The Washington times., 1903-11-30
So Says the President in
His Comment on the
BriStoW Report---No
Time for Party Division
EVENHANDEO JUSTICE
TO BE Melted OUT
federation of Wrong, Not
the Exposure, Is the
Real OffenSe---Briber
andBribe- Taker Equal
ly Guilty.

The President makes the following
comment o. the report OF the Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General relative
10 the corrupt practices in the Post
Office Department:
White House. Nov. "a
Memorandum upon the various pa
pers submitted from the Department OF
Justice and the Postoffice Department
concerning the investigation into the
corrupt practices obtaining in the Post
office Departmently. notably in the Of
fee of the First Assistant Postmaster
General and in the Office of the as
sistant attorney general for that depart
ment- All the documents in. the case
are herewith forwarded TO the Post
ONCE Department. and will be held
ready for submission TO tie Congress
whenever it may choose TO ask for
them.
1t appears that IN December. 1892.
Postmaster General Payne and Con-
gresham z. F. Loud, chairman Of the
Committee on the POstofice and Post
Roads. held various consultations re
Earding the postal service, ard as a re-
suit OF these interviews it vas deter
mined that IS soon as possible after the
necessary appropriations could be made
BY the Congress an investigation should
be made OF the service. both Messrs.
Payne anu Loud agreeing as 10 the need
for the investigation and the time when
IL should take place Accordingly. an
Increase Of $500 in the appropriation
bill reported IN January was made for
the express purpose Of carrying on the
investigation in question. The reasons
for the Increase in the appropriations
were known only to the Postmaster Gen.
80 49,
gresham BromweIl
Good Piece of Work.
Subsequently, some time in January.
Information was laid before me by Mr.
6eckendorfr tending 70 show improper
conduct by Beavers, general superinten,
dent Of the division OF salaries and al
lowances, and Machen, general superin-
tendent OF tile free delivery system: ana
by William Allen White tending TO show
corruption by or under Tyner, Assistant
Attorney General for the Postof1ce De
partment
First Assistant Postmaster General
Wynne also informed me that ne had
become suspicious Of the integrity OF
both Machsn and Beavers. After fun
consultation with Mr.. Payne II was de-
ctded that Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General BristOw should make thor
ough and exhaustive investigation Of the
charges in question and OF ali matters
that might be developed in connection
With them.
Mr. Bristow's report is a record Of
as thorough bit OF investigating work
as has ever been done under the Gov
eminent After this Investigation had
been in progress for about two months
II became evident that legal proceed
ings would have 70 be undertaken
against sOme OF the offenders Owing 10
the importance of the case II was deem
ed advisable that special counsel should
be employed. and Messrs. Charles J
BonaparTs and Holmes Conrad were
chosen for this purpose.
Reason of Report.
Messrs. Bonaparte and Conrad. in
their review Of the report OF Mr.. Bris-
tow. speak as follows: we consider
the report an exceptionally able. can
did. and impartial review OF its sub
Ject-matter. and that Il shows clearly
reprehensihle misconduct. amounting in
many cases 10 crime, on the part of a
number % public officials II is a vol
luminous document, but this arises. not
from prolixity but from the nature Of
the matters discussed. - We heart
fly commend the report and deem its
conclusions fully justified bv the facts
II sets forth: and while regretting in
common with all patriotic citizens thar
the grave abuses OF long standing which
IL reveals should have grown I'D n the
POstofice Department. we consider the
exposure Of these abuses and the at
tempts made 70 punish those responsible
for them a work OF the highest public
utility. quickly and ably reformed. % II
all that is thus said Of the report Of Mr.
BTistow I cordially agree.
Condition of Gross Corruption.
The investigation made by Mr.. Bris-
tow disc!oses a condition OF gross cor
ruption in the Office OF the First As
sistant Postmaster General and in thar
OF the assistant attorney general for
the POstofhce Department. In the case
OF the superintendent OF free delivery.
Machen. the evidence shows that his
misconduct began Immediately after his
appointment IN September 1893. In the
case OF the general superintendent OF
salaries ard allowances, Beavers. il
began soon after ne was appointed 10
that place IN 1897.
In the case OF Assistant Attorney Cen
eral Tyner IL has gone on for number
OF years, but II IS impossible to say
exactly when it began.
melancholy feature Of the case Is
that with ose exception all the offenders
have been for a number Of years IN
the Government service. The following
is list OF the fourteen postofice en-
ployes In the service at the time this
investigation was begun who are ap-
parently most seriously implicated IN
the wrongdoing. together with an &C
count OF the steps that have been taken
by the Government IN each case and a
statement OF the date Of original ap-
pointment OF each man In the service:
(The case OF ex-First Assistant Post
master General Heath, who had left the
service july !. 1906. Is set forth in the
report OF Mr. Bristow.)
Those Most Implicated.
James y. Tyner. assistant attorney
general for the Postoffice Department:
appointed special agent. Postoffice De