Milford chronicle., 1903-04-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.

uulN III lllE AlAAAdA 9AaSilf AAe-l A~1N-@%N -
one resignation and gives promise of
uncovering a series Of the gavest If
regulatities. The investigation deals
with the Divisions of Salaries and AL
lowances and of Free Delivery in the
PostolIice Department. Repeated
charges Of corruption in these divisions
convinced the Postmaster General that
affairs were not as they should be and
when the matter was brought to the
attention of the President he immed-
lately Authorized a most sweeping in
vestigatiOn.
The courage required to take this
step can hardly be realized Oy persons
unfami lar with the inner working Of
the Department. The heads of these
divisions have long been in a position
to grant favors, often of the utmost i'm
portance to almost every member of
Congress and by this means have ac-
quired a political "pulr' of astonishing
p osOrtioos. Often the favors so granted
while innocent from the standpoint of
the legislator applying for it, has
actually been prejudicial to the best IN
terests of the service. Clerk hire and
supply accounts have been granted
with lavish hand, the object being to
gain favor with the members of Con-
gress who have applied for these grants
rather than to further the interests of
the Postal service. But it is intimated
that the officials involved have not
been content with distributing funds
and supplies in an eXtravagant ma
ner but have gone further and Organiz-
ed pool by which they have criminal
ly profited by the sale of supplies to the
government and it is claimed that they
have received a commission on every
mail box purchased, especially those
used on rural routes, and have other
wise robbed the Government.
One of the strongest proofs of the
corruption that has existed, is found
in the immediate appeal by the officials
under su spiciOn to their political friends
to check the present investigation. AL
ready many influential members of
Congress and local politicians have
sought to influence the President to
that end and. it is alleged, have gone
20 far as to initiate that any prosecution
of the offending official would cost Mr..
Roosevelt dearly in the next national
convention. With his usual fearless
ness, the President has refused 10 listen
to any word of warning or threat aud
has told those who have protested to
do their worst as he proposed to carry
the thing on to the end regardless of
political consequences and with the
sole end IN view of the betterment of
the service. No definite charges will
be made until adequate evidence to
substantiate them is at hand, but no
favor will be shown and there may
result a bitter warfare between the
President and the professional polIti-
clans
The President is receiving gratifying
assurances of his popularity in the
west. The latest harbinger of news of
this character il Mr.. Thomas H. Shev-
lin, national committeeman for Mime
sofa, who has just visited Washington.
''I told the President he would receive
the largest labor vote next year of any
man Who ever occupied the White
House, said Mr.. Shevlin, after leaving
the President. II know wherefore /
speak for am not only an employer of
labor myself, but 1 keep posted on
what the various organizations are
doing. The labor leaders point with
pride to e outcome of the great coal
strike. They refer to the fact that for
the first time in history a President of
the United States undertook to settle
a great controversy between capital and
labor 10y assuming the initiative and
personally su nmoning representatives
of each side to the White House. H ere
tofOre the federal troops have been
called out to preserve pesce and order
but in the coal strike the President used
moral susasion and won a world vide
victory" Referring to a certain Op
position to Mr.. Roosevelt in New York,
Mr.. Shevlin said Il ell those gentle
men they dare not oppose the nomina.
tion of President Roosevelt in the con-
ventiou aud after be is nominated they
cannot afford, ,as practical businessmen,
to vote against him"
Senator Warren, of Wyoming, is an
other firm believer in Mr.. RoOsevelt's
success. He said to-day "With the
east and all other parts of the country,
the West is united in support of Mr..
ROosevelt's nomination for the dresi-
dency in 1904. We share with the en-.
tire country in the confidence reposed
in his purposes, his sincerity and
honesty and in his constant effort to
make the best of his high position with
out trace of demagoguery, for the