Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-05-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Postofhce Scandal Uppermost
i'll the Minds of the Public.
Republicans Up Against it
Badly.

| While the President of the United
States is loudly inveighing against cor
ruption III public and private life in his
| speeches at the dedication of the World :
Fair buildings at ST Louis, the corrup-
tion in the Post Office Department un-
ing daily unearthed by the investiga-
ton now proceeding smells to high
heaven. Ii is the expressed opinion OF
many officials of the government here
that it would be the policy of consistency
| for the President To return here at once
and see to il that the investigation Is
made thorough and tina, no guilty man
escapes the punishment which is his
Just due The truth of the matter is
that this investigation of the Post Office
Department is digging up more snakes
than the administration can convenient
| ly kill, and the administration would
| like nothing better than to kill the M
vestiga,inn When Postmaster General
Payne returned here from his trip
among the West Indies islands with
Secretary Moody and others. he was
amazed and terrified at what he found.
| When he left here and told First Assist
ant Postmaster General Wynne TO go
ahead with the investigation he sup
posed nothing would be uncarthed be-
yond few irregularities which could
be fixed by the suspension or discharge
of few scapegoats.
What he found was that a number of
the divisions of his department were
rotten to the core and that several of
| the heads OF those divisions had already
resigned under fire, and that several
more would have to resign or be kicked
out The investigation was either un-
earthing more serious charges against
these men every day, or else he was re-
ceiving from other sources serious
charges One of the men who already
had resigned had his wife 90 to his old
office in the =. O. Dept and rifle safe
of papers that would presumably, IN
criminate him and perhaps others in
his division of the Department. Now
comes a man named Seymour Tulloch.
who had been cashier of the Washing
ton City post Office for over twenty
years, and was fired by Postmaster
Merritt ut the dictation of Perry Heath.
who then was the First Assistant Post
master General because Tolloch refused
to pay people who were carried on the
rolls of the city post office III Il fraudu-
lent manner Tulloch charges that
some men We're on the pay rolls three
times under different names and were
drawing three salaries; that Il certain
newspaper man was on the rolls as the
ply sician To the city post office, and
that he knew no more about the prac.
tice of medicine than hog knows about
navigating Il ship, yet he was receiving
a salary of 81 700 Il year. He says these
frauds and Irregularities have been GO
ing on ever since Perry Heath, vino
now is the Secretary of the Republican
National Committee, was installed as
| First Assistant Postmaster General;
that he has the papers i'll his possession
to prove all his charges and only asks
the opportunity to do so. From the
way things look now he probably will
not get the chance To prove his charges.
Mr. Payne is making bluff ut investi-
| a.. Ia E,,ll
but from his motions he hardly will
give Mr.. Tulloch an opportunity to go
OH the witness stand He sees what the
whole thing Is leading To and is doing
his best to squelch any further investi-
CATION. He is shrewd politician, was
placed in the cabinet as Roosevelt 5
political guide and counsellor, and it
evidently is his belief that continuance
of the investigation will result in
serious consequences to the administra .
ton. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, of
Massachusetts, who is the spokesman
| for Roosevelt on the floor of the Senate,
evidently thinks otherwise. for he said
here the other day after reading in the
Washington, Ersnjng Star a defence of
A. w. Machen, Superintendent of Free
Delivery, by Postmaster General Payne.
that Machen would have to go and that
his suspension or discharge had been
ordered by the President before he left
on his western trip; that if the Postmas
ter General did not get rid of Machen
there would be something doing i'll the
resignation line i'll Mr.. Payne's office.
and the Postmaster General would be
forced out of the Cabinet. Mr.. Payne
is now between the devil and the deep
blue sea. If he kicks out Bob Wynne,
who started the investigation. WynDe
will pull down the temple. Machen
knows too much, and if he is kicked out
he will play the same game, aud there
you are. In the meantime the demo
Gratis are holding their noses and watch
ing the fun.
The Best Linimcnt.