The daily sentinel., 1903-03-28
GOVERNMENT
SCANDAL.
Promises TO Surpass the Famous
"Star Route" Case----Georse
W. Beavers Has Resigned.


seems likely to be the most extraordi-
nary government scandal since the
celebrated Star route fraud has been
precipitated by the resignation of
George W. Beavers, general superin-
tendent of division of salaries and al
lowances of the postoffice department..
His resignation has been accepted and
will take effect March 81.
Beavers had been in the postal SER
vice upward of twenty-five years. He
was not forced out of the service. and
his resignation was not asked for, but
first investigation by special detail
of postoffice inspectors under the di-
rection of Postmaster General Payne
and by special orders from President
Roosevelt himself developed condi-
tion of rottenness and fraud the extent
of which no one can predict.
1t is a secret known only to few
people that after the consultation
with Postmaster General Payne a
short time ago Pre:ident Roosevelt
ordered searching investigation
should be made into the stories which
had been current in Washington for a
year regarding the gross corruption,
immortality and fraud in some of the
most important executive bureaus of
the postoffice department.
Acting under the direction of the
president, Fourth Assistant Postmas-
ter General Bristow, who ha; charge
of the postoffice inspectors. began an
investigation of the charges fir eely
made of late that there was gross cor
ruption manifest throughout the sys-
tenn of supplies for the postoffice de-
partment. This was also true through
the ramifications of the free delivery
service. including letter boxes and
supplies for carrires, both in city and
co untry.
General Bristow is the Official who
who unearthed there the frauds
which put Neely and Rathbone behind
prison bars.
The postoffice inspectors at work on
the case. most of whom were fresh
from the Cuban investigation. have
already discovered evidences of system
of division of profits among certain
officials in the postoffice department
and interested manufacturers. 1t has
become apparent that registering time
clocks. safes. canceling machines,
twine, wrapping paper. postoffice
boxes, mail bags, pens, pen hold srs,
| rubber stamps and stationery and all
| the manifold supplies of the postoffice
department were bought in enormous
quantities and supplied to postmasters
| at rate far exceeding anything need
ed: and that almost every contract of
| this description is tainted with fraud
| involving system of division be-
tween the manufacturer and the
guilty postoffice official.
The evidence thus far in the hands
general 1t has been impossible yet
to go into detail All they know is
that almost every article used in the
postoffice for years has been forced to
pay toll TO a corrupt gang whose OPP
erations have been centralized in
Washington. In many cases the
prices at which supplies have been
sold have not been exorbitant. but
the game has been worked by forcing
supplies upon postmasters and the
railway service. requiring them to use
time clocks and canceling machines
which were neither necessary nor
economical, although quite desirable
on general principles.
| The original fund of the postoffice
department. and the United States
treasury has to be drawn upon only to
the extent of max ing good the deficit
between receipts and expenditures of
postoffices. This renders possible the
scheme of looting which could not be
carried ON successfully in other de-
partments.
The postoffices of the country re-
quire in their legitimate demand an
enormous amount of supplies. which
in the aggregate are exceedingly cost
Il ly An ordinary commission ON such
supplies would be quite sufficient to