The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-25

tinued both in the department and in the
postofice subsequently to the early sum-,
mer Of 1900. when we lost sight of them.
and that in connection Herewith criminal
acts may have been committed within
the period of limitation.
The persons primarily responsible for the
above mentioned abuses and the resulting
scandals appear to have been Perry s.
Heath, then first assistant postmaster gen.
eral, and G. w. Beavers. then chief of the
salaries and allowance division.
Others in Responsibility.
Charles Emory Smith, late postmaster
Washington. now deceased: John A. Mer-
rift, now postmaster at Washington; Rob-
ert J. Tracewell, controller, and Henry
A. Castle, auditor for the postofhce de-
partment, all appear to have shared, in
some measure. their responsibilities; the
late postmaster general for his seeming
failure. Notwithstanding repeated warn
ing. to appreciate the gravity of their mis-
conduct and the consequent necessity for
Its prompt and adequate punishment: the
two postmasters for liberation of these
orders without exposure or, apparently,
protest; and the auditor and controller for
acting on lax and arbitrary principles in
the administration Of their respective Of
fees whereby the payment of illegal and
seemingly fraudulent claims by the treas
ury was rendered possible.
Inc employment of subordinates in post
Offices about to become classified for the
purpose OF thus securing their admission
without examination into the classified
service was a practice in fraud en- legis.
to do classified work was clearly Illegal.
An agreement by any officers with any
persons. whether in or out Of the public
service at the time, that the latter shall
ment under pretense Of being EMPLOYED.
Wltnout rendering any service to the gov
e era,d 1to constitutes a conspiracy to de-
Tho GiInor Case
The detail of Thomas w. Gllmer to DIFF.
terent work of a lower grade and at a re-
duced compensation by F. A. Vanderlip,
then acting secretary Of the treasury. I'M
der all the circumstances attending it..
was apparently unjust and oppressive, and
certainly disastrous to the public interest,
and would be generally and naturally un-'
derstood by those cognizant of 1t as a.
punishment inflicted on a faithful publicI
servant, who had, by the honest discharge,
OF ms duty. incurred the enmlty of active,
have been preceded by no sufficient inquiry
on the part of Acting Secretary VANDERBILT.
While we express no opinion as to the,
al from the office of cashier by Postmas-;
ter Merritt, the precipitancy and discour-'
tesy shown by the latter in effecting this
tihcation and tend to cast grave doubt
upon the good faith of his explanations
or the removal itself: and his course was
clearly regrettable in the public interest as
leading naturally to the belief tina the
cashier had been, In fact, removed for
failure to comply with irregular and even
Illegal demands on funds in his custody.
That a carefully chosen small commits
sion be appointed by the president to re-
port a plan whereby the work of the Of
fces of the comptroller and Of the several
auditors may be removed fro all political,
personal or other eXtraneous Influences.
the officials therein employed protected
from injury through enmitles they may
incur in the discharge Of their duties and
the competency and independence of all
engaged in this branch of the govern
ment secured through their selection by
only and assurance of tenure during the
continuance of fidelity and efficiency on
their own part.
Appended to the report are letters to
the president from Secretary Shaw,
Postmaster Gneral Payne and former
Postmaster Smith.
Shaw and TraceweII.
Secretary Shaw states that as soon as
the Tulloch letter was published he in
vestigated the connection of Judge Trace-t
we'll with the matters involved, and the!
secretary adds:
I then reached the conclusion that hej
had passed a few improper payments. /!
was then convinced, however, that 1t was
an error in Judgment, and the amounts
were very SINAI. I went over the whole
convinced that this man was seeking to-
embarrass the department and his former
chief. He injected into his examination
every possible insinuation and was want
ing in that measure Of ~frankness which
Is important in all these matters.
After reviewing further his investiga-
ton of Gilmer, the secretary concludes:
AS nearly all the criticisms Of Mr..
Tracewell relate to differences between
him and Mr.. Gilmer, and as Mr.. Gilmer
Is manifestly an unfair custodian Of any
mans official reputation, 1 think the
comptroller should be exonerated.
The letter of the postmaster general
Informed the president that the investi-
cations suggested IN the report are al
ready In progress.
That of former Postmaster General
Smith is a categorical comment on that
part Of the report relating directly to his
official acts.