The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-17
FOUNDED THE
RURAL SYSTEM
This Is Man Who Is Threat
ened With Dismissal
BRIST0W HAS HIS WORK
Sketch of August Machen and
His Deeds
Written for The Sunday Eagle.

( w dSnlngloH, May io.-1ne Sndke-up IN
/ the postoffice department now going on.
and the transfer of the free delivery sys-
TEN from the bureau of the first assistant
] postmaster general to the fourth assist
ant, makes the subject of rural service
of more than ordinary interest
! Within the past week the Office OF gen
/ eral superintendent of the free delivery
! system, as it is officially termed, has
, been transferred from under the first as
/ sistant TO the fourth assistant. This lat
| ter official is ]. L. Bristow of Kansas,
( who for the third time since he went into
! Office is demonstrating his ability 10 fer
| ret out misconduct in his department.
The free delivery system had been under
| the first assistant during the time since
1t was started. and the transfer has
! caused considerable surprise and interest.
August W. Machen of Ohio has been
J since 1893 the general superintendent of
the free delivery system. He is the IA
Their OF rural free delivery. When he came
into his position in 1888 under President
Cleveland and Postmaster General Bissell,
he had the rural service idea in his head.
He begged the postmaster general to be
allowed to put it in operation. After much
pleading. permission was given him be-
grudgingly. and in October. 1898. in
Charleston, West Virginia, the first rural
! route was put in opera ion. 1t was an
experiment. Today the vast system of
rural routes. extending into every corner
of the country. and embodying an outlay
of millions and millions each year is the
result of the persistency of Machen and
, his final triumph at Charleston in 1893.
The system Of rural free delivery has be-
come the greatest boon under the gov
eminent to what is called the plain.
common people" Its benefits and ad-
vantages are not to be measured.
And yet today August w. Machen. the
father of this great system. and the man
who has spent his life in the work is
under a cloud, and Kansas official.
Bristow, has taken charge and supervision
of the work. pending an investigation OF
Machen. who is temporarily suspended.
The trouble grows out of the allegations
that Machen was too intimately assOcia-
led with contracts and contractors; that
he was aware of the individual benefits
TO be derived from manufacture and sales
of city and rural letter boxes. and other
paraphernalia; that he was lavish in his
expenditure of favors upon senators and
representatives that they in turn might
not, collectively or as a congress. pry too
closely into the affairs of his Office. In
other words ii is a polite way of saying
that in some quarters Mr.. Machen is be-
lieved TO have prostituted his Office for
private gain.
But be that as it may; even if Mr..
Machen goes, and goes for good. under
cloud. the country which will continue for
all time 10 be served as to mail even like
the city, will remember Machen: who he
was and what he did. For he never tired
OF his work for the service he loved.
Machen did more. He dignified what
was mere division In the postohice de-
partment. and in the bureau OF the first
assistant. And this is shown in a pecU-
liar manner. Just the other day when
it was stated in the papers that Machen
would have TO go for keeps. there arose
gentleman from Arkansas City who
laid claim 10 Machen's Office And 10 the
men who keep close track Of things ap-
pertaining 10 jobs. il was stated that this
Arkansas City man once held the position
OF general superintendent Of the free DC
livery sy-stem-in fact was Machens pre-
decessor, There were probably not half
dozen men IN Kansas who knew that
Why2 Because the Arkansas City man
never thought Of rural free delivery. and
never dgnihed and made important tn
office which Machen filed with so much
credit for ten years. until his misfortune
came. and which the Arkansas City man
wishes to resume. The latter was not
known to fame save as mayor OF his
town and an Indian agent. not very con-
spicuous places and Kansas is now asked
to put him in the big Office Machen has
left!
Joseph l. Bristow has been fourth as
sistant postmaster general since 1897, OF
since the Mckinley administration went
into power He made his record IN 1Sc N
Cuba. though before that he was known
as the only real executive man Of the de-
partment outside the postmaster general
himself When the Cuban postal fraud
question came up. Bristow was selected
by the president and Charles Emory
Smith. then postmaster general. 10 70 &c
the island ward and ferret out things
He did 50. and Nicely and Rsthbone
have been execreting hin since that time
Bristow put his sharp young men on the
.-Eet-rfch-qufck'' schemes. and managed
that 10 a successful termination This
was work No for him He was then
given the Job OF cleaning out the whole
department and the Tyner resignation.
the Beaver resignation. and now The
Machen suspension are results
Bristow has been given these things 10
do because he Is honest; because he i IN
firing: because h bas head. because
he IS relentless These four qualifications
have rnede him big man 81 this sGr.la-
lstrstion, And b the way. you dc1't
hear anything nowadays about Br!stovs
removal do YOU Yet il vas only feV
months ago that the gossips ard yellow
rapers were appointing his Successor,
But the rural Business comes closer
home. The trouble q Mr. Mzchcn made
Il tirneIy 20 notice briefly the rural service
Of Kansas The Seventh district ss IA
ether things. comes Arst II rural service
OF all the congressional districts OF the
country. 50 IL Is said b. the department.
tie SeYe1th Kansas leads u number CO