The Holly chieftain., 1903-12-04
Three Chief Offenders.


the three chief offenders in the govern
| ment service were James NJ. Tyner, as
/ sistant attorney general for the Post
Office Department; A. w. Machen, gem
| eral superintendent of the free delivery
| system, and George w. Beavers, gen
| eral superintendent of salaries and al
| lowances. He goes on to say:
THE friends of Tyner have ad-
yanced the theory that il his case the
| chief offender was really his nephew by
| marriage, Barrett, who was his assist
ant in the office for part of the time,
and that Tyncr's offenses are due to his
{; failing bodily and mental powers. The
| facts set forth in Mr. Bristows report
do not tend TO substantiate the validity
of these excuses for Tyner, while they
show literally astounding misconduct
in Barrett For Machen and Beavers
| no excuse of any kind has been alleged.
| In the case of Metcalf, the superinten-
dent of the money-order system, the
most vigorous protests We're at first
made on his behalf by large num-
ber OF reputable citizens, and also by
others who were at the time deemed
J reputable, but who it has since been
discovered were protiting by Metcalf's
misconduct. One of them has been in
| dlcted in connection with him. When
these Investigations We're begun, some
nine months ago, many of the chief
| offenders who have been indicted or
dismissed, or both, as above enumer-
ated, were considered to have excel
| lent regulations. A number of the
most respectable people in the land Of
fered voluntary testimony on behalf OF
h;.rIl
Beavers and Machen thought of by
those who had been brought into close
| connection with them that the Con-
gress actually provided at its last ses-
! sion for raising the salaries of both,
the salary in each case being increased
$500, to take effect at the beginning of
I the fiscal year on July 1st last.
But that date they were both out of
office, and the department of justice
was taking steps to have them indict-
, ed. During Machen's term of service
he was twice investigated by the Con-
gress, once by committee of the Sen
ate and once by a committee of the
/ House, but cleared on each occasion.
Yet at that very period, as has been
I shown in the present investigation, he
was engaged in the corrupt business
for which he has now been removed
and indicted. This is no reflection upon
the committees who conducted the in
vestigation; for so skillfully had Mach
| en- concealed his wrongdoing that it
was only revealed after months Of la
'orious and exhaustive work by
trained inspectors"
| The Senate confirmed the nomina
, ton of Willis Sweet as attorney gem
eral of Porto Rico.
Announcement is made from the
| War Department that no additional
| designations Will be made of candi-
dates from civil life to be examined
for appointment as second lieutenant
| in the army.
| The treaty between Cuba and the
/ United States for adjustment of the
title to the ownership of the Isle of
Pines has been returned to the Sen
ate Committee on Foreign Relations
for amendment to protect the interests
of American citizens before action is
taken.
Respecting the statements attributed
to General Reyes in New Orleans in
terview, that Colombia would send
100000 men into Panama overland. the
fact is recalled that the Instructions
to the United States navy officers on
the isthmus were such that they would
not admit to the neighborhood Of the
isthmus any hostile forces. This was
understood by the officers to mean
that hostile Colombian troops would
not be allowed to enter Panama at any
point, either by water or by land and
SO far there has been no change in the
instructions given to the naval officers
on this point.
The secretary of the interior has
suspended from Office d. f. Campbell,
clerk of the townsite commission of the
Creek nation in Indian Territory, pend
ing the outcome of an investigation
based on an indictment against him for
alleged unlawfully obtaining money
while a member of the Kansas Legisla-
ture. the indictment charging the re-
ceipt Of 800 from the clerk Of the
District Court at Oswego, Kansas, fol-
lowing the passage of bill raising the
clerks salary The court dismissed the
indictment, but Indian Inspector
Wright is making an investigation and
has obtained an order from the court
for the stenographic minutes of the
grand jury.
Rumors have reached the S,ate De-
partment that General Reyes mission
to Washington is primarily to try to
array opposition senators against the
ratification of the Bunau-N ar1lla-Hay
canal treaty. There is also talk of the
formation OF combination Of South
American countries, directed against
the limited States ReSDectiDE the