Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-13
THEY DO NOT FEAR.
OFFIcE-H0LDERs DON'T DREAD
CIVIL SERVICE INVESTIGATION.
LAUGH At THE CHARGES PREFER b.
Say the Commission Has No Power
over Them-New Jersey Congress-
mans Visit Will be for Purpose of
Producing Harmony in Ranks.


The investigation Of the Federal office
holders in this city. promised by the
Civ.l-Service Commission, as result OF
the charges preferred by James II. Hayes
and John Clinton, the two negro lawyers
of Richmond. does not seem 10 disturb
those office-holders. They say they do
not care whether an investigation is held
or not, as the Civil-Service Commission
cannot affect them. In other words. they
have absolutely no fear of the commits
sion.
Hayes and Clinton appeared before the
commission on Tuesday and preferred
charges against Postmaster Wray L.
knight, Assistant Postmaster John l..
Grubbs; Nicholas ]. Smith, Deputy Col
lector and Morgan Treat, Marshal or the
Eastern District of Virginia. charging all
of them with using their official authori-
ty and influence for the furtherance OF
political ends and controlling the results
of primaries and conventions. Mr.. smith
Is charged with levying political assess
ments on officials under him, and the
prosecutors profess to have evidence 10
support a charge of bribery against Mr.
Treat.
The commissioners promised that an
investigation should be held very soon.
and that the Post-Ofiice and Treasury
departments would be asked to co-ope-
rate in connection with the charge
against Messrs. Knignl and Grubbs.
CHARGES ARE FOOLISH.
The office-holders, who are named by
Hayes and Clinton, treat the charges as
utter foolishness. They say that 1t is the
result of the disaffection in the party
RANKS growing out of the bogus nominal
ton or Otis III. Russell for Congress, and
that it is not at all likely that an investi-
cation will be held though Hayes and
Clinton assert that the commission prom
ised to send two representatives here
one from the postal service and the other
from the revenue service.
Mr.. Knight, in speaking Of the matter
10 a DISPATCH man yesterday, said he did
not care at all what the Civil-Service
Commission did. He had. so far as he
was aware, violated none of its rules. and
he did not fear them. He was directly
under the enthusiastically and was
created by the same power that created
the Civil-Service Commission.
Mr.. Treat also laughs at the matter.
He has not as yet received any official
communication concerning the charges or
the investigation which 1t is proposed to
make but says If he is invited TO appear
before an investigating committee he Will
do the Civl-Ssrvice Commission the cour-
tesy to attend. He, however, will deny
the right of the committee to investigate
any of his acts, for the reason that nei-
Their he nor any of the attaches Of his
office are under the control Of the Civil
Service Board
DENY THE CHARGES.
Mr.. Grubbs and Mr.. Smith will also ap-
pear to answer to the charges preferred
against them but they do not entertain
any uneasiness concerning the result.
AS to the charge of ievying political as
sessments preferred against him, NJ.
Smith says it Is utterly untrue. and that
every dollar he paid out in the cam
paign was donated by himself. Mr..
Treat also denies the charge of bribery
made against him, asserting that at the
Hanover Convention two Of the Russell
cohorts offered to be bribed, but that
there propositions were refused and out
of this the charge grows.
Mr.. Knight laughs at the charge against
MIN, tnOuEn he mas not dS yet DttH gwen
any specifications. asserting that If the
Civil-Servce Commission had any power
to do harm to a postmaster or other
Federal ofice-holder, Mr. Brady. the Col
iector of Internal Revenue. would have
long since been removed from office.
TO BRING ABOUT HARMONY.
Hayes and Clinton not only appeared
before the Civil-Servce Commission and
preferred charges against the office-hold-
ers, but they went before the powers
that be and asked that some steps be
taken 10 produce harmony out OF the
discord that now exists among the Re-
publicans in this district. Chairman
Hull, of the Republican Congressional
Committee. heard them on this matter
and appointed Representative Louden-
Slayer of New Jersey. TO come here and
try and patch up a truce between Weisi-
ger and Russell. The New Jersey con,
gresham will go to North Carolina first
and try 10 bring about peace in some dis
tricts down there. and then he will come
here. He is expected to take down one
of the two candidates now running on
ParnhIfcan ticket here. and the