Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-04
Considerable Surprise That 1t
Failed to Reach the Grand
Jury Wednesday
THE PROCEEDINGS ARE SECRET
Government Does Not Dvulse the Ma
ture of the Evidence on Which it Re-
lies For an Indictment of the Official
Time Clocks and Coal Contracts =
Other News.

Washington, June 4.-Contrary to
general expectation, the case Of "A. w.
Machen, the dismissed chief of the
free delivery service of the postoftice
department, was not presented to the
grand jury yesterday, but will prob
ably be brought before that body within
the next few days.
Great secrecy is being observed by
Assistant District Attorney Taggart re-
garding all details connected with the
case, and 1t is impossible to learn the
names of witnesses who have been
summoned. 1t is reported, however,
that the government will call upon
George E. Lorentz. former assistant
postmaster at Toledo, Ohio, where
Machen lived, and who has been under
surveillance by the department as the
possible go-between in the Machen-
Croft bribery case, to testify as to his
connection with the affair. Postmaster
General PANE refused to discuss the
Lorentz matter yesterday, and other
officials preserved the same secrecy
a new and interesting chapter has
been added to the scandal investigation
by revival of the controversy over
the awarding of the contract for time
clocks. N. h Baker of Washington,
representing the Day Time Register
company of Syracuse, n. Y, called the
personal attention of Postmaster Cen
eral Payne to the existence Of four
year contract with the Bundy Clock
company OF Binghamton and the cir
cumstances under which the contract
was executed.
The contract was let while George
w. Beavers was superintendent of the
division of salaries and allowances, but
Beavers has denied that he had any
thing to do with it, throwing the re-
sponsibility on John Masten. formerly
chief clerk of the first assistant post
master generals Office, who was trans
ferred to another branch of the depart
ment as soon as First Assistant Post
master General Wynne took charge.
Masten was brought to Washington by
Beavers from the Brooklyn postoftice.
Last week Postmaster General Payne
announced that more arrests OF corrupt
officers Were to come which would over
shadow those of Superintendent of Free
Delivery Machen and Law Clerk Miller,
but talk of this kind has suddenly
ceased. The revival of the time-clocks
scandal may, however, start 1t up
again.
Mr.. Baker has been engaged for the
past three months In an attempt to
secure some satisfaction from the post
Office department in the matter OF the
time clock contract. and it was not
until he saw Postmaster General Payne
personally yesterday that he was sue
cessful 1t was then that the post
master general personally informed
him. according TO Baker, that 1t made
little or no difference whether the con-
tract was legally executed or not, for
the department already had enough
clocks on land to last 1t for several
years." and that he did not intend to
buy any more, either from the contract
ors or any competitor.
The interview between Baker and
Postmaster General Payne was heated
in character, at least on the part of
Baker.
Postmaster General Payne stated
that the reply of Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow to the
Tulloch charges would not be made
public until the report of the investi-
CATION OF the Washington postottice is
submitted. This report, he said, would
show the conditions OF the Washington
postofiice today as we'll as the condi-
tons which prevailed at the time COM
planned OF by Mr.. Tulloch.
Postmaster General Payne made pub
lie the decision of Attorney General
Knox on which Mr.. Payne based his
award of the coal contract of the
department TO Machen Bros. of this
city. of which August w. Machen. then
general superintendent of the free de-
livery system is member. The award
was made to that firm as the lowest
bidder during the coal famine last
winter, and newspaper publications at
the time charged that the award to
firm of which one of the officials of the
was member was in vio-
lation of the statutes. The decision is
dated Jan. Is. The attorney general,
on the whole, seemed TO favor the con-
tract made as legitimate.