The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-24
INVESTIGATION
TO BE EXTENDED
President Decides to Look Into
Auditing System Of All Gov
eminent Departments.
Fears Abuses Of the Postoffice De-
partment May Exist Else
where.


ing, Washington.
Washington, D. c., June 24.-The rev.
Citations Of the postoffice investigation
have convinced President Roosevelt that
the time has come for a general over
hauling In other government departments
where the same system Of bookkeeping
and accounts is in use. The entire audit
ing machinery is to be looked into.
Secretary Shaw of the treasury depart
ment has given up his plans for spend
ing the summer abroad and will stay ~
Washington to direct the work. His
travelling arrangements were all made
and he cancelled them at the last min
ute. The president considers that Mr.
Shaw's services are Indispensable for the
reason that all the finances of the sew
eral executive departments center in the
treasury department.. All the auditors
report to the controller Of the treasury
and the latter Is responsible to the Sec
rotary: of the treasury.
The auditing for the. postoffice depart
ment seems to have been very largely a
perfunctory and routine performance.
Many Irregularities were unknown 10 the
auditing officials, and, in other cases,
these officials seemed to have no author
ity to check Irregularities which We're in
dorsed by Superior officials. II the
auditing system was inefectual IN one
great deparement Of the government,
there is q natural suspicion that 1t may
have been equally so in others. That IS
what Mr.. Roosevelt purposes to lind out
nthe next two months, but there is to
be no sensational overturnfng or neWspa-
per expose unless subsequent events COM
pei.
The president and the secretary of the
treasury are not talking about what is
to be done, nor are they making charges
Of any kind. They simply want to know
| whether there is In other departments a
condition similar to that prevailing in the
postoffice department. Mr.. Shaw declines
to affirm or deny that the auditing sys-
| TEN is being investigated. It is known.
| however, positively, that such is the case.
VIII Report to Congress.
The president will h ave something to
say to congress next fall about the post
office scandal. He will necessarily have
| things to say about the system which per-
mftted such corruption to grow up and
| flourish. In orders to speak intenigently
| or finally he must know whether the
abuses are confined to the postofice or
are common to the other government de-
partments. Any investigation which is to
be done he believes will be done to better
advantage while congress is not In ses-
! sion.
| He Intends if possible to make clean
and tIloro Job of it, leaving nothing for
LINE zQOllglClallS .SGGhlNSlzlO pludhc pOlAL1G1
Tor personal capital The president believes
| the errors are mostly administrative; and
| are not such as can be corrected by addf-
tional legislation. But If any amendments
are needed, he will be ready to take con.
gress into his confidence and to ask fol
the passage of such a bill as will make
| the safeguards about the treasury some.
! thing m ore than mere formaltt1eS.
Castles Position.
Secretary Shaw declines to saw whethe
or not he proposes an investigation O
Captain H. A. Castle Of st. Paul, sixth
auditor Of the treasury department, ant
in that capacity charged with auditing al
postoflce department accounts. Speak
ing to The Journal correspondent to-day
he said:
- If it were my present intention no
to investigate Captain Castle. I should no
say so publicly, for at any moment mat
Investigation advisable. On the othe
hand, if It were my intention to investi
gate him, I should remain silent until tn
matter had taken on some definite form
! I should owe this both to Captain Castl
and to the treasury department.
} Captain Castle evidently is not look
!, ing for an investigation, but, like a wis
man, he is getting ready, and has no1
collected in his office great mass 9
spondence touching the question {
double pay to postal officials and othe
matters, regarding which he has write
officially to Postmaster General Smit
upon several occasions. He has also MI
Smiths replies to these letters. Othe
correspondence on this subject betwee
4 Captain Castle and postoffice and treas
ury officials, which Captain Castle ha
preserved, he thinks will give him clea
bill Of health, should an investigation b
ordered. The situation is not worryin
) him.
Z Rand Won't Resign.
H. H. Rand, of Wisconsin. Postmaste
4 General Paynes confidential secretar
denied in emphatic terms to-day that h
intended to resign as has been rumore
around the department for a day or two
II have no intention Of gratifying my ma
licious enemies by resigning,' is the wa
81 he disposed of the rumors. He refuse
I to name the person whom he suspected c
circulating stories.
w. w. Jermane.