The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-08
A fraud ORDER Issued
Alleged Dubious Enterprises Re-
fused the Use of the Mail.
Some Developments by Postonice De-
partment officials Concern;pc the
Union Tencbers' Agencies of Amer
lea and the bureau of Civil
Service Instruction - The Trini

noon by the Postaifice Department against
L. D. Bass. the Union Teachers Agencies
of America, the Bureau OF Civil Service In
| struction. and w W. Daniel. all of Wash
ington. 1t was not stated whether GRIM
inal action Will follow this ruling
Under the name Union Teachers Agen-
cies of America, Mr.. Bass advertised very
extensively throughout the country that
the concern Of that name had offices at
Pittsburg. Pa; Toronto, Canada: New Or
leans La; New York, n. Y; San Fran
cisco, Cal; Washington. d. c.; Salisbury.
Pa; Chicago. Ill; St Louis. Mo, and
Denver. COL and that it had unsurpassed
| facilities for furnishing teachers wanting
positions with lists OF vacancies in any
section of the country where position was
desired. and in giving assistance in obtain
| ing such positions. To those who made
/ further enquiries of this concern were sent
circulars in which it was alleged that 5000
positions hai been handled during the past
year, and the increased facilities of the
agencies would bring a larger number to
| their hands.
To substantiate this statement an alleged
! affidavit was attached in which it was
stated that during four months in 1895
3.957 teachers had been appointed to posi-
lions to which they were recommended By
! the Union Teachers Agencies OF America
A nominal fee Of 81 was required for reg
. istration in any one branch of the agencies
/ or 50 for registration in all the branches
of the agencies. To induce prompt remit
| tances the circulars called attention to the
! fact that most of the registered teachers
had received appointments, and that ap-
plicauts would be recommended to vacan-
cies promptly.
! Tba TOLL ,f 4ho
| issued yesterday by the Postoffice De
! partmeni:
THE facts alleged to have been brought
out are thai Mr.. Bass conducted all
! the several branches of this institu-
| tion III one or two rooms of his
| private house in Washington. D. C. To
obtain the mail sent to the various cities
in which he advertised he had branch
offices, he wrote the postmasters that he
had been obliged to discontinue the office
in such city, and directed that mail COM
| ing to that address be forwarded to the
| home office at Washington, d. c. The
system of obtaining information of vacan-
cies was merely the collection of news
paper clippings in which it was stated
| that the teacher of - school had re-
| signed, ETC.. and in having teachers
| throughout the country who applied to
| those agencies for & position answer as
| to whether they intended to resign.
Although notices of these probable vaean-.
| cies were sent to applicants, the same
| vacancy was reported to a large number
of applicants. The Postofice Department
! correspondent with about 175 teachers. who,
| it was alleged, had received their posi-
lions through Recommendations of the
Union Teachers Agencies of America. and
not one of these corroborated that state
ment. The replies from all of these were
to the effect that the positions which were
recommended. and for which they applied.
were in fact not vacancies. or that they
did not receive any reply whatever to their
applications. The entire scheme of the
Union Teachers Agencies of America
| seemed to be to obtain fee of 81 or 50.
and to do only enough work to hide the
scheme.
Under the name Bureau of Civil
Service Instruction. Bass undertook to
instruct persons to pass the civil service
examination. and to assist them in oh,
tanning Government positions. In circular
letters sent broadcast throughout the
country he told of the great increase in
force which was made and would be made
in the different departments at Washing
ton. In the Postofice Department alone
he stated 1000 new positions had been
added. which would be filed during the
winter of IS99-1900 BY a fallacious argu-
ment. he illustrated how about 5000
positions would have to be filled through
the civil service examinations within
very short time. and endeavored TO
impress upon his readers the ease
by which one OF these positions might
be obtained il the person addressed
desired one. He stated that there was a
great dearth of applicants for Government
positions. and that if n person could but
read and write he could obtain a position
in the Census Office at least
THE Bureau of Civil Service Instruction
was held up as showing ali the ms and
outs and rough places in the dark. and |
sure road leading to a Government ap-
pointment for the sum of SIS. To illus
trate its success in obtaining positions for |
applicants, the affidavit used in the |
Teachers Agencies scheme was changed so |
it appeared that ., 1857 persons received their I
position to which they were recommended |
by Mr.. Bass. the President of the Bureau |
OF Civil Service instruction. and some per |
sonal examples were referred to of ap- |
pointments made in the Treasury Depart |
ment and the Government Printing Office.
THE illustrations given were false as to |
the point he made by using them in his |
circulars nhe dearth Of applicants for |
Government positions was denied by the |
Civil Service Commission. which showed by !
its records that the facts are just the oppo
site The stat ament that the civil service /
of the government would De largely IN
creased " - no. warranted. The certificate
and affidavit which made il appear that a |
large number Of persons were receiving po-
sitions through recommendations of the |
President of the Bureau of Civil Service
instruction was fabrication gotten up
purely to induce remittances from those
who desired Government positions and
while certain questions were sent TO those
who joined that institution. the services
were not of the character offered. The rep
resentaticu that information would be
given the student regarding the ins and
outs of the Civil Service Commission was
met by advising Them to write to the Civil
Service Commission for its manual The
name NJ W. Daniel was used simply as an !
address by these Institutions. and should
not be COMPOUNDED with any person bearing
that name"
The case was tried before Hon. Harrison
J. Barrett. the Acting Assistant Attorney |
General for the Postofiice Department MIR.
Francis c. Huebner of the office of the
Assistant Attorney General, presented the
side of the Government and Messrs Leckie
& Fulton, of this city. represented the de-
fence.
"Deride Not Any