Evening star., 1903-06-24
Vigorous Comment in Post
Office Department.
Mr.. WYNNE SURPRISED
CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE AC-
TON TAKEN.
Postmaster General Not at the Office
The Selection Of Assistant
Attorneys.

the Post Office Department Jagged tooay'
attention being diverted to the letter OF
vigorous language given out last night py
Third Assistant Postmaster General Mad
den, who is in Detroit, concerning con-
tract with the General Manifolding Com
pany of Franklin, Pa.
Mr. Madden, in his letter to PostmaStef
General Payne. which was gwen out lol
publication before it reached the Postmas-
ter General, attacked statements that were
contained in special dispatch TO the De-
troit Free Press sent by Its washington
correspondent Monday night, alleging ina.
the third assistant postmaster eehelai
drew the specifications of the contract Ior
sunplyine the Post Office Department with
carbon paper and that they were so
framed as to allow of no competition
Mr.. Madden's Letter.
Mr.. Madden's letter is as follows:
Hon Henry c. Payne, Postmaster Cen
eral, Washington, d. c.:
"Tb;s mornings Free Press of this city
tells its readers. in an article with scare
headlines that Third Assistant PostmastgI
General Madden Is to be inVesusateu'
alleges that 1 drew specifications OF con- con-
tract for supplying the department WIN
carbon paper, and that they were so
framed as to allow of no competition Inc
article makes Mr.. Wynne say tnat ne
merely approved as routine matter. l.
gives the Impression that the contract .
one over which the third assistant mas
control. and there is broad inference that
you consider the transaction corrupt. ;.
The whole statement, in so 1ar as II AT
tempts to involve me, is absolutely raise.
l had nothing to do with the details OF the
contract; l drew no specifications; old
not initial, did not sign, in 1act, l never
saw the contract if there Is one: My Sole
is limited to an expression of approval OF
the particular carbon paper In question, De-
cause it is labor-Saving and In other ways d
great Improvement over the OLD style MANI
folding process, and much better serves
the needs of the postal service; and this
approval was not given until after an IN
vestigation and Recommendation 10 me ny
nv Superintendent of registry system, ana
a recommendation by the superintendent OF
division of post Office supplies of the first
assistants office.
'The contract. If there is one. was both
drawn and let by the office of first assistant
postmaster general and with 1t l had ab-
soluteIy nothing to do except as before
stated. If the statements printed were
given the Free Press correspondent from
the office of the first or fourth assistant
postmaster general they misrepresent the
facts. and the publication thereof. espe-
cially in my home city. is calculated to put
me In a bad light before the people. with
whom 1 have lived for upward or forty
L
tation I have. 1t Is malicious. cruel and
without the slightest justification.
Il know you too well to believe that you
will sanction this attempt to involve and
besmirch me unjustiy, and l beg you, not
only as man to man. but as consideration
due my Office, to at once institute an In
vestigation. and do what you can to ascer-
tain whether these absurdly false and dam
aging statements were actually given out
at the department, and by whom, or wheth-
er they are purely the invention of the writer.
1 ask that the publication OF the facts be
not tardy E. c.. MADDEN,
Third Assistant Postmaster General.
Regarded as Singular.
The intimation of Mr.. Madden that the
information on the subject might have
come from the offices of the first assistant
postmaster general or the fourth assistant
postmaster general had the effect of caus-
ing both Mr.. Wynne and Mr. Bristow to
wonder If their colleague were Intentionally
personal.
1T is a matter 1 don't care to discuss:
but will say this: l am at a loss to under
stand the actions OF Third Assistant Post
master General Madden" Mr.. Wynne said
to an Evening Star reporter, who ap-
preached him on the subject.
Postmaster General Payne did not come
down to his office this forenoon. His secre-
tary. Mr.. Whitney, carried his mail to him
in his apartments at the Arlington. Mr..
Whitney said he thought his chief would be
down to the department some time In the
afternoon.
1t is understood that Mr.. Payne feels in
anything but a pleasant mood over his
third assistants sending an open letter to
him. giving 1t to the public before 1T was
received. The letter was given out by Mr..
Madden last evening. 1t did not reach the
Postmaster General officially until nearly
noon today.
Furnishing the Registry Books.
Mr.. Edward F. Coyle, Washington cor
respondent of the Detroit Free Press. tele-
graphed that paper the following story last
night:
"If criticism is to attach to any one in
the Post Office Department for granting to
the General Manifold Company Of Frank
lin, Pa, what is said to be q practical
monopoly to furnish carbon registry books
to the government, Third Assistant Post
master General Madden is generally held
to be that person. 1t is by no means ap-
parent, however, that Mr.. Madden is open
to censure. and there is even possibility
that an inquiry into the matter will show
that he is to be commended for securing to
the department the best kind of books for
registry purposes there is on the market.
1T develops upon close investigation that
neither Mr.. Madden, First Assistant Post
master General Wynne nor any one else
let's a contract for books. for the simple
reason that a contract does not figure in
den is given the authority to lay down
specifications to which certain of the gov
ernment supplies must conform.
THE public printer holds the purse
strings of the Post Office Department where
supplies of printed matter are involved In
the case of the registry books Mr.. Madden
simply notified the public printer of the
number needed. The public printer then
made an estimate of the cost and submit
ted 1t to the first assistant postmaster gen.
eral. who is the official under whom the
bureau of supplies exists. He approved the
public printers estimate merely as routine
matter.
Mr.. Loud Mentioned,
Whether Mr.. Maddens Judgment that
these were the best books for the purpose
is the meat of the controversy From a
high source tonight the Free Press was in
formed that this particular kind OF carbon
books was brought to the attention of the
Post Office Department by Former Repre-
sentative Loud of California, then chair
man of the committee on post offices of the
House Of Representatives.. He saw Mr.
Louis. chief of the division of supplies.
who told him he would submit the matter
to Mr.. Madden. which was done.
THE agent of the General Manifold Com
pany then made calls upon the officials of
the registry division, which comes under