New-York tribune., 1903-06-16
LOCAL. POST4L scandal
Inspectors DelCing and Other Of
fci0Is ErDlaining.


to submit 10 such a raking as ii is under
going now the hands of the inspectors from
Washington. and never before has such a mess
been brought before the public. Apparently these
inspectors still working on the promotion
syndicate" although when Inspector Cochran. who
returned to Washington Yesterday, came here 1t
was said that he on an entirely new line
which threatened the most startling disclosures
Yesterday three of the inspectors visited the
second division, the department of incoming mall
and examined at great length Frank NJ. Ball, the
assistant superintendent. and about twenty OF the
clerks in that division When they departed they
left instructions that talking be done. BAH
kept these I'm dumb" was his reply to all ques-
tions as to what the inspectors wanted 1t was be-
lieved by many familiar with the department,
however that the Washington men were not SO
greatly concerned the workings Of the mys-
terious promotion syndicate in that division as
they were about Augustus s. Maze. superintendent
of the second division. For more than year
Maze has been i'll from locomotor aJaxia or
similar disease being at the office only part OF the
time. While he is away on sick leave Johh w
Tiedemann. who is supposed to be one OF the 1ortv
eight cashiers ordered reduced to the grade and
nav of clerks. is at the head of that division
where he in addition taking charge of the in
coming mail. handles some 100000 yearly
The inspectors not greatly in eVidence
around the building yesterday. Some of them went
hack IN Washington ii was said but Paul Gregory,
OF Chattanooga and Joseph Farrell the man VINO
helped get the evidence against Machen' were at
Auditor Jardines Will probably finish the report
on the duties of The forty-eght cashiers whlcn the
morrow and will Immediately forward it While
tbere is no classifcation under the postal rules.
fo these men who are really heads of departments
doing responsible work. they have been DESIGNATED
a pTecedent put in force by General CIarksGn II
the original intention to reduce them d De 1oog g gu
which would greatly cripple the service for time
briggs COURTS INQUIRY.
IN connection with the Brandt automatic cashier
case which has frequently appeared during these
,r,,es+ipatfons it came out yesterday that ex-Con
sressnnan Edmund II. briggs was in the pay OF
that concern all the time he was in Congress He
admitted that he received s12,5eo year, and that
his connection with the concern ended soon after
bie term in Congress- but he asserted that every
thing was open and aboveboard." Two inspectors
ta,-e had = long conference with him on this sub
iect. Yesterday ne gave out the following state
nent:
Referring to the mention of my name in s,n c9nnee, g
saw that I court the fullest investigation. nave
nothing improper or wrong ana f1 5ron
gress to clear re of any reflection whatsoever
Assistant United States District Attorney Ernest
z Baldwin had a few words to say yesterday ABOUT
the automatic cashier case His firm, he said. had
been retained as counsel in four suits brought by
former e1rployes of the Brandt-Dent company, q
wear after the contract with the government was
executed 1t had other connection with the
company. He admitted that because of his rela-
pany, il would be embarrassing TO prosecute the
conopanv in case such course became necessary
..T assume that that will never be necessary, ne
said but IL a ever came up, should ask zen
eral Burnett to take charge for if there were no
indictments it would be said that Baldwin had
Influenced the jury. Let me say right now that II
anv legal evidence comes into this office the case
will be pushed right through, without fear or
favor" General Burnett. by the way was not at
his office yesterday. and it said that he was IN
Washington consultng with the poSIsl @ @ ST ths
inspectors to the grand jury Inc May gran gIano july
viii be dismissed to-day, and the June poov sworn
soluteIy nothing had been brought up for pTesenta
TO them, mot the slightest tnlng Ia 6 tbaf
was likely come up either Another autnoTy roi1ey
had been discovered and nothing would ever come
before the grand jury
MR.. VAN Colts STATEMENT.
Two interesting facts came to light yesterday
one that Tom Gooderson. Postmaster Van Cotts
secretary was his nephew. He receives salary
of g. 200 a year. and his work. while compelling him
to be at the office all the time is certainly not lrk
some The other was that Dr. W. H Richardson.
the postoGe Physcian s ar6 WhG IS rated ed as nance
clerk salary Of s7co year h is r70ns 950hern tn1d
then. there is no place in the classification for a
PybGaq9b The anG4sh PdsaseT ePs sa i
The charge that either my son or IN myser @ ensaIeo
eig enn is absurd If any city department were to
accent the statements of the men that they were
Il
1osin aTTay on sick leave long as they saw nt
-, aven II the department were to accept written
Statements of the mems personal physicians there
WouIdn't be enough men half the time TO 90 I'M. me
49, II is absolutely necessary for departments
ia have physician upon whom the heads or me the
departments rely and VINO VIII eAdi itdd ne sici5
n n md ascertain If they really are entitled 10 sich
leave TIE need of postofhce physician was ~ zen
,,aars ago and in 1873 under Postmaster James;
The Nep.UYork office had first second r Inira ana n
en1,rtb rnedi-al officers They We're DR.. Na!ter n.
Gjiiette DR. Edward d. Morgan. jr.. DR.; Charles
" Badeau and DR.. Clement cieyelanq' "a Ian ~
received a salary of 81 800 year. When chIIe . -.
for NV second term found that the depar Id
needed a physician. and that one physician t1 ~
a. tbe work | then appointed the presenI- III
c'3ubent DR.. Richardson at saiiaTy OF St'J 1be
- The Dostoffice had no physician undeI 5 Lis
na,tto, administration. in fact, from the eItn
~ postmaster James's term; in loSI untlI WAS ~
oo..,,ojnted In 1897 TO succeed Mr.. Dayton 40,
i'st before leaving the Postoffice for ne uy
r,e.,naster Van Cott said he had not seen IL
.. I7,rinr the day and again denied tnat ms
"a. 70 washington had anything TO DO WIN I'm ' as
.itors Yesterday Charlie Hess; f9-iiles - nek ..e,
-. y