The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-04-16
SCANDAL IN THE
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
Bellairs, the Swindler, and Cen. Wood
-RooseyeIt's Palatial Free Train
Contrasted With Another.
HINT AT PRESIDENTIAL POSSIBILITY.
Special Correspondent OF rnr TINES.

The scandal in the Post Oflic
Department is one of the mos
fragrant examples of Republican
administration furnished since th
war. The charges-aud they ar
well Observation-Disclosures cOllossa
scieme Of jObbery aud robbery
Several officials have resigned
Others don't dare. Several of tn,
high officers of the department
seem to have plundered right ano
left. In view of the millions an.
nually spent for the postal service
it is readily seen how venal officials
could 'rakeoff' enormous sums
yearly.
The jobbery apparently grew up
under Hanua's man Percy S.
Heath, who as First Assistant
Postmaster General was II pollti-
clan if nothing worse. The de-
partment was administered like a
Chinese province and whether or
not Heath was direct beneficiary
his methods bred up thl rotton
system now being pitch forked to
the sunlight.
Aud this sOlt of thing has been
going on while letter carriers, post
Office clerks and railway postal
employees are undergrad and over
worked.
If the contracts for carrying the
mails over the railroads wera as
economically let as they should be
and could be, and the purloined
millions We're saved to the govern.
ment, the postal employees could be
paid decent salaries aud there
would be money left over besides.
Exposure in this case came as Il
result Of row among officials,
Robert J. Wynne, who believes in
having his authority respected, got
mad at some Of the well.enirenched
officials who were amused at
Wyune's efforts to direct Wynne
was recently appointed First Assis-
tan: Postmaster General. The
other fellows had been in their
jobs for years and were rated AS
experts.
So Wynne reS0rted to the ia
miliar device Of stirring a fire be-
hind his enemies and the disclos-
ures resulted.
BELLAlRs, swINDLER AND CONVICT.
Bellairs, the swindler and con
Wet, who as an Associated Press
representative, sent the news of
General Leonard Woods marvel
Gus success rs an administrator
in Santiago first, aud subsequently,
in Havana as Governor General, has
been exposed. He is now known as
a man named Balentine, from Nor.
folk County, England. He is in
the New York Rogues' Gallery.
He is described by Byrnes Ms the
most successful confidence man in
the world. He was convicted of
forgery in Florida, and three years
after the expiration of his term he
was, under the name of Bellairs,
informing the American public Of
Cuban affairs. He was Woods
guide, counselor and friend. He
was on, it is seriously asserted,
three distinct Cuban pay rolls. He
then, after making Wood" was
sent to the Philippines and for two
years the Philippine news came to
this country filtered through this
moral sewer.
Exposure came to him through
his book. in which he denounced
Gov. Taft and extolled Wood and
declared that Wood should be sent
to replace Taft. Taft's friends ex-
posed Bellairs. If the Republican
grafters" fight frequently enough
we may learn ALL the truth about
this administration. but they re not
likely to. Common cause will
assert its influence.
Bellairs, however brilliant as a
swindler he may be, is only an in
cident. What of Wood, the Presi.
dents great friendi What Of the
charges against Wood so lightly
dismissed by Secretary Rooti Did
Wood know of Bellairs' real name,
record and characteri Did not
some army officers denounce Bel
liars to Wood, and did not the
latter, despite that fact, continue
his association with Bellairs.
Why was the administration OF
Cuba 80 expensive under Woodi
Palma has governed more firmly;
more quietly and less expensively.
How about the gambling monopoly
Wood fastened for ten years on
Havana? We do know that he
did get from the stockholders Of
this gambling monopoly a $5, 900
service, and it is said that he ad.
mitted the service into Cuba free
duty four days before its presen-
tatiOn. How about the contracts
let and franchises granted by
WOodi
And yet Wood is slated by
Roosevelt to be the head Of the
army-the Lieutenant General.
RoosEvELT's "DEADHEAD" JUNKET.
There is considerable comment
here over the special train in
which the President and his com.
panions are making their flying
trip over the country, and from the
tail gate Of which be is making bis
bid for the Republican nomination.
That train is q marvel Of magnifi-
cence. Nothing like it was ever