The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-17
PROBING THE Y.pOST OFFICE
nm RE INVESTIGATED FROM Tor
TO BOTTOM.
,,s,.ctcrs Now Trying to Trace Checks
nctween Beavers md Driggs-Dis-
,ppoln,cd Bidders for supplies Have
noon stirring Ip Washington.

w,suIyGToN. July 18.-The Post Office
n,rartmcrt has ordered a thorough in
ro.,iraticn of every branch Of the New
y,rk city Post Office and inspectors are
noy at work on this inquiry, which. 1t is
.oi5 is separate and apart from the in
=, stjsati,n Of the promotion syndicate.
I, i. known that sufficient information
,a,,e 10 the notice Of General
PAYNE before his departure from Washing"
,on 10 Justify Il suspicion that there We're
,,ber matters IN the New York Office re-
oniriug investigation besides the charges
that promotions had been improperly So
curcd Acting upon this information it
uas directed that the New York Office be
nrcbed from top TO bottom, and that a care
mi scrutiny be made Of all purchases and
contracts made by that office.
R,ports we're received to-day from the
INSPECTORS who are tracing. through New
York banking houses, the checks which. 1t
il said, have passed between former
official cf the Department and Representa-
t,yn briggs Of Brooklyn Mr.. briggs has
denied that he ever received or sent any
checks to Mr.. Beavers. but the inspectors
are continuing their investigations along
this line in spite of the former Congress-
mans denial.
Pest Office Inspector Walter S. Mayer,
who returned from New York last night,
was in conference to-day with Assistant
District Attorney Taggart. This afternoon
the Grand Jury resumed the examination
of witnesa,s in the Post Office cases. 1t is
believed that no indictments will be re-
he, al
investigation into New York Post Office
affairs is said to have been largely
brought about by complaints Of dissatisfied
bidders on contracts for postal supplies.
and It is the intention OF the authorities
here to leave no stone unturned to uncover
any fraud that may have existed.
Ifthere is an investigation into the way the
Post Office here is being run Postmaster
Van Colt says he hasn't heard anything
about it, Late yesterday afternoon found
the citys boss mail man leaning back in
his desk chair with his legs comfortably
over the mahogany table Of his private
room.
:, don't know damn thing about it,
he said. IF they're going to make an
official investigation into the New York
Post Office, they haven't taken the trouble
to put me wise. No! won't say absolutely
that there mayn't be something here to
investigate. l don't know anything about
it, | won't absolutely say either that
there aren't any inspectors at work here.
But if there are, don't know it. We
may, too, have spent 5000 ia supplies =
for hurried work in the printing room, for
example But all the bills for such sup
plies are approved at Washington
In regard to the possible effect Of the
Post Office scandals upon the next general
election, the Postmaster had this to say:
In my opinion the present state of az
fairs in the Post Office Department will
not affect the next general election in the
slightest degree. Here we have a great
postal system, one of the largest in the
world. It should not be a source Of aston
ishment if some Of the employees go astray,
The same thing happens every day in banks
and insurance companies. where relatively
only 81 handful az man nra nnnlnvnd