The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-11-30
GraiterS Succeeded in En-
riching Themselves 20 an
Amount Ranging From
100000 TO 100000.
LOSSES TO GOVERNMENT
CANNOT BE ESTIMATED
By Operations of One Con-
Germ Alone Over Three
Million Dollars Was Lost.
Gross FayOritiSm in Al
IOWanceS.


system Of organized corruption. be-
gun in the Postofice Department IN
1893. and continued until stopped BY re-
cent Investigations. is disclosed in the
report of Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Bristow. and an abstract OF
that report has been made public by The
President. together with memorandum
written by himself. Beth OF these ap-
pear elsewhere in today's Times.
Made Big Profits.
1t is estimated the perpetrators of the
frauds themselves received from 10000
to 100000 as the result of their mis-
deeds. This. however. does not en-
body the whole amount OF loss to the
Government and the people which. the
report says. cannot even be estimated
with any degree Of accuracy A loss OF
over 8, O00. 900 is declared to have been
caused by the operations OF one COM
pany alone-that in which arnold was
interested.
For the part he played in connection
with these frauds. the report states
that Harrison J. Barrett received but
Tending officials in the other cases
were also greatly disproportonate to the
loss entailed on the public
Information for the President.
The occasion for Mr.. Brisrsws inves-
I tlgatiOn IS set Idrth By the President. It
, is announced that in December. -S02. the
Postmaster General and Chairman Loud
OF the House Committee on PostOfices
and Post Roads. arranged with the
President that an investigation should
be made OF the whole service. But no
mention is made Of the information on
which this agreement depended
The Presidents only acknowledgment
Of information supplied him as the basis
for the detail OF Mr., Bristow to this
work is contained in the following para
graph:
subsequently, some time in January,
| information was laid before me by Mr..
Seckendorn tending to show improper
conduct by Beavers. general supevin-
/ tendent OF the division Of salaries AID
1 allowances. and Machen. general SUI
] perintendent Of the free delivery sys-
TEN; and by Mr. William Allen White.
! tending to show corruption by or under
/ Tyner. Assistant Attorney General Tor
/ the Postofice Department First As
sistant Postmaster General Wynce also
/ informed me that he had become suspl-
cious of the integrity Of both Maehen
and Beavers.
! Mr.. Bristow prepared his abstract
himself and put into it all the important
facts relating to the investigation which
can now be made public without inJur-
/ ing the case of the Government in the
Perry Heath Involved.
/ II is said the entire report will be
\ omen TO public scrutiny IN a short time.
/ The memorandum Of the President on
the report is a brief summing up OF the
| Proceedings and an expression OF his
I own attitude in regard TO the Offend
ers, whose punishment he strongly
| urges.
Pronounced reflections upon ex-Assist-
ant Postmaster General Heath are made
by Mr.. Bristow, who charges him with
knowledge of the methods employed Ia
his department. Mr.. Bristow holds that
the removal of both Heath ana George
w. Beavers. former chief of the salaries
and allowances division. would have
been justified by the transactions in re-
Iation TO the Brandt-Dent automatic
| cash registers. Statements are quoted
from the different witnesses TO show
that Mr. Heath received stock Of vaT1-
Gus companies which were furnishing
supplies to the POstofice Department.
Some OF the witnesses also charged Mr.
Heath with getting a share OF the sPoiis
in certain cases. although the evidence
was not OF a character TO make his in
dictment possible.
A considerable part of the abstract
is given over to the operations of Mr..
Beavers, as superintendent OF salaries
and allowances. Mr.. Bristow says his
misconduct was. If possible. more repre-
hensible than that of A W Machen,
former superintendent of free delivery.
Gross FavoIitism.
Mr. Bristow reviews the methods by
= which. various postofices Of the country
were forced to-take automatic cashiers,
, time clocks, cancelIng machines, book
typewriters, and other expensive but
unnecessary apparatus. Gross favorit-
ism in allotting additional clerical help
o to third and fourth class postofhces.
! amounting to about S10O0,OOO annually,
is disclosed. and other abuses are taken
2 up in detail. The crooked operations in
j the legal division of the department
are recited with full particulars, espe-
cially as to the part played by Harri-
: son J. Barrett.
Numerous recommendations are made
for the betterment of the department,
but honest. intelligent. and vigorous
a administration" is said 10 be what the
service needs chiefly. Changes are adj
~.