The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-23

to the ST. Louis exposition at the government
sistant has been charged with prompting
the original attack on the department, made
early last fall, but this is not Wynne
did not force the postoffice investigation.
The initiative was taken by Henry G.
Payne. the postmaster general, after
tended conferences with the President. The
good name of the department had been
sullied by the insinuations of the public
press. and Mr.. Payne believed, i'm justice to
the service, that the investigation should
be made. The action of the postmaster
general was pleasing to the first assistant.
For weeks the inquiry progressed without
developing anything of an discriminating
nature against any of the officials under
| fire. Then the bubble broke. The story
| is an old one now. Wynne is success
as first assistant postmaster general. He
| is a good executive, and is making close
| study of postal affairs. Recently the gos-
| sips had Mr.. Payne and Mr.. Wynne at
| swords points. Both denied that there was
any truth i'm such reports: If there is any
| trouble between the men it has never APP
| peared on the surface. Wynne started
out in life a telegraph operator, drifted
\ into newspaper work. became confidential
! man to Charles Foster, secretary of the
| treasury, and was selected for his present
| position by Mr.. Roosevelt.
A printers devil, foreman of q composing
| room, city reporter. confidential clerk TO
| member of the Cabinet and then assistant
| secretary Of the treasury. This epitomiZes
| the career of who has not yet
| reached the age of thirty. Robert B. Arm
| strong. sitting at his desk i'm the Treasury
/ Department, Is dignified enough, but his
| frank, clean-shaven face is not convincing
| to a stranger that he is the head of one
of the most important bureaus in the gov
| eminent service He is the commander-in-
| chief of Uncle Sans big army of customs
| collectors. TIE him is assigned the general
| direction and supervision of all matters
pertaining to the customs service, and all
| questions relating to the public business
| in the jurisdiction of the following bureaus,
offices and divisions Office of the supervis-
| ing surgeon general Marine Hospital Serv-
| ice, Office of the life-saving service, division
of customs and the division of special Gus
| toms agents. Some weeks ago the an
nouncement was made, without authority
| that it was the purpose of Mr.. Armstr ong
to tear up the customs service and es-
| tablish it on sound business basis. This
has resulted i'm great deal of confusion
and embarrassment to the department No
| tearing up process is contemplated. Re
| forms have been introduced. but they have
| been worked out along conservative lines
Although young man, Bob" Armstrong
has had a good deal of experience. He
| worked his way through college while pick
! ing type at the case and then drifted into
| reportorial work. When Secretary Shaw
recommended the "beardless youth for
the place held so many years by. General
Armstrong. an acknowledged expert in GUS
toms matters. the graybeards of the serv-
ice held up their hands in horror and
vowed that the end of the world was in
sight. But Secretary Shaw stood sponsor
for Mr.. Armstrong. and convinced Presi-
dent Roosevelt that he had selected the
right man
ARMSTRONG; career has just begun" said
| a wel-known senator recently. who was
one of the loudest to criticise Secretary
onaw when he announced that he intended
to appoint Mr.. Armstrong.
|
Loomis. Wynne and Armstrong are not
the only in the government service
who formerly earned living in active
newspaper work. There are many others.
III. b. F. MacFarland and Henry Ltchfield
West. commissioners of the District of CO.
lumbia, are among them. 5. y. d. North,
director of the census. is an old Washing
ton correspondent O. p. Austin, chief of
the Bureau of Statistics a Washing
ton correspondent here years ago. and Scott
Smith. now well on in years, is the conf
dental man to the secretary of the interior.
Smith worked in Washington in a repor-
torial capacity during the civil war. III.
Conquest Clarke, chief clerk OF rural free
delivery, is a journalist He followed the
profession in England. later worked in
Mexico and wound up his career in Wash
ington. finally retresting to the great army
OF Unole Sans employees. wnkie the chief
sleuth OF the United States secret service.
was a police reporter in Chicago Joe
Bristow, the "heaesman' OF the Postoffice
Department is Kansas newspaperman.
William r. Richards. commissioner of the
General Land Office, at different times in
his life COW puncher. prospector and wan
dering surveyor. was also the editor of a
newspaper in Western mining town. Tom
Bivins. big-hearted and jovial type of the
oId-time correspondent. is another who is
holding a government job. He is chief
clerk of the Internal Revenue Bureau.
These are the most conspicuous examples
of the journalist in office. All of them have
been relatively successful.
IL has been recently pointed out that the
literary man-the one who writes books-is
the fsvorite of the administration. But il
will be observed that the man who edu-
cstes-or thinks he educatcs-the multitude
has not been overlooked. j. e NJ