Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-09-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our Regular correspondent,

(From our Regular Correspondent
Washington, d. c., Sept. i4.-StiIl
another grave scandal in the present
administration has come to light to
plague the republicans. This time it
is in the General Land Office, Hugh F..
Price, Surveyor General of Arizona,
having been dismissed and w. E. Muir
ply, his chief clerk, having been sus-
pended. 1t appears that Price has been
collecting large sums in excess of the
legal fees from miners who sought to
enter land claims. Although allowed
all ample clerical force, Price would
postpone the preparation of the claim
papers until the time limit for the en- :
try had almost expired, then he would
demand fees of various sizes for extra
| clerical work. 1t is intimated by those
i'll position to know that there are
probably numerous similar instances
and it is generally conceded that the
time has arrived for an Overhauiing of
the Entire Department of the Interior
save perhaps the Patent Office, not
less thorough than that now taking
place in the POstoffice Department.
Meanwhile, rumors of serious scandals
in the administration of the Iinmigra-
ton law by the Treasury department
are beginning to be circulated and no
one can tell where the end will be.
News of somewhat extraordinary
proceedings on the part of the Presi-
dent has just been received in Wash
ington. Holmes Conrad, who with
Charles }. BOnaparte, was retained as
special counsel for the government to
assist in the prosecution OF cases grow.
ing out or the Postofflce Investigation
has arrived In Washington and states
that for the past six weeks ne and
Bonapare have, by order OF the presi-
dent, been engaged IN going over the
old TullOch charges which the Post
master general characterized as "hQt
| were vigorously denied by Merritt,
postmaster OF Washington. Captain
Castle, auditor for the PostOffice De-
partment, Comptroller of the Treasury
TraceweIi and other officials still in
the government service. as we'll as by
former First Assistant Postmaster
General Perry Heath. former Post
master General Charles Emory Smith
and others. No one knows what is
the Presldent's object, but there are
indications that the position Of '5ristow
and Proctor, the Civil Service Com
missioner, both of whom supported
Tulloch, will be sustained to the great
discomfort of the officials above NAM
ed. Conrad described himself as a |
Liberal republican, while Ronaparte
claims to be Liberal democrat,
which, being translated, probably |
means that neither men has strong par |
tisan bias, but both have unsullied re-
putations for honesty aud the public !
will receive with every confidence, as |
will doubtless Mr.. Roosevelt, their YER. |
dict with regard to the TullOch allega-
tons. Postmaster General Payne does |
not attempt to CONCEAL his chagrin at |
the action Of his chief and from the
manner in which be has |
himself on several recent o.
casions it is believed that the POetmas-
ter General contemplates resigning
from the cabinet at an early date.
1t is believed, moreover, that the
Todd case is likely to be the occasion
of serious falling out between the |
Postmaster General and the President. |
There is question of veracitY between |
Messrs. Payne and Roosevelt and it |
will be impossible for both of them to |
emerge from the present difficulty with |
credit. Payne removed from office |
Miss Hulda Todd, fourth class post !
master at Greenwood, Delaware, and |
appointed as her successor henGhmaq |
of Alice, the Addicks senator. Num- |
erOus protests followed this action and |
Payne explained that he had taken the |
action because Miss Todd's tern"
had expired and according to an agree
ment between Alice and Ball, the Del.
aware senators, the former had a right |
to control the federal patronage in
that county. Protests were then sent
to the President and he announced
that he had called on Payne for an ex-
plantation of his action. To this Payne
replies with an interview in which be
says that the agreement was made
with the knowledge and approval of
The President, that he reported on the
case to the President at Oyster Bay
before the President called for any ex-
PLANTATION and intlmates that in saying
ne had called for report the President
8 playing to the galleries. Mr..
PAYNE had also said that he is weary of
'aklng the blame for other. peoples
mistakes. just what he means by
hat 10 one appears to know but an
interesting denoument seems likely to
olloW. Meanwhile, the press, regard
esS of party, is refusing to believe that
ROOSEVELT was party to any such con
ract with the representative of 1.-THE
most notorious political corruption ist
n the country" as one repp blican pa ,
yer described Addicks, and everyone ia !
Payne's resignation. II
-Four more persons have been indict. ,
d during the past week in connection
With the postal frauds, although it is i
aid at the POstoffice Department that T
he most Sensational cases are yet to
ONE. Last week. g indictments reveal
hree new cases of graft" whereby
lachen used his place to defraud the a
overnment. In one instance he wac q
oiiectlng, by means of go-betweens
) cents on every package mail box, 2
tier having arbitrarily raise the price
the government ST. Is; in another
'stance he is shown to have bean col. a
citing from one half to one-fourth the s.
ct profit on every letter box sold the t
ostOffice Department since 1898: and t.
still another he is shown to have a
zen, with George w. Beavers and p
ameS W..Erwin, an assistant super. is
tendent of free delivery, a stockhold- fl
IN a concern which was selling to ri
10 government at an exOrbitant price n
simple little device which is attached I
mail boxes in some cities and which is
dictates when the next collection will U
made. On the letter box contract o.
is claimed that Machen pocketed not tt
IS than SIS 900, possibly much more. IL
ir
&c
/ be New Bank Makes Rama RI ahia