The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-12-03
REVIEWS REPORT
PRESIDENTS MEMORANDUM IN
POSTAL CASES.
Upbolds the Report of Attorney
BristOw and Makes Comment on
Matters Involved. -Recommends
Punishment of Those Charged
With Wrong. Doing.

Washington, Nov. 30.--The presi-
dent has made public his memorandum
of the report of Assistant Postmaster
General Bri4tow in relation to fraudu-
lent practices in the department as fol-
lows:
White House, Nov. "a, 1908.
Memorandum upon the various pa
pers submitted from the department of
justice and the postocffie department
concerning the investigation into the
corrupt practices obtaining in the post
office department, notably in the office
of the first assistant postmaster general
for that department. All the documents
in the case are herewith forwarded to
the postoffice department, and will be
held ready for submission to congress
whenever it may choose to call for them
1t appears that in December, 1902,
Postmaster General PAYNE and Con-
gresham E. F. Loud, chairman of the
committee on postoffices and post roads,
held various consultations regarding
the postal service, and as a result of
these interviews it was determined
that as soon as possible after the neces-
sary appropriation could be made by
congress an investigation should be
made of the service, both Meesrs. Payne
and Loud agreed as to the need of the
investigation and the time when it
should take place. Accordingly an in
crease of $4,000 in the appropriation
bill reported in January was made for
the express purpose of carrying on the
investigation In question. The reasons
for the increase in the appropriation
were known only to the postmaster
general, to Congressman Loud and to
Congressman Bromwell.
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 su-
perintendent of the free delivery sys-
tenn; and by William Allen White,
tending to show corruption by or under
Tyner, assistant attorney general for
the postoffice department. First Assist
ant Postmaster General Wynne also in
formed me that he had become suspi-
cious of the integrity of both Machen
and Beavers. After full consultation
with Mr.. Payne, it was decided that
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow should make thorough and
exhaustive examination of the charges
in question and of all matters that
might be developed in connection with
them. Mr.. Bristow's report is record
of as thorough bit of investigating
work as has ever been done under the
government. After this investigation
had been in progress for about two
months, it became evident that legal
proceedings would have to he undertak-
en- against some of the offenders.
Special Counsel Employed.
Owing to the importance of the case,
it was deemed advisable that special
counsel should be employed, land Messrs
Charles Bonaparte and Holmes Conrad
were chosen for this purpose. Messrs
Bonaparte and Conrad, in their review
of the report of Mr.. Bristox. speak as
follows: eve consider the report an
exceptionally able. candid and impair
tial review of its subject matter, and
that it shows clearly reprehensible mis-
conduct, amounting in many cases to
crime, on the part of number of pub
| lie officials. 1t is a voluminous docu-
ment, but this arises, not from prolix-
ity but from the nature of the matters
discussed. We heartily com.
mend the report and deem it's conclu-
siouns fully justified by the facts it sets
forth; and while regretting, in COM
mon with all patriotic citizens, that
the grave abuses of long standing which
it reveals should have grown up in the
postoffice department, We consider the
exposure of these abuses and the at
tempts made to punish those respon-
sible for them work of highest public
utility, quickly and ably performed.
In all that is thus said of the report
cordially agree.
The investigation made by Mr.. Bris-
tow discloses a condition of gross cor
ruption in the Office of the first assist.
ant postmaster general and in tina. of
the assistant attorney general for the
postofiice department. In the case of
the superintendent of free delivery.
Machen, the evidence shows that his
misconduct began INN ediately after
his appointment, in September, 1898.
In the case of the general superintend-
emit of salaries and allowances, Beavers,
it began soon after he was appointed to
that place in 1897. In the case of As
sistant Attorney General Tyner it has
gone on for number of years, but it is
impossible to say exactly when it be-