Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-04
BEFORE GRAND |! JURY
Witnesses Examined in the
Case of Machen.
INDICTMENT EXPECTED
FURTHER EVIDENCE TO BE
HEARD TOMORROW.
Unusual Secrecy in Regard to the Pro-
ceedings Taken by Assistant
Attorney Taggart.

The case of August W. Machen, late gen.
eral superintendent OF the free delivery
system of the Post Office Department, who
is charged with having received bribes
to the amount of $4,000 in connection with
department contracts, was presented to the
federal grand jury today The jury took
IN the case at IL o'clock, heard two wit
nesses. which consumed the time until 2
o'clock when a brief recess was taken,
after which the session was resumed for
ten minutes when an adjournment was
taken for today After the members OF the
grand jury had left the building Attorney
Taggart and the four post office inspectors
in attendance took possession OF the grand
Jury room behind locked doors.
The first witness heard in the case was
Andrew M McBath, chief of the division
in the office of the auditor for the Post Of
flee Department. He was under exam1na-
ton for about two hours Inspector Mayer,
who took the chief part IN working up the
case against Machen, was next called, ana
was on the stand until the recess for lunch
was Mr.. John Eckloff. cashier of the Sec
ond National Bank of this city. -Four post
office inspectors were also in the private Of
flee of Mr.. Taggert, where the witnesses
were assembled, besides another witness
from out of town.
The utmost secrecy was ma1nta!ned re-
garding the proceedings. The witness room
adjoining the grand jury room was not
used as is usual, but the Witnesses were
assembled in Mr.. Taggarts private office.
in the further end Of the corridor. Every
employe on the second floor of the city
hall where the grand jury meets, had been
given the strictest orders not to give any
information in the Machen case.
Mr.. Taggart Conducted the Proceed
ings.
Assistant United States District Attorney
Taggart conducted the proceedings before
the grand jury. There is the utmost conf
dence on the part of post office officials that
a case is to be made out against Machen.
1t was stated today that the utmost care
had been taken in this particular case, and
that it was not the intention of the depart
ment to bring action against any one un-
less there was as near as possible an abso-
lutte certainty that conviction would follow
There was no lack of confidence in this
discussion that in the present instance this
would be the result.
In case Indictment is rendered by the
grand jury before the hour of the preliml-
nary hearing. which has been set for 1890
o'clock Saturday before United States Com
missioner Taylor, there is no question that
the preliminary proceedings before that Of
fetal will be abandoned. This would be the
proper procedure under the circumstances.
Mr.. Machen Is spending much time in the
offices of Douglass & Douglass his attor-
neys assisting in the preparation of his
defense. These Offices overlook the City
Hail. where the grand jury sits being on
the upper floor of an office building just
across the street.
Result of Overhauling Rural Free De-
livery System.
Aside from the acute interest manifested
in the Machen case by officials of the Post
Office Department. and gossip relating to
the same, there was nothing to add in the
way or news to the postal scandals.
In discussing some of the beneficial re-
suits to the service of the general overhaul
ing which the rural free delivery system
is to undergo as result of the investiga
ton attention was called to the fact that
4 out OF all the hundreds of rural free deliv
cry routes established throughout the
country since the experiment Of delivering
the mails to country communities was be-
gun not single route had. ever been
abandoned as Improbable
This Is so notwithstanding the fact as
stated by an official conversant with the sit
uation, that at least one-third of the rural
routes established in the, southern states
could not be justified on the ground of
necessity, or because they were on paying
basis or ever likely to be made SO. This
same condition was declared to prevail re-
garding at least one-fifth of the routes In
the northern states. and particularly in
the New England states.
0o1Ac " De ADanQOueO.
In the overhauling which is to come there
| is good reason to believe that many of the
| routes which have been established simply
at the behest and opportunities of repre-
Sentat1VeS and senators will be abandoned.
1t will be the practice of the department in
| the future to have thorough inspection
| made of these n-prOductive routes. and
where 1t is found that no Justification exists
Tor their maintenance they will be aban-
doned p"
To do this it is recognized that there
will have to be some feelings hurt and
some pretty hard contests waged with
members of Congress who have taken de-
| light in demonstrating their usefulness to
| their constituency by having rural free de-
livery routes established ~
There must be established some reason
beyond the desire Of the ambitious con-
gressman to please hts constituents before
a new route Is mapped cut and carrier
employed at the rate of $50 a month at the
expense of the taxpayers Of the country.
Another retrenchment which, the depart
ment is making an effort to bring about is
| in regard to what are declared to be abuses
of the second-cIass rates.
Suits are now pending, and decisions are
expected In the near future on the question
as to whether the law gives the Postmas-
ter General discretionary power to decide
what class of printed matter shall and
what shall not be entitled to go as second
class matter through the mails In both of
| these retrenchments 1t ID hoped Ito effect
| savings which will tend to more nearly
make the postal system OF the country self
| supporting.
The deficiency this year, accerding to
the best expert opinion obtainable, will
amount to something like $4,000 .0oO. This
| is slightly larger SUM than last year.
and is accounted for Partially by the phe-
| ncmenal growth within. tho past few
| months of the rural free delivery service
Washington City Office.
Regarding the examination Of the WASH
ington city post offiEe Postmaster General
Payne said today that the Investigation Of
| the office, SO far as the work of the In
| spectors was concerned had all been COM
pleted within a recent date.
The result of this work has, however.
| not been compiled into q report accessible
| for the consideration az the Postmaster
| General as a. comparison with conditions
| prevailing at the time,swfren Mr.. Tulloch
/ charges Irregularities existed. When this
| work has been done II is Indicated that
the reply of Fourth Assistant Bristow to
| the Tulloch statement will be made public.
| If this reply shows that there were certain
| abuses prevalent at the former time the
| report of the recent investigation will show.
| 1t is belived, that these abuses have all
been corrected since that time.