The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-04-24
CROOKEDNESS IN THE POST
OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
DAILY States.)


Post Office Department at Wash
lington which came to light a few
weeks ago has been dropped b,
order of President Roosevelt, be
cause it was leading to the impli
cation of several persons high IL
authority and threatened to de-
velop political scandal that
would seriously injure the Re
publican party. As far as the
investigation went it showed that
officials in the department have
been receiving fat commissions
for contracts for supplies and
materials used in the postal SER
vice. The disclosure caused
Clarkson and other leaders to
visit Washington and urge the
President to call off the investi-
CATION as it was hurting the Re-
publican party. The necessary
order was issued and the investi-
cation stopped short. The ex-
tent of the crookedness in the
Post Office Department will per-
haps never be known unless the
investigation is taken up by the
correspondents of the New York
newspapers at Washington.
A few months ago, it will be
remembered, several customs
officials at New York were sum-
marily discharged from the gov
eminent service because of fur
nishing to the Treasury Depart
ment information regarding gross
Irregularities. These Irregular
tiles were clearly established but
the men who reported them were
discharged while the persons who
have been guilty of grating in
the Post Office Department have
been retained in Office because
they have "pull'' and the dis
closures incident to their removal
would hurt the Republican party
in the elections to be held this
year and the next. This certain
~ does not speak well for Presi-
dent Roosevelt's method of inn
proving the public service. In
commenting on the smotherlng
of the Republican scandals for
political reasons the Norfolk Vir-
ginia Pilot says:
"These incidents serve to show
the necessity of Il change in the
control of the government. If
the Democratic and Republican
parties should adopt identical
platforms in 1904 the people
would consult their own interests
BY turning the Republicans out.
Government is not merely mat
ter of laws: 1t is even more large
" matter of administration.
And it is doubtful that even in
the history of the country has it
had a more thoroughly rotten adj
ministration than at present.
"There is logical reason for
this. The Republicans came in
to power in 1896 through corrup-
ton. 1t was the commonly ac- |
cepted belief that the election
was bought outright. The I'M
derlings who took office under
the new regime did so with the |
knowledge that they owed their
places to fraud and bribery. |
Naturally they did not take a lof-
ty view of their moral response
bilities.
Then came the war with
Spain with its unlimited oppor-
Lunities for graft-the sale of
vessels to the government at ex-
brilliant prices: jobbery in cloth
ng contracts; the embaimed beef
'candals-all the nauseous bust
ness that the public will yet east
y recall. These affairs were
CLOSED over and only AIger the
'crapegoat. suffered. Naturally
ne administration underlings
Who were in a position to turn a
benny through graft set out to
improve their opportunity. How
veil this has been done is sufiici-
,ntly evidenced by the fact that
he President has precipitateiy
.alled off the inyesti CATION IN the
through fear of rev.
cations that would follow
The only god the Republican
'arty worships is money; hence
{ is not surprising that evidence
# corruption in Office under the