Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-09-11
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
Washington, d. c., Sept. ii.

Tuesday last Dy Ine ltueIdl sidhu J"iy
in connection with the postofice frauds
and the charges made. One of the In
dictments is against George W. Beavers,
Angust w. Machen and James w. Err
win for conspiracy to defraud the United
States two indictments against Isaac
{ Mcclellan. Of New York city, George
Fl. Huntingdon, of the same. city, and
August w. Machen, one for conspiracy
to defraud the United States, and an
other for conspiracy to commit bribery
two indictments against Eugene d.
Sheble and August w. Machen, one for
conspiracy and the other for bribery an
indictment against Isaac s. Mcclellan
and George II. Huntingdon for bribery
and an indictment against August W.
Machen singly for accepting brides.
The indictments against Beavers, Ma
chen and Erwin alleged daring schemes
by which the government has been
robbed and BY which large sums OF
money we're illegally made by the ac-
cused. Beavers and Machen, under as
sumed names, drew dividends from stock
of A company which furnished letter
boxes 10 the government and which
company, through the accused, we're re-
lieved of its obligations in the way OF
paving freight, Grating, painting print
inc &c. The Others indicted are shown
! as bad light. =,
A break between Postmaster-General
PAYNE and President Roosevelt Is more
imminent than ever, because of an APP
narent disposition to make the head OF
the Postofice Department the scapegoat
in the Todd case in Delaware. The
Postmaster-General does not intend to
accept this view of the situation. This
became evident when his attention was
called to inspired statements given out
at Oyster Bay, saying that the President
had called for a report on the Green wood
postoffice case. The Postmaster-General
was much wrought up over the mat
ter, and promptly declared that the
President knew all about the agreement
between Senators Ball and Alice to
divide the Delaware patronage. lie adj
mits that the President called for the
report and that it was forwarded to him
three days ago, so that he claims 1t was
going out of the way to gain some credit
for himself when the President an
nounced that he had ordered an inves-
tigatiou, the finding in the case being
then in his hands. Postmaster-General
Pavne, in his report, informed the Presi-
dent that the two Senators had agreed
regarding the patronage OF the State
and that agreements of that nature were
common practice with United States
Senators.
The Navy Department received the
following dispatch from Rear Admiral
Cotton, this morning dated Beirut,
September 10: "Governor General of
Damascus has been appointed acting
governor general of Beirut and has ex-
pressed the desire to settle the case OF the
American Vice Consul satisfactorily to
the United States Government Beirut
quiet. Business improving confidence
increasing"
Chekib Bey, the Turkish Minister to
the United States, called at the State De-
partment this morning and presented
dispatch which he had received from his
government concerning the riot of last
Sunday at Beirut The dispatch says
that eight persons we're killed, one
of whom was soldier, the remaining
7 being civilians, and that so were in
ured. The dispatch continues: "The
incident had no other bad results.
Many of the persons who fled at the time
to Lebanon are returning and state OF
perfect calm has been established.
These troubles were greatly exaggerated
by some ofthe consuls who received Their
information from panic stricken persons
and sent it to their governments with
out the confirmation. Chekib Bey says
that Main, the governor general OF
Damascus, who has been appointed act
ing governor general Of Beirut, is an
exceedingly capable official. He was
for several years chief of police of Con
stantinople. The Minister knows him
personally and expresses the greatest
confidence in his ability to maintain
order and to settle the case OF United
States Vice Consul Magelssen satisfac-
torily to this government.
The Comptroller of the Currency this
morning issued a call for reports on the
condition of national banks at the close
of business on Wednesday, September 9.
1t is authoritatively stated at the
State Department that, despite the morn
ing dispatches from London, there is
nothing new in regard to the islands off
the coast of north BOrneO, their alleged
seizure by the United States gunboat
Quiros or protest by the British govern
ment. In 1852 the islands passed under
the suzerainty of the Spanish govern
ment which relinquished its rule to the
Sultan of Sulu in 1884. They are sup
posed to have passed into the possession
of the United States by the treaty con-
cluded at the end of the war with Spain
but their boundary is but vaguely estab-
lished. The principal question now in
volved is one of policing. The peculiar
islands referred to are infested by pirates
who constantly give trouble to the
United States and to all nations having
interests in that quarter of the globe.
So far as this government can learn
there has been no "seizure" of the
islands by the Quiros or any other ship,
but there has been a very determined
effort to end the piratical exploits of
their inhabitants. 1t is apparent that
as real estate investment the islands
are not alluring to any government al
though it is probable that they are in