The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-01
NEW BROOM In ?. 0. SCANDAL
DEPARTMENT or COMMERCE.
CALLED IN no HELP.
Garfield OF the Corporations Bureau to
secure Lists OF Stockholders OF Con-
Germs That Deal with U. q. DEPART
ment-Beasery's Schedule Meduced


WASHINGTON, Juns 0.-The bureau of
corporations Of the Department OF Com
merce and Labor will hereafter play an
important part in the investigation Of the
postal service scandals. Postmaster-G Gen
eral Payne had a long talk on the subject
to-day with Chief Garfield OF the bureau
OF corporations.
II ia understood that the bureau will aid
in tho investigation by securing lists Of
stockholders Of the various concerns which
have contracts with the Post Once Depart
ment, thus showing whether any officials
Of the postal service are directly or in
directly interested In the business relations
between the Government and the COM
panes.
The question Of calling in the bureau
OF corporations to aid in the work OF the
present general inquiry into postal service
scandals was brought up by the investia
ton now in progress TO determine the facts
in connection with the contract between the
Post Office Department and the General
Manifold Company OF Franklin, Pa, of
which Representative Sibley of Pennsyl-
vania is said to be a large stockholder.
Some difficulty has been experienced by
inspectors In securing lists OF the stock
holders Of this company and in the absence
of authority to compel the production OF
such lists the bureau Of corporations was
called in.
A particular effort will be made in this
particular case to discover whether Supt
Landvoigt OF the classification division Of
the Post Office Department one of Third
Assistant Postmaster-General Madden's
chief subordinates, and who has a son in
the employ Of the General Manifold Com
pany. also owns stock in that concern. Mr.
Landvoigt, up to year ago, was chief of
the registry division under Mr.. Madden,
and the authorities in charge of the investi-
CATION deem the facts to be such as to
demand the most rigid inspection.
The bureau Of corporations will also be
asked to aid in many similar cases which
are before the Department.. and in which
information concerning the stockholders
in various concerns IL desired BY the in
vestigating authorities,
The working OF the gag rule promulgated
by the Postmaster-CeneTal yesterday was
apparent at the Post Office Department
to-day. II was impossible to secure a
decided opinion from any employee Of the
postal service, high or low, on any d.Ds-
non from tile pitNHHlIlR htdIe Oh TIC WcaIItT
to the possibilities of the NJ 1t Presidential
election.
The conditions at the Department are
such IA to show that the verbal instructions
passed down the line from the Postmaster
General through his assistants to tho rank
and file must have been very positive and
the punishment held out very severe Ac-
cordng to the information CLEANED to-day
from a number of scared-to- death en-
ployees, there never has been any scandal
in the postal service, and there never
will be.
As a result OF the invest gation into
the operations Of the alleged promo
tion syndicate which was operated. il
is said, from, the Post Office Depart
motions in the New York Pest Office,
the number Of promotions scheduled by
former Superintendent Beavers Of the sal
ary and allowance division, to be made
July 1 of the present year, I'm been cut down
from l,778 TO 800, The aggregate annual
advance is only gas, 800, as compared with
an amount OF more than twice that sum
before the invest ggtion was made.
The 500 promotions are made up OF the
following grades: One hundred and fifty
clerks from $500 to 500 year; fifty from 5000
to $500; 1877 from 500 to $500; thirty-one
from $500 TO $780, lls from 5000 to 81 900;
1893 from 81 900 to 81, 100: seventy-six from
1 ,lW 10 VI ,IUV, iteti from 81 ,ln 10 u 200,
one from 81 800 to 81 500, and two from
81, 500 to 81 700.
An allowance is also made Of 100 ad-
ditional clerks at 5000 year and SIS 900
for emergency clerk hire
Fifty per cent OF the appointments
scheduled by Supt Beavers 10 be made
July 1 in the Washington Post Office have
been cancelled Contemplated promotions
in other post Offices have also been proper
tionslly reduced This action will effect
considerable economies in the general eX-
penses Of operating the postal service.
Postmaster General Payne was at his
desk this morning and appeared to be in
better physical condition than at eny
time during the last two weeks. He
will leave Thursday night for New York.
whence he will go to the home Of friend
in the CatskllS to remain over the Fourth
OF July, He expects to return TO New Ycr k
on Tuesday night and TO be at his desk In
the Department Wednesday morning