Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-13
TT ! WAS: DONE
A SOMEWHAT SIGNIFICANT Or
DER ISSUED.
Heads OF Bureaus Must Sign Their
Own Initials and Not Delegate the
Work to Others.

postmaster general. Mr. Robert J. Wynne,
notified Postmaster Van Colt Of New York
that revisions of the list Of promotions in
his Office would probably be made, and ad-
vised him not to notify the clerks that
were selected for advancement of their Sc
lection. This action will hold up for a
time the promotion Of about two thousand
clerks. The action of the acting postmas-
ter general related only to the promotion
OF clerks in New York, and has no relation
to promotions in other parts of the country.
Postmaster General Payne Back.
Postmaster General Payne has returned
to the city from his six weeks voyage
among the West Indies. He expressed
himself as very much benefited by his trip
to the West Indies to a personal friend
this morning. Mr.. Payne remained in
his room at the Arlington Hotel through
out the day, going over the mass of mail
that has accumulated during his absence.
He did not go to the Post Office Depart
ment today but will be at his desk the
first thing in the morning Mr.. Payne is
looking very well and said that he has
not felt better in many years. He refused
70 discuss the situation at the Post Office
Department in regard to the investigation
which is now in progress and declined to
receive any newspaper men.
Inc FOURTH assistant postmaster gen.
eral Mr.. Bristow. and the first assist
ant postmaster general. Mr.. Wynne. the
Two omclais who are most closely connect
ed with the investigation, refused abso-
lutely to discuss any details of the investi-
CATION or to admit that searching in
quiry Is in progress. This silence on the
part or these two officials is in line with
the policy that was adopted at the outset
OF the inquiry. AS far as the facts, as
gathered from the Post Office Department,
are concerned everything that has been
he jrIyn Cti TOW, Sa
lecture and speculation. The acting post
master general has admitted that charges
nave been filed against certain Of the Of
fclals of the department from time to time,
charges are not always justified by the
complaints themselves. Many Of the
charges that haye been filed are by con-
Germs that are endeaForing to secure con-
various kinds. The charges are against
officials who have let contracts with other
firms This is not the case tn all of the
charges, but it relates to some Of them.
northwestern division, who was director
general Of posts Of Cuba from the time of
Mr.. Rathbone s. deposal to the close Of the
American regime, on the Island, Is the
principal assistant Of Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Rristow and Chief In
spector Cochran in the actual handling Of
the work. Post Office Inspector Thorpe of
New York and Others have been brought
In from the field. The end of the investi-
cation Is not yet in sight and no complete
report can be made at this time to the
Postmaster General. Mr.. Payne will be in
formed Of what has so far been accom-
plished In the investigation but it Is not
likely that he will call for written report
until the inspectors have concluded their
work One Of his first acts will be the Sc
lection OF successor to Assistant Attorney
General Tyner. who is still technically
holding that office, a4.nough he resigned
some time ago
Mr.. Machen's Statement.
Superintendent Machen Of the free de-
livery division has been charged by a
carriage making firm with working in COL
fusion with a buggy manufacturer to sell
buggies to rural free delivery carriers It
is charged that the head of the free de-
livery division has furnished advance infor-
nation to the manufacturer referred to
which enabled him to sell his vehicles to
carriers before his competitors were aware
of the establishment of the routes CHARGES
are also filed by which Mr.. Machen is al
legged to have supplied the same sort of in
formation to the manufacturers of mail
boxes. WITH respect to these charges Mr.
Machen states:
I'VE have been very careful in enforcing
a rule in the free delivery division that no
advance information about the establish
ment Of routes shall be given. I cannot say
what any one Of about 1876 men may actu-
ally have done in a given instance, but I
know they all have instructions not to
furnish advance information, and that thew
know the giving Of such information would
be under penalty OF dismissal from the
service.
II have a list Of approximately 900
ever 1t has been decided to establish rural
free delivery routes. These names include
wagon manufacturers, box
manufacturers. guaranty companies that
I'D IN, ftA hycf
carriers, and all others who signify to tho
Post Office Department that they would
like to have the earliest available Informal
ton about those new routes"
The New York Hold-Up.
The hold-up of the New York promotions
and appointments was caused by the dis
covery in the lists Of clerks recommended
for advancement the names of several who
were not recommended by Postmaster Van
Colt for promotion. None of the promo
tons are to take effect until the first day
of July, and 1t was decided that the entire
list should be gone over and consulted
be made. It is the custom Of the depart-
ment to notify the clerks who are ia he
promoted of their selection before the first
day Of July and this is what was tn hava
been done on the present occasion. The
order of Mr.. Wynne5 however, will have
the effect of holding up all these promo.
tons until th07ltSt ean-be properly ad-
justed. The post Office officials state that
the list will be held UP ana revised as an
investigation of the affairs of the oflce
may make necessary;
A Significant Order.
In connection with the investigation an
apparently routine order of the acting
postmaster general issued regarding the
initiating of mall Is significant. The order
directs that hereafter chiefs Of division and
bureaus shall check by initials the mail
which has to bs passed upon by the f1rat
assistant postmaster general, and that no
such official shan have the right to dele.
gate to a clerho or any other person the
right to use such initial In checkinr com.
munications. THIS action is intended to
hold the person afiixfng the initial to a re-
sponsibility for the paper so checked. In
stead Of permitting an official to lat an
other afi1x his signature. with the possibIa
disclaimer Of such paper. on the sround
that It was signed by another
What Perry Heath Says
Shortly after the Investigation was start
ed dispatches were sent out from this city
announcing the arrival Of MFR. Perry 8.
Heath In Washington. and alleging that.
Mr.. Heath. who was formerly flrst assist
ant postmaster genaral. had come to the
capital to stop the Investigation. Mr.. Heath