Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-06-22
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette.
no.I;,,xto, n ~ Tuno -

Correspondence OF Ine AIeAhnurla OdIclF.J
Washington, d. c., June D.
The grand jury has found a joint indict-
ment, which will probably be reported
to the court later this afternoon, against
George f. Lorenz, formerly postmaster
of Toledo, Ohio Martha j. Lorenz, his
wife August w. Machen, former Supt.
of Free Delivery of the Pc, toflice Depart
ment; Diller b. Croft and Samuel A.
Croft, members of the firm of which sold
the patent mail-box fasteners to the gov
eminent, upon which Machen is alleged
to have received a ''rake-Ofi'' of 40 per
cent. This Indictment found today charges
conspiracy to defraud the government,
being based on Section $40 of the u. ;.
Revised Statutes. LOrenz and his wife
are alleged to have been the intermedi-
aries in fraudulent transactions between
Machen and the Croft brothers. 1t is
charged that they received the amounts
from the GrofIs and transferred them to
Machen. The penalty under the statute
is a fine of $40, 600 or two years in pris-
on, or both. Machen and the Grofs
have both been indicted previously under
another statute, for accepting and giving
brides respectively. The indictment
found today and those previously re-
turned refer to the same transactions.
The indictment against Lorenz and his
wife, Machen and Grofs Bros, charging
conspiracy, was returned to the court at
, D. m. Lorenz will be arrested at once.
No further bail will be required for
Machen and the Groffs, they being under
sufficient bonds in the indictment pre-
viously brought against them.
Replies have been received by First
Assistant Wynne to the inquiries re-
Gently made Of the postmasters at Cincin
natl and Cleveland, Ohio, st. Louis,
Chicago and all the first class offices
relative to the Office personnel above the
rank of clerks. 1t is along this line that
the civil service commission has charged
irregularities. The reports are being
gone over, the tests in the division of
salaries and allowances being used as a
guide in the checking up work, A SUI
perfciaI inspection, it is announced, has
disclosed no general irregularities.
The Postmaster General will be asked
to investigate the contract under which
the General Manifolding Company of
Franklin, Pa, supplies carriers register
books. 1t is charged among other
things, that child labor is used in the
factory and that the specifications for
the award are so drawn that all competi-
ton is shut out. A patent carbon
paper is used. When the attention of
the public printer was called to the
case he wrote the company at Franklin
for rates on the paper. He says they
absolutely declined to make any quota
tons. Congressman Sibley is said to
be one of the principal owners of the
manifolding company.
There is much talk respecting swiRdles
perpetrated by the railroads and steam
ship companies in connection with con-
tracts for carrying the mails. There is
no question that exorbitant prices are
paid for this service. 1t is an open Sc
cret that the railroads are always in
formed in advance of the days on which
the mails are to be weighed, although
the law requires that they shall know
nothing about it. As consequence the
mails are packed during the weighing
period. The department weighs the
mail carried by each railroad twice a
year and pays for daily service upon the
results obtained. If the railroads are
notified when the weighing will take
place and can obtain few tons of addi-
tional mail, they are paid for these extra
tons every day for six months following.
Ii is known here that members Of Con-
gress aid the railroads by allowing mail
made up of public documents to accu-
mulate until it can be used to swell the
tonnage for the benefitof the roads dur
ing the weighing period. 1t is believed |
that some inquiry by General Bristow |
will explain the mystery. 1t has been
discovered that ex-COngressman Loud,
Of California, former chairman Of the |
House pOstoffice committee, obtained the |
of three postoflice inspec-
tors by evading the civil service law
while Perry S. Heath was in Office. Loud !
has been accused upon former occasions
Of aiding the railroads both in matter of |
and in ordinary contracts.
These charges were made against him by |
his political opponentsin California, and
we're never satisfactorily refuted. II may |
happen, if the transportation contracts |
are investigated, that Mr.. Loud may be
drawn into the scandal to greater ex-
tent than he had expected.
1t is underatOod that a. w. Machen !
is contemplating an onslaught on Elk
Loud, of California, in res
taiiation for the latter's recent caustic |
criticism of Machen's methods of con-
Quoting the free delivery division.