Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-30
White House, November "a, 19(

| White House, November "a, 1908
| memorandum upon the various
papers submitted from the Department
| of Justice and the Post-Office Depart
| ment concerning the investigation into
| the corrupt practices obtaining in the
Post-Ohice Department, notably in the
| office ofthe First Assistant Postmaster
General and in the Office of the Assist
ant Acknowledgement for that Depart
ment. All the documents in the case
are herewith forwarded to the Post
Office Department, and will be held
ready for submission to the Congress
whenever it may choose to ask for
them.
1t appears that in December, 1902,
PostmasterGeneral Payne and Con-
gresham E. +. Loud, chairman of the
Committee on the Post-O and Post
Roads, held various consultations re-
garding the postal service, and as a
result of these interviews it was deter
mined that as soon as possible after the
necessary appropriations could be made
by the Congress an investigation
should be made of the service, both
Messrs. Payne and Loud agreeing as to
the need for the investigation and the
time when it should take place.
Accordingly, an increase of $1,000 in the
appropriation bill reported in January
was made for the express purpose of
carrying on the investigation in ques-
ton. The reasons for the increase in
the appropriation We're known only to
the Postmaster-General, to Congress
man Loud, and to Congressman Brom-
Well
Subsequently, sometime in January,
information was laid before me by Mr..
Seckendorff tending to show improper
conduct by Beavers, general superin-
tendent OF the division of salaries and
allowances, and Machen, general super
intendent of the free-delivery system;
and by Mr.. William Allen White tend
ing to show corruption by or under
Tyner, Assistant Acknowledgement for
the Post-Office Department. First
Assistant PostmasterGenera Wynne
also Informed me that he had become
suspicious of the integrity of both
Machen and Beavers. After full con-
sultation with Mr.. Payne it was decided
that Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Bristow should make a
thorough and exhaustive investigation
of the charges in question and of all
matters that might be developed in
connection With them. Mr.. Brstow's
report is record of as thorough a bit
of investigat ting work as has ever been
done under the Government After
this investigation had been in progress
fer about two months it became evident
that legal proceedings would have to be
undertaken against some of the
ofc OWING n tho i'm nOrt of
the case it was deemed advisable that
special counsel should be employed, and
Messrs Charles ]. Bonaparte and
Holmes Conrad We're chosen for this
purpose. Messrs. Bonaparte and
Conrad, in their review of the report of
MI Bristow, speak as follows: I'VE
consider the report an exceptionally
able, candid, and impartial review of
| it's subject-matter and that it shows
clearly reprehensible misconduct
amounting in many cases to crime, on
| the part of a number of public officials
| 1t is a voluminous document, but this
arises, not from prolixity, but from the
nature of the matters discussed.
We heartily commend the report and
deem it's conclusions fully justified by
| the facts it sets forth; and while re-
GREETING in common with all patriotic
citizens that the grave abuses of long
standing which it reveals should have
grown UP in the Post-Office Depart
| ment, we consider the exposure of these
abuses and the attempts made to pun
| ish those responsible for them a work of
the highest public utility, quickly and
ably performed" In all that is thus
said of the report of Mr.. Bristow
cordially agree.
The investigation made by Mr.. Bris-
/ tow discloses a condition of gross cor
ruption in the office of the First
| Assistant Postmaster-General ard in
that of the Assistant Acknowledgement
| for the Post Office Department. In the
Continued on page 49,