The Washington times., 1903-06-21
RAND'S OFFICE 4
PARRISH AGENCY
New Story in Connection
With Claim for Ice.
PAYNE'S CLERK is ACCUSED
TAX Of General Syndicate 70 Collect
40 Per Cent % All PostoSfce Coz
rTscrs-srsr S0ute Restrictions.

confidential secretary to Postmaster
General Payne. with the prosecution of
the J. w Parrish ice claim before the
last Congress. is attracting attention
In postoffiee circles. AID the inspectors
will probably ask Mr.. Rand a number
OF questions about his relations with
Mr. Parish and the claim
Charles Hedges. superintendent OF ~ity
delivery, has had charges OF pushing
the claim filed against him. and. as Gov
ernment officials are forbidden to tsks
part in such enterprises. Mr.. Hedges
VIII have some explaining to do.
Parrish is said to have made Mr.
Rand's Office his principal headquarters
while pushing the claim; in fact. to
have been daily visitor there. Nu-
merous conferences were held and IL
Is hardly thought probable that Mr..
Rand felt oniJ a sympathetic interest
in Parish's sttemept to get money for
ice that melted forty years ago
Congressmen Interested.
Representative Shattuck of Ohio was
one OF the members OF the House who
worked for the Parrish claim. and sew
eral other members are said to have
been active in the fight They succeed
ed Ia getting the bill passed in ths
House by majority OF three
/ Special Agent Gaintree. OF the rural
free delivery service. is another said TO
/ have been interested in the success OF the
Parrish claim He also is from Ohio.
On the day the claim passed the House
Ar Gaintree IS said to have mysterious
/ ly appeared at the Capitol. and when
asked what he was doing there said he
Nas interested in a private claim Now.
it is alleged. the claim that brought him
( 10 Washington was that Of Parrish.
A. ". Maehen. the indicted ex-super-
iEteadent Of free delivery. is, mentioned
as one Of the parties In the background
Of this alleged postoffice combination 10
rush through a private claim Machen
had powerful influence in the House be-
cause OF the way IN which he distributed
rural free delivery patronage. and when
he wanted anything passed it was rea-
sonably likely 10 pass Machen's subor-
dinate. Hedges. has been charged with
having a hand in this particular claim.
and the critics say that they cannot i'm
sgine that Machen kept his hands on.
Quiet Before the Storm.
The Parrish incident has caused post
oflice critics TO wonder how many other
private claims before Congress may
have been helped alcng their rocky road
by the aid Of the machinery OF the fres
delivery system. TIE machinery was
there. ready for business. II is thought
10 have been hardly probable that II
rusted from lack Of use
Postmaster General Payne did not see
the reporters at all yesterday. sending
out word both in the morning and The
afternoon that there was nothing new.
Everything around the department vas
unusually quiet. bat it is thought 10 be
the quiet before the storm which IS ex-
pected 10 break this week. The grand
Jury was busy last week investigating
pcstOffiee eases and will take up the
work again when il meets tomorrow.
Indictments against A. W. Machen. the
Groff brothers. and George E. Lorenz are
corhdently expected. and are said 10
have already been returned. Mrs. George
T. LorenZ has also been named as sia-
bic to be indicted for q share in the al
legged Machen-G Grod combination TO de-
fraud the Government in the purchase
OF fasteners for rural free delivery let
ter boxes. What Mrs Lcrenz mad TO
10 With the case has not been made
clear and there is no certainty that sh.
riil r@ ic3ici a.
Ao-e Arrests EEpsct-5.
No i'm y.o tne Gt0T- have strss6y
rts4.tv eZ-eotso tnis ~=eS. Fo-toU-e
ana otner Dd5iio oidcia.s are 80 bsdgsd
about b. laws making il criminal oti
g,use 10 use their influence or positions
Tor private ends that ii Is not d:HleuIt
10 find abundant legal grounds for ar
resting the greater majority OF the Of
hcials. who have been dragged into tho
scandals. II the inspectors fnd what
they coaside- suRcieEt evidence - Sc
cure a conviction.
As an instance of the creduliIy which
prevails. some officials in the Postofties
Department have become satisfied that .
great conspiracy has existed TO collect
commission Of 90 per cent On all supply
contracts awarded. They believe y. w.
MacheB vas the represert tative CT the
conspiracy In the department here. but
that its real head was located in New
ork. No name is mentioned as being
Under suspicion in this connection.
The contract syndicate has been given
another hard rap by second Assistant
Postmaster General Shallenberger. who
proposes TO continue the rule that all
bidders Tor service under contract ia
carrying the mails must live in the dis
tr;ct where their work is performed or
contiguous thereto.
Within q short time bids will be
asked for carrying the mails over about
600 routes. These include railroad,
steamboat. and wagon transportation.
The amount disbursed on account 0i