Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-17
BUSY ?. .. INSPECTORS.
Employees Examined Regarding
 Promotion Syndicate.
Clerks Thus Far Examined Are Mum as to What Took Place Nearly l. GOO Clerks Paid Good Money to the Syndicate Agents in New York.

GOO Clerks Paid Good Money to the
 Syndicate Agents in New York.
 New York, April 17.-Three Dostof- fee inspectors from western divisions have been busily engaged in the fed eral building here examining em- ployes regarding the alleged promo tion syndicate. More than dozen clerks in the general postotfice were called before the inspectors and ques- Ntioned closely.
 What answers the men made can not be learned, nor will the clerks so questioned even admit that they were called upon in connection with the syndicate. It Is evident all have been cautioned against talking. l
 While none of the postal officials will admit 1t, 1t Is learned from a re- liable authQrity that the method of the syndicate was as follows:
 One of two or three men in the gen. eral postoffice in this city would ap, proacll a clerk who was on the list recommended for promotion. This clerk would be informed 1t was known he was not on the list of f.61G men recommended 2 by Postmaster Van Cott, the promotions to take effect on July i. The agent would say that through certain Washington connec- tions, he was able toSpromise that the clerk would be placed .cn the lists.
 Usually. unless the clerk was satis- fled hts record was so good his pro fmotion practically was assured an agreement was entered into whereby money was paid to the agent with the understanding that if promotion was not made the money was to be refunded.
 It was evident the "syndicate'' had access to the list as recommended by the postmaster and sent to the divis ion of salaries and allowances, for a comparison is said to have been made between this list and that of the men employed In the postoffice. All ol the men whose names really had beer left off the list were approached and informed they had not been recon mended for promotion, but "it could be fixed"
 This was accomplished, it Is said by dropping some of the men recon mended by the postmaster It is un. derstood also the list as recommended by the Washington department diff fered in many respects from that sen i'll by the postmaster. The amount | paid to the agents Is said to have beer from $25 to $50 a man. ..,tsy
 To keep the men from talking tc 1 one another about the scheme it i: said the agents represented to the employe approached that his friend in Washington, who "had the pull. could get only one or two men on tht list. This friend" was represented | as occupying a position so close tt | the chief officials that the addition O. | one or two names would be made { | personal favor. Each clerk was eau | toned he must not say anything o, the plan would get to other ears ant the clerks in Washington would bt overwhelmed with applications iron New York friends to get them on tht list of recommended employees, tthe result being that none of thefn would get an advance.
 It Is said nearly a thousand clerk paid their money to the agents of tn, syndicate in New York
 | In addition to the three inspector examining clerks. six others ar known to be in the city. detailed ol | other ends of the scandal,