Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-09-11

oo' D"dfieu Dy mat from tne interior De-
partment, Where Helpless Wards Of the Gov
ernment Are Vlctims-Even the Department
OF Justice Is Assailed- Secretary Hitchcock
on the Grill From Call for Accounting Of
Public Monsys-Smusslins by Mail Time
Called on Beavers-Teddy's Precipitate Use
of the Club" in the MeseIssen Matter Con-
demned.
tFrom our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 1903.
An epidemic of scandals seems TO be
the leading feature of the present ad.
ministration of the federal govern
ment. The Postoffice scandal has
dragged along all summer, with every
now and again some surprising devel.
opment. The Interior Department
scandal, involving subordinates OF that
department and practically all the
members Of the Dawes Commission,
has only recently come to light and
is not yet under investigation and now
comes information to the effect that
because of reports involving many of
the subordinates of the Department of
Justice the Attorney General has Or
dered a drastic investigation of every
official connected with his department
located in the "Indian Territory iur-
isdiction." 1t seems that charges
against United States attorneys and
marshals, other than those in connec-
ton with the allotment of the Indian
lands, have reached. the Attorney
General, charges which allege the con.
nection of these officials with contracts
for feeding prisoners, sharing profits
accruing from illegimate liquor selling
and similar practices and as a result
Attorney General Knox ordered the
current investigation some weeks ago.
Secretary Hitchcock is still greatly
wrought up over the Indian lands
scandal but he had not yet secured a
competent man to undertake the in.
ves,igation ordered by the President.
He is trying to secure man familiar
with IEdian affairs aud one who has
no personal interests in the situation
and finds it difficult TO obtain the ser.
vices of such an individual. IN the
meantime, the facts in connection with
the system of "grait" which has per-
meated the entire allotment of the In
dian lands, and which involves prscti-
cally every member of the Dawes Com
mission, become daily more conspicu-
Gus.
Another feature of the situation
which is making life for Secretary
Hitchcock anything but bed of roses
is the claim of officials of the Treasury
Department that the Secretary has ig-
nored several United States statutes
and assumed powers in no way dele.
gated to him in his administration OF
the funds accruing from the sale of
lots in. the towns of Lawton, Hobart
and Anadarko, Oklahoma. These
funds we're to be expended for public
improvements "under the supervision
of the Secretary Of the INTERIOR" but
there is no provision in the law exempt
ing the Secretary from the necessity
Of rendering an account OF his steward
ship to the auditors of the Treasury.
Notwithstanding this fact, the Secre-
tary has rendered no account of the
receipts or disbursements to the Audi.
tor for the Interior Department and,
aside from the fact that he has some
100000 to his personal credit with
the Treasurer of the United States,
the Treasury Department has no off.
cial knowledge that he has ever sold
the lots. 1t is further pointed ont
that during the last two sessions OF
Congress the Secretary has sent in Sec
tions of appropriation bills exempting
his actions from the review of the au.
diting officials of the Treasury and in
both instances the provisions have
been stricken from the bills on q point
OF order.
Affairs in the Postoffice Department
have taken another lively turn. Louis
Kempner, Superintendent of Registry,
has been discovered to have been con.
Quoting a system OF smuggling Cuban
cigars and selling them to his friends
in Washington at prices in the neigh.
borhood OF 81 per box. The last con-
Segment of these cigars was confiscat-
ed by the inspectors and turned over
to the Treasury officials. Customs
officials said to-day that every regis
tered package coming from a foreign
country and addressed to a private in
dividual was held up and the person
addressed compelled to come before
customs officer and open the package
in his presence. From this it is ar
gued that Kempner must have had
the cigars concealed in registered pack.
ages of official mail. Kempner has
long been under investigation on other
charges, but it is claimed that this
alone would be sufficient to insure his
dismissal from the Postofice Depart
ment.
Another interesting feature of the
past week has beeen the summoning,
before the District Of Columbia Grand
Jury, of State Senator George E.
Green of New York, in connection
with the Bundy time-clock contract.
IL WAS ILLS COutTACL tuht SOt NoOISO
w. Beavers into the clutches OF the
law and it is predicted that Senator
Green, who lives at Binghamton, N. Y,
and has long been . personal friend of
the President, will be indicted by the
Grand Jury before its adjournment.
As told some months ago in these let.
tiers, quantities Of these clocks were
purchased by Beavers at $125 each and
it 10 claimed that the conspirators
made q profit of GO per cent. by the
deal. The clocks were installed in
numerous postofices. many of which
has only two or three employees and
where they could be Of no possible use.
1t is also q matter of interest that
Beavers has been located in New York
and that friend of his came to Wash.
ihgton this week and made arrange
ments with . local bonding company
to go Beavers bail in case he should
be indicted by the local Grand Jury,
as is anticipated.