River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-12-03

men IneSe 1nV0St12aIIOnS were De-
gun, some nine months ago, many of the
chief offenders who have been indicted
/ DR. dismissed, or both. as above enumer-
ated, were considered to have excellent
regulations. A number OF the most re-
| spectacle people in the land offered volun-
| tary testimony on behalf of Mr.. Tyner.
So highly were Messrs. Beavers and
Machen thought of by those who had
been brought into close connection with
them that the congress actually pro-
vided at its last session for raising the
| salaries of both, the salary in each case
being increased $500, to take effect at the
| beginning of the fiscal year on July
last. BY that date they were both out of
office. and the department of justice was
taking steps to have them indicted. Dur
| ing Machen's term of service he was
| twice investigated by the congress, once
by a committee of the senate and once
by committee of the house, but cleared
on each occasion. Yet at that very
period, as has been shown in the present
investigation, he was engaged in the
corrupt business for which he has now
been removed and indicted This is no re-
Fiction upon the committees who con-
Quoted the investigation, for so skillfully
had Machen concealed his wrongdoing
that it was only revealed after months of
laborious and exhaustive work by
trained inspectors.
'The details of the corruption are set
forth in full in Mr. Bristow's report and
need not be recapitulated by me- AS re-
CARDS Messrs. Beavers and Machen the
corruption took the form of bribery and
blackmail in connection with the pur-
chase of government supplies In the Of
flee of the assistant attorney general for
the post office department, under Tyner
and Barrett, far greater wrong was in
f1icted upon the public than could be
measured by pecuniary standard, for
in this Office the corruption of the gov
eminent officials took the form of favor
ing get rich quick concerns and similar
swindling schemes. In other words, the
criminals, whom it was the sworn duty
of these government officials to prose-
cute, paid them for permission to fleece
the public unmolested.
Recomme Approved.
81 heartily approve of the recon-
mendation of Messrs. Conrad and Bona
parte that the statute of limitations be
extended in the case of government SER
wants to period of at least five years;
for the persons who in such positions
of trust engage in corrupt practices can
ordinarily conceal their guilt for long
err time than is covered by the present
short statute of limitations. The recon-
mendation has been laid before the con-
gress in the report Of the attorney gen
eral, and it is earnestly hoped that it will
be acted upon favorably. Moreover,
our experience shows that outsiders
claiming political influence sometimes
sell their influence to candidates for Of
flee, or in other words, blackmail these
candidates. There should be legislation
which will permit of summary dealing
with such offenders.
Punishment the Prime Need.
However, the prime need is not new
legislation, but the punishment of those
who offend against existing laws. The
post Office department is making certain
changes in the methods of aoministra-
ton, notably in the method of inspec-
ton, by which the service will be i'm
proved and the chance of corruption
existing without recovery be minimized;
but the only way to meet the real evil is
to punish the offenders, by removal in
any event, and where possible by prose-
cution under the criminal statutes. In
any great business, public or private,
wrongdoing is certain at times to occur.
The way to guard against it is rigorous
ly to scrutinize the character of those
appointed, carefully to supervise their
actions after appointment, and finally,
to punish with relentless severity those
who go wrong All this is being done,
The immediate reformation of the serv-
ice by the turning out of the offenders
is not in itself enough to meet the de-
mands of justice. The cases against
both those within and those without the
post Office department, who by their
acts have brought themlseves within
the grasp of the law, will be pushed with
the utmost vigor Every effort must be
made to see that both the delinquent Off
cial and the outsider who shares his
guilt are punished to the limit of the
law. In pursuance Of this policy the in
dividuals above enumerated have been
indicted
Justice to Be Melted Out.
'In nc case has the Indictment been
sought save where the officials of the
governm ent were convinced of the mans
guilt, and in every case the government
will exhaust every expedient in it's pow
er in the effort to see that justice is melted
out to the offenders. Those in the public
service whose duty it is must ever be
yigilant in the detection of Wrongdoing,
fearless in it's exposure, relentless in its
prosecution but in the last resort, when
everything which the public official,
whether legislator, judge, or executive
officer, can do has been done, it remains
for the jury, drawn from the people and
representing the people, to do even
hand justice, shielding the innocent, but
declining to be misled by any plea into
refraining from punishment Of the
guilty.
mo crime calls for sterner reproba-
ton than the crime of the corruDtionist
in public Ike, and OF the man who seeks
to corrupt him. The bride giver aid the
bride taker are equally guilty Both
alike sin against the primary law of the
states safety. All questions of differ
ence in party policy sink into insignii-