Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-06-26
THE WONDER GROWS
THAT SUCH FRAUDS COULD HAVE
ESCAPED A WATCHFUL EYE.

but were I0ndOned by lhOse IN HiSh Au
thority A Partial List Of " Irregularities.
as They We're Called l. Promotions in the
Navy and Appointments on Civil Service
Commission-SpscuIators Acquiring Irrisa.
ton Lands-A Banker Seems to Think Pos
tai Officers Easy Mark" - Delegate Ap.
pointed to Wireless Telegraph Congress.
(From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, June Is, 1903.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral Bristow's reply to the Tulloch
charges has finally been given to the
press and it is hardly surprising that
Postmaster General Payne was reluc.
tant to make the report public. 1t
demonstrates beyond peradventure
that during the regime of Postmaster
General Smith and First Assistant
Heath the utmost corruption pre-
vailed in the Postoflice Department
and in the Washington postofiice,
which was used az sort of asylum for
the personal and political friends and
proteges of Hanna, Heath and others.
In his letter to Payne, Bristow says
that as long ago as 1900 Beavers
warned him against any investigation
of Heath's actions and further warned
him that certain appointments noted
as irregular were the personal acti ons
of Postmaster General Smith. Bris-
tow further says that at the time he
called the attention OF Postmaster
General Smith to "certain glaring ir-
regularities" which he believed called
for immediate correction. OF course
Smith made no move to correct them.
Notwithstanding these facts, Beavers
has been permitted to remain in the
service until a month or two ago.
1t is further shown that one o. H.
Smith, q personal friend of Perry
Heath, from Indiana, was illegally APP
pointed, that he drew several salaries
simultaneously for services which it
would have been physically impossible
for him to perform at the same time,
that he was paid exorbitsnt expense
accounts contrary to law. etc. He was
also paid per diem allowance, con-
trary to law, when he was for a consid-
cradle period, absent from Washington
participating in the Indiana campaign.
This same Smith is still in the service
and is mentioned in Civil Service Com.
missioner Proctor's report as holding
his present position illegally. and as
drawing the salary of finance clerk
when he is actually in charge of la.
borers. According to Postmaster Gen.
eral Payne the abuses reported at that
time were corrected by Postmaster
General Smith. An instance of
Smiths methods Of correction is found
in the case Of eight char.women"
whom the inspectors found were per-
forming no services, but were drawing
aggregate salaries OF $500 a year.
Postmaster General Smith corrects
this abuse by writing the Postmaster
at Washington that these women were
regularly appointed and it was the
Postmaster's business to find employ
ment for them. This, notwithstsnd.
ing the fact, as shown by Commits.
sioner Proctor, that 80 many unneces.
sary employees were forced on the
Washington Postmaster that it was
impossible for him to find work for all.
Another instance is given in the case
Of E. 0. Fowler who was unable to
perform any satisfactory service but
who WAS appointed assistant to the
time.keeper, who needed no assistant.
at a salary OF 81, 700 q year, although
the time-keeper himself received but
81, 900 q year. These are but very
few samples Of several hundred similar
cases reported.
The most lively contest for appoint.
ments in the navy ended to-day in the
selection of Captain Charles w. Rae.
chief engineer. to be engineer in chief
and chief of the Bureau of Steam En-.
cheering; Pay Director Henry T. B.
Harris to be paymaster general and
chief of the Bureau OF Supplies and
Accounts, and Colonel George F. FL
lott OF the marine corps to be Briga-
der General, Commandant of Marines.
In the selection OF an engineer officer
to succeed Admiral George w. Mel.
Vile, the members of the naval general
board have been disappointed in q pet
project. They have been urging the
selection of . line officer Engineer.in-
Chief. Captain Rae had the support
of Senator Hale OF Maine who as
Chairman of the Committee on Naval
Affairs exercised great influence.
The President has filled two vacan-
cies in the Civil Service Commission
this week. He has appointed Alvord
w. Cooley of New York, vice William
Dudley Foulke, resigned, and Harry F.
Greene of Minnesota. vice James R.
Garfield who resigned to take the 20.
sition OF Chief of the Bureau of Cor.
porations in the Department of Com.
MERGE and Labor.
1t is evident that there will be SER
ious curtailment OF the land settlement
acts at the next session of Congress.
President Roosevelt urged revision of
the land laws in his last message to
Congress and . bill making several
notifications was introduced but new.
or passed. 1t is now shown that q
large portion OF the land which will be
benefited by Federal irrigation has
been taken up by speculators. Sena-
tor Gibson, OF Montana, estimates that
in his State alone $500, 600 acres have
been taken up during the past year
under the Stone and Timber Act, with
ont adding single agriculturist to the
population OF the State. The Presi.
dent has said that the laws should be
made so stringent as to prevent the
requirement OF land by any but actual
home makers and that il this is not
done the entire purpose of Federal ir-
rigation will be defeated. That there
will be q thorough revision of the land
laws next winter is the confident pre-.
diction Of those in q position to know.
As If inspired by the reports of brib-
cry in the Postoffice Department, a
New York State banker has gotten