Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-05

or Lease OF the Bush Building.
startling Revelations.
The letting of cancellation rubber stamps
for the Rural Free Delivery Division Of the
Post-oAice Department calls for rigid in
vestigation by Congress. The persons
whose official actions require thorough ven
tiiatiou are Superintendents Lewis, Of the
Supply Division, and August W. Machen,
of the Rural Free Delivery. Incidentally,
Private Secretary Brown and Mr. Baum
garten, a Washington department contractor.
10 specifically set before Congi ess the
facts ia our possession we open the present
expose in he.city Of Springfield, Mass. In
that city isa manufacturer of rubber stamps,
such as are required by Mr.. Machen's IS
Rural Free Delivery. Upon the head Of
this manufacturing firm Mr. Baumgarten
called some weeks ago and requested an
estimate for one hundred thousand stamps.
The head of the firm, aforesaid, asked Mr.
Baumgarten if he had the contract, to which,
IL is alleged, the latter replied: II have as
good as got IT, II will be few weeks be-
fore the bids are opened and the contract
awarded, but know that / will get the con-
tract"
Being pressed little as to how he could
be so sure in advance, Mr. Baumgarten re-
lated, il is alleged, an anecdote And this
anecdote was as follows:
There were several bidders for a certain
kind Of post-ofice stamp. This stamp was
of simple mechanical construction and was
soldered together in It's parts The night
before the contracts were to be let, with a
spirit lamp in Mikey Lewis Office this
solder was softened and next day when the
tests were made against my stamp (Which
had made of a solid piece the other fell
lows stamps wouldn't work and fell apart
I got the contract, althop IN "a as away up
the highest biddef."
The Springfield firm concealed its disgust
or disapproval of such methods and placed
figure on the proposed one hundred thou
sand rubber stamps for Mr. August W.
Machens Rural Free Delivery. Mr.. Baum
garten had been paying fifteen cents each
for these rubber stamps and selling them
to the Post-ofice Department at the reason
ably low figure Of rs cents eachl He wanted
to secure 100000 and thought he ought to
get them much cheaper. But as the Spring
field firm owns the exclusive right or patent
TO their manufacture the price of IS cents
each was insisted on and Mr.. Baumgarten
profit on each stampl
So much by way Of preliminary Let us
now attend the opening of bids in Mr. Ma
chen's Office on Monday last. Among the
bidders was gentleman who had assuran-
ces in advance that Mikey Lewis would not
be a member of the committee to award
the contract He declined to submit bid
If Mikey had anything to do with the let
ting of the contract. Acting on the as
surance be had received the gentleman
attended the meeting on Monday in Mr.
Machen's office, and when the hour arrived
to hand in the bids ia stalked Mikey Lewis
who took his seat at the table as chairman
of the committee on awards by the grace
of Mr. Machen's authority or influence
Mikey promptly appointed the remaining
members himself and when the committee
was organized the bids we're opened and
read. Whereupon Mikey ordered an ad-
iournment until next day. At this second
meeting all competitive bidders were ex-
cluded and after a secret session Mikey
announced an adjournment for one week.
Mr. Brown, the private secretary referred
10, held a long conference with Mikey in
the supply division the day previous to the
opening of the bids. In fact Mr.. Brown is
enamored Of Mikey and August and his
automobile is steadily at the door Of the
one or the other. In this automobile he
takes MikeY and August riding almost
daily or eveningly 1t is a kind of a three
cornered Damon and Pythias affair-we
mean the friendship Of the trio mentioned
and not the automobile. Wherever Mikey
or Machen is, there also can be found the
enamored Brown. Whether MikeY and
August have undue influence over Brown
l. 49, a - s.--.. 4.
want for the practical purposes Of this story
Mr.. Brown is not department official or
employe as secretary to a United States
Senator, and is, therefore, beyond criticism
other than any discipline his Senator
chooses to enforce on the intangible allie
cations herein set forth. But Mikey and
August are In the first place it is de-
manded why August appointed or had
appointed, as chairman of the committee
on awards his partner Mikey Lewisp And
in the next place Mr.. Baumgarten has the
floor to explain about that story of the
spirit lamp, and how he was and is so cock
sure Of the contract for 100000 rubber
stamps If Mr. Baumgarten denies he told
the Springfield firm the spirit lamp story
or informed them Of his forekuowledge that
he would land the contract. the GLOBE will
accept the denial and file il with the afir-
nation statement of the Springfield firm.
Mr. Baumgarten, however, cannot and will
not deny that he purchases these stamps at
ffteen cents EACH and with the simple
glucing on of few letters or line here In
Washington, which does not cost two cents
each, he sells them under contract made
with him by Mikey Lewis for seventy-6ve
cents each to the government Of the United
States.