The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-04-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Special Correspondence Of InteNiye,,cer
Washington, o. c., April 20. 1908.

Washington, D. c., April go, 1908.
Some Of tho rOttenncss of tho rcpub-
lican administration of tho Post Office
department. is at last coming to light.
The investigation has only just begun,
but it has gOno far enough to let US
see that this will be the biggest scan
dal ever unearthed in any department
OF the national government until the
democrats get in control and take q
look at the books in the War and Navy
Departments, and the things that were
done there during the war with Spain
in connection with the purchase of
supplies for the army and the purchase
of vessels for colicrs and for the trans
portatiOn of troops. When this inves-
tlgatiOn into the dOings OF several
bureaux of the Post Office Department
he did not expect to find anything
worse than q few Irregularities, and
which could be easily rcmcdied, but no
comes back here from pleasure trip
and finds an enormous scandal being
turned up to the gaze of tho public,
and he is badly scared. He talks very
braveIy about continuing tho invcsti-
CATION and allowing no guilty man to
escape, but he would be glad to shut
1t on right now. II he does not and
goes the full limit, then we may expect
to see some of the pets of the admins
tration wearing stripes. This game Of
graft and peculation has been going on
for several years. When Senator
Hanna inaugurated the most stupen-
dous campaign of bribery and corrup-
ton in 1896 ever before attempted, one
OF his most active lieutcnnnts was
Perry Heath He was rewarded for
his peculiar services by being appoint
ed First Assistant Postmaster General.
lie, In tlrn, selected others who had
been active in the debauch of the vo-
ters. amongst whom were Nicely and
KathbOne, who wcro cent to Cuba and
weTo convicted OF robbing tho govern
ment there of thousands Of dollars.
Inc same ganlc was lnaugurated here,
only in different ways, and SO that it
could be covered mp for q longer time.
making money out Of tho government
jobs held by certain people Two of
these people have already been forced
to resign. viz: Assistant Attorney
General Tyner. who had charge of the
law department OF the Post Cn;ca De
partmcnt, and Mr.. Beavers. superin-
tcndent OF the SALARY and allowances
division: 1t was discovered that Ty-
ner had been rendering decisions that
Germs OF the country the benefit nt the
use OF the mails in order to rob the
people OF the country. We do not yet
know all that Benvers has been doing,
but we do know that he got out as soon
as, the fire was started in hisrear. 1t is
believed that one Of the charges against
him will be that he was at tho head of
a syndicate that was selling increases
IN salaries When Nan designated
as entitled to an increase in his salary
was sent in to Beavers it is charged
that he was notified that he must plank
down not less than S25 or the increase
did not go. We all know that Beavers
lately built q residence in the City of
BrOOklAnd that cost not less than $685.
O0o, and on salary OF $4,000 q year.
Other things are now coming to light.
Fine furniture was allowed and some
the country, and ali of it was m made % by
one concern. Typewriting machines
have been distribnted lavishly. and ali
of them of the same make The old
fashioned good iron mail boxes were
supplanted by sheet iron boxes, and
all of them painted alike and with the
same firms paint, aud painted by men
sent ont from the department. when it
could have been done much cheaper at
home by some firm, in tho city where
the painting was done. The farmers
along the rural free delivery routes
were not allowed to furnish their O nm
boxes, but were compelled to pay for
the kind OF box prescribed and sent
out by the superintendent of the free
delivery service. Whenever a new
rural free delivery route was to be in
augurated some firm that furnished
partment or to the carriers was given
the tip and got into the game before
any other firm knew anything about
it. And out of this comes good graft
for the men behind the scenes. The
chances are that the thing will be so
stupendous that the republican party
will refuse to allow the facts to be
given to the public, and tho people
will know nothing Of it until o demo
people can get tho facts about how
many Thousands Of dollars have been
wasted and stolen from them only by
electing q democratic Congress.
Whenever the people Of this country
elect n Democratic Congress and n
Democratic administration there will
come forth revelations of rOttenness
and corruption in the departments of
this government that will stagger tho
nation. The truth is that every de-
partment of this government ia this
city ia honeycombed with rottenness
and oil of it has grown up since Nc
zANhAoy wac IutueS 1CCS. n0
Post Office Department seems to have
been conducted by and in the interest
of the. gratters. tho Treasury Depart
ment in the interest of Wall Street, the
Navy Department in the interest of
the Steel Trust, the War Department.
in the interest of General Wood, the
Interior Department in the interest of
the Glass Trust, that wants to grab
the gilsonite beds in the Uncompagre
Ute Indian reservation, and the De-
partment of Justice in tho interest of
the trusts in general. The new De-
part of Commerce and Labor has not
got into the game. How long do the
people intend to stand it?
This administration is hitting the
Civil Service with nm axe. The WASH
ington Post is authority for the state .
ment that. "since President Roosevelt
came into Office large portion OF the
important offices in the United States
Treasury Department have bat1 filled
with new men, or will be filled before
along while. Something like clean
sweep has been gradually put into
effect, but it has been done quietly.
and as rule with little publicity.r'
That is pretty serious charge for n