Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-14
Postmaster General Payne Says
the Guilty Parties Will Be
Punished.
GIVES OUT BRIEF STATEMENT
President Has Approved the Action of
Payne in Ordering a Thorough In
quiry Into All the Departments
Fair and Just Treatment Will Be Ac-
corded All.
Annroved HE Action Of

Washington. April 14.-Postmaster-
General Payne last evening gave out
a statement in which he announced
that the investigation of the affairs
of the post Office department would be
continued and that any parties found
guilty of wrong will be dealt with sum-
marily. The statement is as follows:
..During the months of January and
February information and reports
reached me, which l deemed it for the
public interest to investigate and J.,
personally, gathered such information
and facts as would enable the proper
officers of the department to undertake
a thorough investigation as to the truth
or falsity of these reports. / directed
Fourth Assistant Postmaster-Gene
Bristow to take the proper steps 10
institute the necessary inquiry. using
for that purpose the postoffioe inspect
ors division and such other methods as
would thoroughly ascertain the truth
or fllsity of the charges or insinuations
made. and he was instructed to pro-
coed promptly and with vigor during
my absence. Since my return this
morning i have not seen General Bris-
tow, so that l am not advised of the
progress made. The investigation will
continue and if any wrong doing is
disclosed the parties guilty of such
wrong doing will be summarily dealt
with. If the system or method of doing
\. n Y.ty,
the proper remedies will be applied
without fear or favor. l inaugurated
the investigation with the determine
ton that 1t should be exhaustive. 1t
is proper for me to add that laid
before the president the information
which had in my possession and that
he fully approved of the action pro-
posed by me-.
The whole administration of the post
office department is made subject to the
Investigation under the postmaster
generals direction and the Inquiry will
be made as thorough as the DEPART
!ment's moot expert inspectors can
make it.
AT the same time Mr.. Payne's pur-
pose is to give fair and just treatment
tn all concerned, and not to act arbi-
trarily and with undue haste. For this
mason, it can be stated that no imme-
date changes of Importance in the per-
sonnet of the service are now coiltem-
plated and changes will depend largely
upon the report to be made by Fourth
Assistant Postmaster Cei4ersl Bristow
on the invest CATION, althCt develop
ments in the meantime E,ay necessitite
some deviation from this policy. The
office of the assistant attorney general
for the postoffice department is among
the bureaus included in Ihe general in
curry, and until this investigation OF
affairs generally is completed, it Is
probable that no successor to Assistant
Attorney General Tyner will be named.
Postmaster General Payne did not
reach the department until O'Clock
yesterday afternoon. A score OF news
paper men We're awaiting him with
queries concerning the postottice inNes-
tigation, but he parted all questions
with remarks on his trip to the West
Indies. He expressed particular graft
fication at what he had observed OF
postal conditions in CUBA. ard said his
observations in Cuba and Porto R1co
would be helpful to him in administer-
ing the postal service. Mr.. FaSme sum-
monEd a number of the officers of the
department and held saort consulta-
lions with them respecting postal af-
fairs About an hour later he gave out
his statement Subsequently he held
quite am extanded interview With
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow.
It is learned that it will be several
weeks before the postof!ice inspectors
will BIZ, able to complete their work
When they have finished Fourth AS
sist;lnt Postmaster General Bristow will
prepare a comprehensive report on the
whole subject. The report necessarily
will embrace matters as to why pub
Ilicity may not be warranted, so 1t is
probable that some parts of the report
will be withheld from publication.
EAMOIIS RnGIS TIARA