The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-06-24
PRESIDENT knew IT.
The Rottenness in the Postofice
Was Known Months Ago.
New York American Calls Upon Pres
ident Roosevelt That He Back up
His Words With Deeds.

1t must be remembered that the pro-
gressive revelations of the rottenness
of Mr.. Payne's department. that daily
startle the country are not hitting
the president with like sudden force.
For him the shock Of the disclosures
was over long ago, for the things that
anger and amaze the people have been
known to Mr. Roosevelt for many
months. To him corruption in the
postoffice department is an old story.
A far back as last December Mr.
Roosevelt knew that A. W. Macheu,
superintendent of free delivery, had
been awarded an illegal coal contract
by Postmaster General Payne's con-
fential secretary, II. Fl. Rand. It was
six months before this came out and
Machen was indicted on another
charge. Yet the president did moth
ing.
And Rand, the man who drew two
salaries from the government, and
third from peculiar mining promo
tion company, is still Payne's conf
Dental secretary.
After Machen came Tyner, assistant
attorney general for the postofice de-
partment, who. overruled the report of
| the inspectors who wished to close the
mail to the get-rich-quick swindlers,
| and who wrote the managers Of the IL
legal company a letter that they used
as an advertisement to delude more
dupes into giving them their dollars.
This was in December last, and the
only punishment contemplated by the
administration was that Tyner should
resign in his own good time x . *
The president knew-that is the
disheartening thing about all this
mine of crime that has been uncover
ed.
He knew that the "practical politi-
Clans he had put in charge Of the
great department were exploiting it as
the police department. Of New York
was exploited at the high tide of black
mail and graft.
He knew that the free delivery sys-
tenn had been swollen to S25, 1000, 600,
l,much of the increase being divided be-
tween plain theft and political favor,
and nearly all of it being expended in
Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa,
where voters and delegates were needed
And, knowing all these things he hesi-
tates to follow the revelations home to
the men most guilty because of the
menace Of the powerful politicians who
put them in.
That the president should not desire
to engender powerful enmities on the.
eve of a convention before which he
is candidate is comprehensive, but
the enmity of all the Paynes and Han
mas and Platts and Quays and Perry
Heatts of the country is less to be
feared by candidate for the presi-
dency than the indignation of the peo-
pie.
'sPolitical expediency'' in case
like this is bound to defeat itself.
No halfway measures will serve, Mr.
| President what the country demands
is not the designations of one or two
smirched men, with letters Of recon-
mendation and appreciation to salve.
their hurts, but indictments, prosecut-
ings, convictions, together with full
exposure of all the evil that has been
done, to the end that public scorn
and contempt shall reach the guilty
servants whose acts cannot be reached
by the laws against theft and bribery
and blakmail.
"Words are good when backed by
deeds, and only so.''
Back the words you spoke before the
trail of crime was blocked by the
threat of political retaliation.
Let the country know that your in
dignation at corruption in Office does
not restrict its expression to stump
speeches. Make it plain that in you
it has an executive who not only de-
sires honesty and decency among his
subordinates, but one whose anger at
the betrayal of trust moves him to
adequate action.
The country waits, Mr.. President.
for the deeds to back your words.
Maj. Marion Noises pair Of horses
ran away with his carriage on West
Liberty street Friday afternoon
completely wrecking the carriage. The