Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-06-18
HIGH RASCAlITY
THE POSTOFFiCE SCANDAL RE.
QUiRES PROMPT ACTION.
Swindlins Concerns Appear to fave rad
Their Own Way With the Pc stoffice De.
partment. The Administration Cannot
Afford to Shield the Offenders.

The evidence shows unexpected rss-
cality and corruption in the postofiice
department. The evidence collected
against Miller and Machen is C inclusive
proof Il at the interests OF the public
have been shamefnliy neglected by these
officials. The offenses committed by
| them represent tie two popular branches
Of malfeasance--tirst, the acceptance Of
money fur official service, and, second,
interest in contracts With the government.
Mr.. Miller is charged with receiving
money for Official opinions, said opinion
being given in behalf Ct swindling CO, L.
porations that wa lted to use the mails.
1t will be seen that such conduct is NJ
only crime against the government, but
crime against thousands of citizens
who are taken in by the advertisements
sent thrpugh the mails.
The fact that the swindling concerns
were allowed to use the mails for con-
sideratidn suggests the possibility OF
| ing contests which some Of the news
papers have been conducting. These are
simply Ptteries in mors vicious form.
In lottery there are certain number
Of tickets and the prizes bear a fixed and
large proportion OF the entire money in
vested by patrons, but in the case of a
guessing contest the contestant has no
way Of knowing what his chances are r
what proportion the amount inves ted
bears to the prizes. In a wheel OF for
tune it is always known that the owner
of the wheel has certain percentage in
his favor. For instance, if there are one
hundred paddles and the successful pad.
die carr hundred-dollar prize, there
will be more than a hundred paddles
sold, say Ito, and tho $40 goes to the man
who owns the wheel. But in the case OF
the guessing contest the amount given in
prizes may be SAC, 900 and the amount in
vested by patrons may be $400,C0), so
that this wheel" gets 30 per cent inste:. d
OF 10 per cent.
Mr. Machen's offense is in anothe 7
line, namely, the receiving Of a commits
sion upon sales made to the government.
1t is not often that an official will risk
receiving money directly on such trans
actions, but it is more often the case that
the official will become pecuniarly inter-
ested in a company that sells to the gov.
eminent. 1t is so nearly impossible 'or
a man to deal honestly with the govern
ment where he himself is pecuniarily in
terested that the rule against such trans
actions ought to be universally ard
rigidly enforced. The same principle
that would be violated by Judge trying
his own case. or by juror acting in q
suit in which he is pecuniarily interested,
is violated when an official transacts
business with a company OF which he is
a member.
If there is no law making it penal
otlense for an official to buy for the gov.
eminent from firm in which he is In
terested, there ought to be such a laN'.
1t is to be hoped that the investigation
now commenced will be continued until
every guilty partv has been exposed and
punished.
1t is a short-sighted partisanship that
would lead the party in power to hush up
such things out OF fear Of political injury.
When an administration Furnishes the
offenders it puts the responsibility where
it belongs; when an administration
shields the offenders it shares the odium
OF the individuals crime. If President
Roosevelt has the courage that he ought
to have. he will allow no friendship or
craftsmanship to stand in the way Of a
thorough investigation and exemplary
punishment.