Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-24
ORGANIZATION OF THIEVES.


Office Department by the Throat FOR
Years.
The most startling feature of the
postal service scandals which are now
engaging the attention Of high officers
of the postof1ice department, according
to a Washington dispatch Of Saturday
TO the New York Sun, Is the growing
belief that the irregularity and GRIM
inality which have been disclosed are
not simply the result Of tendency to-
ward personal gain, but are due to the
operations of an organized scheme OF
graft. This is the first time that an
intimation Of this character has been
made, but, according to excellent au-
thority, the reasons for such beller
are sound and the actual proof that
such a syndicate or system existed Is
piling up day by day as the inquiry
progresses.
The attention of the investigating
authorities was first attracted by the
fact that the prevailing rake-off on de-
partment contracts was 40 per cent.
Former Superintendent Of the Free
Delivery Division Machen Is charged
with having received 40 per cent. of all
sales to the government Of the patent
fastener used on street letter boxes.
Charles McGregor and G. Ellsworth
Upton, two Of Machen's subordinates,
are charged with having received 4O
per cent. on sales Of rural free delivery
mail pouches to the government. 9th
er officers Of the postoff1ce depart
ment, will soon be indicted by the Fed
eral grand jury, are alleged to have re-
ceived 40 per cent. on sales Of various
supplies used in the postal service.
These contracts were made through
the salary and allowance division.
Forty per cent. is said to have been
the rake-off given to postal officers IN
the sale of the cash registers to the
government. In other cases the inves-
tigating authorities are morally certain
that the rake-off was this same 40 per
cent.
Of blackmail collection was first
limited at some time ago-and 1t was
not through the newspapers that the
matter was first brought into notice
the high officers Of the department
scoffed at the suggestion. 1t was pre-
posterous, they asserted-absolutely
ridiculous to believe that the postal
service harbored a criminal organiza-
ton. But recent developments have
made it absolutely necessary that the
graft syndicate be taken seriously, and
the principal matter upon which post
office inspectors are now working con-
Germs the existence Of the 40 per cent.
system of collection on government
contracts.
The revelations up to date point to
the fact that this alleged syndicate was
an actual organization, with a direct
ing head and officers designated to per-
form the details of the work. That
the machinery Of this concern worked
smoothly Is shown by the fact that
for year after year it's operations were
continued without the slightest sus-
picion being aroused, and that it was
not until the investigation Of postal
service scandals had been In progress
over three months that the matter was
seriously taken up by the officers in
charge Of the inquiry. Now that the
matter has been considered it will be
pushed to as speedy a conclusion as
possible, and new charges of conspir-
acy to defraud the government will be
brought to the attention of the Federal
Grand jury here and in New York.
Postmaster General Payne will not
say whether the head Of the graft
syndicate is supposed to be one Of the
department officers whose names have
been mentioned in connection with the
present inquiry or some person high
er up" In fact, he will not discuss
the matter at all. Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow Is equally
reticent, contenting himself with the
statement that the public will be ac-
quainted with the facts in due course
OF events.
But it is known that the investigat-
ing authorities will at once begin an
investigation to unearth not only the
head Of the syndicate, but the agent in
New York who had charge of the bus
mess and the officers in other cities
who had charge of the process of levy
q