Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-15
MACHEA 'YS. HILL
. s8s
Accusations and Denials Be-
IT III
fore Senate Committee.
REVIEW OF TESTIMONY
INVESTIGATION OF 1898 REVEAL
ED STRANGE PRACTICES.
w. A. Machen Was Borne on the Rolls
as w. A. Clark-ssMechanics'
as Inspectors.

as Inspectors.
A review of certain testimony taken in
1898 by the Senate committee on civil serv-
ice and retrenchment will be of interest in
its bearing upon the assertions recently
made that the branch of the postal service
presided over until recently by August w.
Machen had been developing into an active
political machine. The investigation be-
fore the Senate committee was in reality
an inquiry into the methods of the civil
service commission. One of the witnesses
heard was a former employee Of the Post
Office Department, William w. Hill.
MIR. Hill told of the appointment OF a
force of mechanics by Mr.. Machen. This
force was organized first in the fall of 1874
by the appointment of four men. 1t rapid
ly grew to about sixty. and was detailed,
according to the assertions of the witness,
to the various large cities for the purpose
of compiling an individual record of the
letter carriers. which might be used
against them at any time. A confidential
report was appended to each one of these
records, giving the politics of the carrier
in question
Mr.. Hill declared that Mr. Machen had
appointed his brother this force under
the assumed name of w. A. Clark. and this
statement WAS afterward confirmed by Mr..
Machen himself, when he appeared before
the committee later to make general and
specific denials Of most of the declarations
of Hill.
Hill charged further that the pay of
these mechanics had first been fixed at
"a per day, with actual expenses added;
| that later their compensation had been in
creased to 30 day, and that this was done
in order that a campaign fund might be
assessed and collected from this force. Mr..
10 IN, 1,ic
| most direct.
Mr.. Hills Testimony.
He said to the committee:
Il knew these men personally. They were
men who did not rise to the dignity of pot
| house politicians. They were in many
cases mere boys. In two instances at least
they were men who had been charged with
| ernbezzlement. Two of them were brothers
| of the present superintendent of the free
delivery system, Mr.. Machen, one OF those
| being man who was suffering under the
| charge of embezzlement in Toledo, Ohio
| just previously rto his appointment An
| other man was one who had been dis
| charged from the Washington city letter
| carrier force because he was charged with
| embezZling some of the trust funds of the
Letter Carriers Association here in Wash
| ington. l believe that fact was known
| when he was appointed and the fact of
Mr.. Machen's brothers disqualification was
| well known of course.
| These men were paid at the rate of 81
| day and their expenses provided for out of
the incidental fund Of the free delivery sys-
tenn, which was an appropriation for the
| purchase of letter boxes and such matters
| as pertain to that service of the Post Office
Department. twas utterly DETECTED from
it's proper source.
Upon the list of July 1895, without any
| solicitation whatever from these men who
were so employed. their pay was raised to
$ a day The pay Of one of them was at
first So a day, and he was designated the
chief. His pay raised some time after
| wards to 50 day. Here Is a tabulatiou
which shows his rate of pay from July to
October, 1896 1t shows that in the month
| of October his average daily pay was ST. 10
per day. There Is a tabulated statement
| (exhibiting) and the records Of the depart
ment will show its correctness"
Senator Chilton-"What was his manner?
Mr. Hill-"Wiliam M Bellman. This man
Belman was brought from Toledo; he was
placed in the department.; he was given a
desk there in the free delivery division; the
clerks in that division were made subject to
him: they were required to obey him; a
typewriter was detailed for his special use,
and he drew his pay and expenses when
resident in the city of Washington: Sundays
included, and he, as well as all of the rest
Of these agents, were allowed twenty days
vacation a year, without any law whatever
for 1t. 1t being per diem employment.
1.-THE employment Of these agents pro-
crossed in that way and at that increased
rate to July 1, 1895. At the beginning Of
their employment the sixth auditor made
violent objection to the passing of the &C
counts pertaining to the pay and expenses
Of these men,
Senator Chilton-"Give the name of the
sixth auditor.
Mr.. Hill-"Sixth Auditor Howard. I never
knew how Mr.. Howard became reconciled
to these accounts. but / do know that he
was successfully patronized by being al
lowed to nominate In the succeeding quar-
ters commencing with his first objection.
one of these agents at the beginning Of
each quarter thereafter, who was appoint
ed I say do not attach any significance
much to that.
Employed in Congressional Campaign.
Now. as to the employment of these
agents, gentlemen, happen to know, from
personal observation. that in the congress
sional campaign in New York city, in the
fall of 1894, six of these men were detailed
simply detailed-to do campaign work. in
seeking to influence, the vote of the car
| riers there in the fourteenth congressional
district.
Senator Chilton-"I wish you would give
| their names. please.
| I have not the names with me. l can as
certain and furnish the committee with
the names hereafter. If desired
| The Chairman-"You say they were de-
tailed to go there and work in the cam
paign?"
| supposed that tneTe were great numDer
of carriers located in the fourteenth con-
gressional district Of New York city. and
that those carriers could be In greater
degree Influenced by these men than any
other class of men. because the carriers all
over the country were In mortal terror Of
| these men, as they had right to be. They
were followed from pillar to post, and from
| every point on their districts; and every
delinquency, whether, It was purposely a
delinquency or not, was strictly reported
man In the Post Office Department The
best carrier on earth bad presently rec
ord piled up AGAINST BIN there which was
or when they got ready to do it.
about that ti5pe itgbegan to be a very