The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-28
GIGANTIC FRAUD.
Wholesale Robbery of the Gov
ernment Discovered
In Connection With the Postal
Service at Washington.
BRISTOW SENT AWAY
To Keep Him From Exposing
the Whole Business.
FavOrites of Hanna and Perry
Heath Involved.
Beneficiaries Chiefly Ohio and
Indiana Men.
NUMEROUS SALARIES.
Some Men Drew as Many as
Three at a Time.
Women on Pay Roll Who Per-
Beneficiaries Chiefly Ohio and
Indiana Men.
NUMEROUS SALARIES.
Some Men Drew as Many as
Three at a Time.
Women ON Pay Roll Who Per
formed No Service.

Chicago. May 2S.-A Washington spe-
cial to the Chronicle says:
Sensational stories are current here
relative to wholesale purchases of office
furniture for the general postoff1ce here
and in Cuba and Porto Rico school fur
niture for the islands. safes, horses and
carriages and a variety of other articles
that Uncle Sam authorizes his agents
to buy.
It is being charged, among other
things, that Fourth Assistant Postmas-
ter General Bristow, who has earned
reputation for extreme severity in deal
ing with fraud and evasion, was sent
to Cuba not alone because he was
deemed the most desirable man to clean
out that involved postal service, but
because there was a demand for his
expatriation to prevent possible ex-
plosions in Washington.
1t is known that Bristow for several
months before his departure had not
spoken to another high official of the
postofice department and that the only
communication between his office and
that of the official in question was of
perfunctOry character.
BristoW has demanded that certain
| conditions which he condemned in un-
made no concealment of the fact that
his condemnation was intended to be
applied to the acts of the official with
whom he had quarreled.
| The charges brought against the men
! who have been juggling the funds of
| the Washington postoff1ce can be slated
in the following condensed counts:
Funds of the Washington city post
office have been disbursed improperly
for more than two years, the irregulari-
ties for the quarter ending September
| 80 1898, amounting to between $40, 900
| and $50 0OO according to an experts
| report to Comptroller TraceWen.
| Numerous favOrites carried on the
| pay rolls in two, and sometimes three,
positions not only in Washington, but
| other cities Oliver H. Smith, of In
| diana, at present superintendent of the
| local service, was for a year simultan-
| eously auditor of local postal stations,
| 1abOrer and painter of street letter
boxes. He drew three salaries, another
| Indiana man, n. B. Baker, succeeding
to these emOluments.
Six women were carried on the roll
as cleaners, Notwithstanding they per-
| formed no work. Four men We're paid
to investigate shortcomings of carriers,
| but the jobs were sinecures.
Travelling expenses of department
officials who were not on public bust
| ness and cost of trips for private citi-
zens only nominally connected with the
| government have been paid to the ex-
| tent of tens of thousands of dollars out
the Washington pOStOffice and the mil
| itary postal service.
1t is a notable fact that Ohio and IN
| diana politicians, friends of Senator
Hanna and his Geutenants, and First
| Assistant Postmaster General Heath
are thought to have enjoyed the cream
of the privileges, which were scattered
with such a generous hand. This fact
was enough in itself to cause tremen-
dous pressure, official and political, to
bear with a view of preventing the pub
lication of the stories.
| Comptroller TracewelI of the treasury
department frankly admitted that the
records of his office contain voluminous
CORES spondence relating to the irregu-
larities complained of. He said he had
| done everything in his power to mini
mize the losses of the government and
believed he had been successful to a
certain extent
Mr.. Tracewell called attention to the
| fact that between forty and fifty clerks
| had been carried on the rolls of the ag-
| ricultural department at one time and
| remarked that congressman and SEN
ators found fault with him because he
desired to stop the Irregularities.
''Will not the losses to the govern
mcnt, as shown by your files, amount
to nearly $30,000?' Mr.. TraceweIl was
asked.
replied. 4 will say, however, that we
found the amount to be between 5000
and $1,000. We disallowed about $500
of accounts and afterward paid about
S10O of this sum-"
An ex-official of the postoffice, who
was in a position to obtain much infor-
nation. estimates that the irregular
disbursements of all kind for the year
ending June so amounted to at least
$50 OG0, and he is of the opinion that
thorough investigation would increase
the total to at least $100, 600.
For eleven months conditions have
improved so far as the local postoffice
is concerned, but during that period
the Office has not been connected with
the Porto Rican postal service. What
virtually amounts to an order to let tn
Washington postoffice alone has beer
: in force in the inspectors division fol
several months and the inspections have
. been of a purely perfunctory character
The editor of an Italian newspaper
in Chicago spent several weeks in Cuba
! and Porto Rico at the expense of ht
j, | government, and when he returned ar
, expense account amounting to nearly
: | IS. .OOO which he presented, was paiC
, | over the counter of the Washington
| postoffice. After his return to Chicago
he was continued on the salary roll fo
several months. Notwithstanding he die
| nothing to earn the money.
| A high postoffice official, who on hi