The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-12-04
SCORED BY PRESIDENT.
Roosevelt De~ounces the Men
Who Have Been Indicted
for Postal Frauds.
FINAL REPORT HAS BEEN FILED
Fourth Assistant Secretary Bristow
Gives the Details and Results or
the Extended Inquiry,

Washington. Dec. 1.-The final re.
port on the postal fraud investigation
has just been made public. 1t was
complied by J. l.. Bristow. fourth as
sistant postmaster general. who has
had charge OF the inquiry.
The report is accompanied by
memorandum signed by President
Roosevelt. in which official corruption
Is denounced In amost scathing terms,
The president refers 10 the operations
OF Beavers and Machen as bribery
and blackmail" He denies that Ty-
ners failing bodily and mental powers
Tyners office favored the get rich
quick concerns and similar swindes,
who paid them for permission to fleece
the public
In closing his memorandum Presi'
dent Roosevelt declares
self government becomes farce
II the representatives OF the people
corrupt others or are themselves cor
rupted
Bristow Reviews the Case,
Secretary Br.stow. ID reviewing the
investigation says
More than forty inspectors have
been employed upon this work. some OF
them continuously every day since the
Investigation began. The records OF l.
600 postotices have been examined
and the files OF many divisions of the
department. covering a period OF from
six 10 ten years, Scrut.nized,
The system Of organized corruption
that has been disclosed began IN 1899
and continued until stopped by this In
Vestigation The amount OF money Sc
cured by the corrupt ofiicia : and their
confederateS Is small as compared 10
the total loss 10 the government
ITO illustrate: Barrett received but
$4,000 from Arnold. yet that company
defrauded ths people out Of over So,
100000.
"Machen probably did not receive
more than $4,000 from the Croft
fastener Yet the government has paid
approximately $4,000 for that device,
which represents a net loss. since the
department continued 10y the terms OF
the contract for letter boxes, TO pay
for the original fasteners.
Beavers and Others Got Little
Beavers and his assistants re-
ceived less than $4,000 from the auto
matte cashier Yet the department ex-
pended S74,215 for this wholly unneces-
sary machine.
The total amount that the per
petrators of these frauds themselves
received cannot be definitely learned.
but IL will aggregate between 100000
and 500. 900 while the loss TO the gov,
eminent considering the unnecessary
supplies that have been purchased and
the inferior quality of those furnished
by fraudulent contractors. cannot be
estimated with any degree OF ac-
curacy
AS the gross abuses have been
brought 10 light they have been
promptly corrected by the proper de.
partment officers Contracts where
fraud has been discovered have been
annulled
AS a result of the investigation four
officers and employees OF the depart
ment have resigned and thirteen have
been removed Forty-four indictments
have been found. involving thirty-one
persons. ten OF whom have been con
pected with the postal service"
Where Perry Heath Comes In.
feature of Secretary , ristow's re-
port is the pages devoted To the alleged
frauds in connection with the purchase
Of canceling machines. and 1t is this
branch of the inquiry that testimony
was taken seeming 10 implicate Perry
$. Heath, former first assistant post
master general One witness testified
that he gave Heath $4,000 worth OF
stock in the company to which Heath
had given an order for a large number
of canceling machines. Secretary Bris-
tow says. however. that the grand jury
did not consider the evidence suf.
ticient TO warrant indictment.
President Roosevelts only reference
to Perry $. Heath is the the single
sentence:
The case Of eX-First Assistant Post
master General Heath. who had left
the service July 81. 1900. is set forth
in the report of Mr.. Bristow."
President Roosevelts Comments.
President Roosevelts memorandum
discloses the fact that the investiga-
ton was the result Of a conference be.
tween Postmaster General Payne and
Congressman Loud in December. 1902.
At their request congress appropriated
$1,000 for beginning the investigation.
President Roosevelt says that at the
time the reason for the appropriation
was known only to the postmaster
general and TO congressman Loud and
Bromwell.
President Roosevelt, in commenting
on the inquiry which followed. says:
"Mr. Bristow's report is a record OF
as thorough a bit OF investigation work
"a has ever been done under the gov
eminent"