Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-06-03


California. 1t is clearly up to
: President Wheeler to do some ex.
planning"
1t now appears that all the trou-
BILE in the Postoffice Department
the favoritism, the wastefulness.
the irregularities, the deficits, the
} Jobs, the scandals, and the rest of
: it-are the fault of one Thomas w.
Gilmer, an $500 clerk i'm the
Treasury Department. Mr.. Gil
ner was an expert accountant i'm the
office of Mr.. Tracewell, the Comp
troller of the Treasury, and in that
capacity he had toexamine accounts
as to which his superior officer
might be in doubt, or concerning
which further and more accurate
information seemed necessary.
| Among these accounts recurring
expert scrutiny and competent an
alysIs a great man came from the
POstofhce Department, and it now
transpires that Mr.. Gilmer's habit
of asking for explanations gave
great OtfenSe to certain high Off
Gals in that branch of the public
service. Whenever he found char
geS. entries, &c, which he could
not understand and he seemed to
have found a great many he went
to the eminent parsonage supposed
to know all about it, and boldly
asked for light. need hardly say
that he was not doing this on his
own account. but under the orders
of his chief, Comptroller Tracewen.
At last. Mr.. Gilmer's activities
became SO offensive To certain pos
tai officers. who had more import
ant cares than the accuracy of
their accounts or the propricty of
their expenditures, that they COM
planned of him TO the Assistant Sec
rotary of the Treasury. Mr.. Van
derlip. Gilmcr was rude. He
was mcddleSome and intrusive.
His requests for information which
the eminent personages in question
could not impart amounted to an
insult. Off with his head And
il went off.
This occurred in 1899. nearly
four years ago. Gilmer was put
where he could no longer offend
the great men of that day.
At the time Comptroller Trace
we'll was myStified. Indeed, as late
| ~ as the % of the current month.
he wrote to the Postmaster General
these words: MIR. GiImcr was a
most competent. painStaking and
industrious clerk. In my office he
displayed none of the traits of char
acter of which these complaints
are made. Mr.. TraceweH has
amended and qualified this verdict
during the past three weeks under
what inspiration shall not stop 10
consider. In his letter to the Post
master General, May -. the Comp
troller discovers all sorts of short
comingS in the clerk to whom he
paid such a glowing tribute just
three weeks before. He now re-
CARDS Gilmer with suspicion and
speaks of him in terms of dispar-
agement. Evidently the time has
come when good men must stand
together and when virtue must re-
buke wickednesS. There is further
testimony to the bad character of
this wretch, Gilmer. 1t comes
from eX-Attorney General Griggs
and from eX-AsSiStant Secretary of
the Treasury Vanderbilt. If he had
only refrained from asking those
silly questions of such men as Bea-
vers and Machen and Perry Heath.
the country would not now be
shocked by the disgusting disclo-
Surcs now coming to light every
day in the POStofiice Department.
What the governmental depart
ments at Washington need is a
thorough cleaning out with Dem
ocratic broom and the people can
furnish it. VIII they do itl
Hanna's announcement that
Roosevelt by telegram had asked
for Ohio's support caused amuse-
ment here. The day before Han
mas announcement Roosevelt had
officially declared that he had asked
no ones support.