The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-13
POWERS POINT OF LAW
UNCLE SANS POSTAL EXPERTS ARE
STILL STRUGGLING WITH THE
PROBLEM
SAID HIS MAIL WAS ROBBED
Demanded That All State Labor Blu
reau Mail BE Forwarded to
Him at Washington
Unopened.

| Chief Inspector Kimball, of the local
! division of the secret service, is puzzled
over fine point which has recently
| been raised by no less prominent an Off
| cial than Rev. Alonzo LIE Grand Powers,
the former head Of the state labor
| bureau.
At the time that Gov. Lind was elected
1t was definitely known that one of his
| first removals would be the head of the
| labor bureau, the operations of which
! had been such that even a Republican
| investigating committee brought In re-
port hardly complimentary, and after
| the returns were in, Powers only hope
! was that the new appointee would be
! some one whose record would not be such
as to win commentator from the Ia
boring men of the state. When it be-
came known that the governor had Sc
lected Martin McHale, a real laboring
man, for the place, the author Of nu-
| merous statistical works and the former
second mogul Of the now ingloriously
defunct Order of the knights of Aurora,
it was agreed that it was slap in Mr.
Powers face.
Whereupon Mr. Powers was so wroth
| that he determined to obliterate all mem
| Dry of ever having been connected with
a bureau of Tabor and told his legiti-
| mate successor, with a great air of pat
ronage, that he might open the office
the next two years.
| So, in addition to fulfilling the func-
| tons of labor commissioner, Gov. Lind
appointee continued to- draw the salary.
and open the mall both Of which func-
| lions Mr.. Powers had so highly priced,
and was doing pretty we'll with 1t, In
the judgment of both Gov. Lind and
| the labor unions.
In August last, however, Powers, who
was made chief statistician of the agri-
| cultural department Of the census as
| reward for political services, wrote a
letter to Commissioner McHale, IN
! which, among other things, he said:
| 1895 the Office of the commissioner Of
labor for Minnesota, l called your 1t
| tention to a fact concerning the mails
reaching the office informed you that
| there were a large number of letters ar
irving each day which contain reports of
accidents, special inquiries asking FOR Of
time such purely formal letters would
come addressed to me, as they had lor
the previous eight years. fuftner Sa3d
that 1 would do for you what propahly
TO other man had ever dOne-l would au-
thorize you to open all letters coming 10
| the office directed to my name. Having
ascertained in the last lew weeks tnat
YOU are not complying with my request
to forward me all the letters requested
that is not purely formal, as L descrlDea=
above l herewith formally notify YOU
tion, that you must not open any letters
directed to me, but forward all such to
Washington. Very truly yours Pewers
Chief statistician. in Charge of Agrieul-
Commissioner McHale was astounded at
the charge and while replying to the
agricultural statistician that all letters OF
personal nature whatever had been tor-
warded to him, began inquiry INTO tEe
ustoms prevailing in state omceS on d
.l,o r ~ 1iT0iG raj
He found that the state treasurer vas
in the habit of banking remittanCes on
the first day of his term, even IL they
cessor He found that the 1nsu ace
commissioner had a similar pracuce OF
accepting the duties of his office through
Tie United States mails, even if the IN
volopes bore the name of his predecessor
as well as the title of his office. Mr.;
McHale found that the attorney general
was in the way of answering inquiries as
to legal matters, even though the inquiry
might be addressed to his. predecessor:
However, it was question which nad
and when Mr.; Powers raised it, It was
referred to Second Assistant Attorney
General Somerby. who, after earnest
thought opined that he did not see
Just what right the chief statistician IN
charge of agricultural statistics at WASH
ington had to mail matter addressed TO
the labor commissioner at st. Paul. even
I if he did once upon time hold the
job.
Mr. McHale then referred the matter
ia the pOStal authorities. Chief Kimball
admitted that it was a new one on him.
Ordinarily officials who were ousted either
by vote of the people, or by the act of
new executives did not insist on having
the mail of the Office sent to them after
they ceased to draw salary. He was not
acquainted with the wide fame of Mr.
Powers which might make him the re-
cipient Of personal testimonials address,
ed to him as labor commissioner by PEG
pie who had not been informed Of the
sad blow dealt to the commonwealth in
his removal from office. The question
was a nice one and he referred it to
those above him, whether letter ad-
dressed to L. G.. Powers, labor commits
sioner, must be considered as addressed
to L. G. Powers, Sandwich Islands, if
be happened to be there, or if the words
labor commissioner could be construed
as carrying the matter to the labor COM
missioner, whatever his name might be-
AS yet the slow moving authorities at
Washington have not decided the mo-
mentous question, and the nation waits.