postmaster General
by making such alleged exposures, after
he had been promoted to an important po4
sition In the department. Witness told
Mr. Jones that his higher duty was to the
people. If he ought not to remain In The
Postoffice Department after passing his
policy OF disclosure Hill said, he would re-
sign.
II shall not let you do that" he said
Mr.. Jones replied, / shall dismiss you"
My only exhibition Of ingratitude," con
tnued the witness, was in not keeping
my mouth shut
Mr.. Hill related an incident which will
be probed to the bottom by the committee
and its truth or falsity ascertained One
OF these agents, LorenZ by name, according
to this witness had his pay antedated one
month, sum amounting to something like
$500 Witness said he congratulated
Lorenz upon receiving this money, when
Lorenz told him he never saw either the
check or the money; that he did no get
dollar of it,
The only way the money could be got,
il this were so, Hill said, was upon a
forged Endorsement by someone In the
Postoffiec Department That check the
committee proposes to have putin evidence
before it.
When asked if Superintendent Of the
iec DeiiNery oysteHi Macnen was In tne
civil service, Hill replied:
''Oh, yes; he's anchored
Further along in his testimony witness
said the spies who were employedto spot"
the letter carriers had instructions to Sc
cretly report the politics Of all offenders
After witness made the exposure to Con-
g,essInan Oyerstreet year or more go, he
was attacked and his personal record as
sailed. When the effort was then made to
secure copy OF his reco.d upon which he