The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-04-26
Charges Corruption in
the Service.
Member of House Committee
Given Stocks and Bonds.

WAsbin gton, April 25.-The House TO-
day put Its heel on the pneumatic mail
tube service now In operation In New
York, Boston and Philadelphia, and II
its action stands, the whole service wiz
be crushed out. The post office commit
tea had recommended an iuorsass Of the
appropriation for this services from two
hundred and twenty-five thousand dol
lars to seven hundred and twenty five
thousand dollars. The purposed incrsas
was 4 attacked by the appropriations
committee under the leadership Of Mr..
Moody Of Massachusetts,, with such vigor
ana success that In the end the house
voted eighty seven to fifty to strike the
entire appropriation from the bill.
Mr.. Moody created . sensation by the
manner in which he assailed the methods
OF the pnsumatio tube company, and the
direct charge that . former member
Congress, who WAS o member OF the
appropriation committee had been a
holder of the stock and bonds Of the
company. He declined TO disclose the
gentlemAp's name. He added to the
scandal by charging that block OF stock
had been sent rs . New Years gift to o
near relative Of another member of Con-
gress, but to the credit of the member,
he said, the dishonoring gift had been
returned to the sender by the next mall
Although the tube service was highly
commended by other mem bers, those
revelations transformed the sentiment Of
the House, which has several times
voted for the service, into a decisive ma
jority against Its continuation In any
form.
Mr.. Tawney of Minnesota moved his
bill TO reolassify railway mall clerks, out
1t went out on point Of order.
At the opening Of the session OF the
House today, William II. King, who
served in the Fitty-rfth Congress from
the State Of Utah, WIS sworn In as a rep
Essentative from that state to sucSeed
Brigham Ii. Roberts.
Without preliminary the House re-
sumsd consideration of the post office
appropriation bill. The item appropri-
ating five hund red and SO coo
for pnsumatio tube service, an In
crease of i've hundred thousand dollars
over the appropriation for the current
year, was the subject Of two hours de-
bate. MIR. Little of Arkansas opposed
the pneumatic service bill which he held
was unnecessary and Of no material ben.
ent.
Mr.. Moody OF Massachusetts, also op-
posed the extension of the tube service.
II &c Was entered upon, he said, 1t would
add In the future millions to the already
swollen expenditures Of the post otiioe
department. Using this Item as text
MIR. Moody made an urgent plea for
rstrsnohmsnt In public expenditures.
Proceeding Mr.. Moody gave the whole
history of the pnsumAtio tube service.
at lie SO malodorous from beginning"
said he, "thAt 1t should die the death of
a dog
"Smoke the rasaals out" cried Mr..
Little. "aud we ON this eide OF the Horse
will stand with you"
Mr.. Moody said 1t was not q pleasant
thing for him to exploit the scandal
Whioh had been uncovered by the postal
commission of which he was a member,
but he considered II his duty to DO so.
he declared that Former Second Assist.
ant Postmaster General Nelson, under
whom the first experiment. In the pneu-
mAtio tube system were made, when he
retired accepted from the company one
thousand In cash and ten thousand dol
lars in stock for his services here during
the suooseding year. These facts, he said,
had been brought ont by the commission.
John Il. Milholland Of New York. he
said, was the president OF the tube com.
pADy. Ar. Moody's earnest statement
startled the House and created sensa-
tinr.
The tube servios. he said, had been con-
sfrusted by contractors who took their
ray in stock and bOndP. The only assets
of the company was Its contract with
the government.
81 regret to say" continued Mr.. Moody
deliberately, THAT one Of the principAi
holders q tbose stocks and bonds was a
msmber Of this House and member Of