The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-24

BEFORE the PreSla,ent, anu II Wynne
Is slst aln-o Nr. Payne May Resign.
WASHINGTON, MAY c5.--The alleged in
teryiew with young Henry Wynne, son of
and private secretary to Robert Wynne,
rI,e Assistant Postm9 ster General. tele-
ar, rhed from Milwaukee the other day.
s,,,inr that Postmester-G General Payne
had become weak and decrept from his
s,rcnlo,s life in the Department and that
he would soon resign. hts been denied
hy both the reputed author and his father.
ArnorentIy no such statements We're made
bv the young man, who, although en- off,
cjs, Of the Post Office Depa rtmcnt, was in
Milwaukee on purely private business.
Milwaukee happens to be the home town
NJ Postmf ster- General Pr yne, where he
.eryed as D ostm- ster for number Of years,
and i, was particularly annoying to him to
htye a story emancte there, OF all places
in the United States, calling attention
10 his physical and mental condition rs a
result of the hysterical condition of things
in the Post Office Department. TWAS simply
another thorn in the flesh. another goad to
urge him to long contemplated heroic
action.
Mr. Payne is not in good physical con-
IL. n ,
That is why he hesitated to accept the
Cabinet place. He has attacks of acute
indigestion that are always serious while
thov last, and which do not leave him in
improved bodily condition. He got along
fairly we'll in the Post Office Department,
however. until the present burst Of scandal
opened up early in the spring.
But it is not the Postmaster-General's
bodily ailments that are giving him the
most worry just now. His chief trouble
at present is that when he returned from
his Southern trip he found a condition Of
affairs in the Department that astounded
him. and one, moreover. that bids fair to
end in serious political row, involving,
If lie not most skilfully handled, the Presi-
dent OF the United States and, perhaps,
other members of his Cabipet than the
Postmaster General, and incidentally some
Of the most prominent members of Con-
gress and Republican politicians Of in
fuence generally.
The scs.nd Is in the Post Office Depart
nent growing out Of irregularities and.
presumably, worse things, committe d by
M.chen Beavers, Tyner End the rest, ere
bad enough in al oonsoieno e, but they will
fll soon be forgotten when Mr.. Bristow
mikes his report. He will accuse Machen
Of Icing the hes devil of the whole scheme
Of running the Post Office Department for
the benefit of those directly in charge Of
the free delivery service and for those
members Of Congress who were willing
10 make unh eard-of appropriations for
this bra nch of the postal service, in order
that the party in power could use 1t as
political machine. end in order that the
Congressman could get fat appointments
in Washington and elsewhere for their
henchmen
That Is how Beavers and Machen built
up their power. They gave the Congress-
men what they wanted in the way Of APP
pointn,ents and increased salaries and
allowances, and in return they got the APP
preparations and retained their grip. Con-
Gress is just as response bic for the big de-
Hclency just discovered in the free de-
livery service as Machen is, and every
body in the Department knows 1t.
Machen, Beavers and the rest encountered
trouble soon after Robert j, Wynne was
appointed First Assistant Postmaster-Gen-
eral, a little more than year ago Being
an honest man and up TO snuff he soon dis
covered that his subordinates had been for
long time running all the branches OF
the First Assistants office to suit them
selves and that they had things all arranged
to sidetrack him, as they had his prede-
C,,ssors.
Mr. Wynne would not be sidetracked
He determined to be the head of his own
Office or to resign. SO he started IN 70 ex-
Co. with the result up to date that
Beavers resigned in feverish haste at the
sound OF the first gum Machen is under sus-
pension and will never go back ana lyner,
he Attorney General for the Department,
who was dragged into the Investigation as
side issue, was summarily removed.
All this has been accomplished within
few months of vigorous pounding away at
the same, spot. The Pos!master-General ls
to attain these ends. In other words he
believes that Mr.. Wynne used the news
papers to help him get rid OF the offending
officials. as he should not have done, instead
Of employing the confidential official chan
nels Of the Department, as he should have
ostmaster-General Payne was never
pleased at the appointment OF Mr.. Wynne,
and when he went to Cuba he selected
Fourth Assistant Postma stcr-Generai Bis.
tow to make an investigation OF the LEGGED
scandals in the Depertu cnt. He vas
as'ounded when he returned to tind that
during his six weeks atsence TIE news
mrers of the country he d been filed with
cha GEES against ell sorts of officis Is in tie
Department. The information upon WHICH
these charges were be sed could only he We
been supplied by somebody in the D'pe1t-
nent, and that somebody MIR: feyne De-
lfNtS 10 Dt tDc L IL St hoo'H'S'+e S'''''>SN>'
General
Among those thus etterted was Mr..
Pavne's personal friend, who slso ltP-
pered to be tie friend Of United states
Sem tors and other pcwerf ul Repubhctrs,
and they r,e an TO Rave their revenge ore
man in pe rticusr who IVES hit WIS II. I'll.
md of Milwaukee. He has ben secIe:
'arv 70 Senetor Spooner and Secretary OF
the Rcpurl'ce n State Central Commntee
81 Wisconsin, End WIS .appo'rted by MT
PAYNE to a confidential plf &c IN the, De
mrtment He YVES Charged with selling
gold mining stock to the employees 81 ire
Post Ofice Dera rtrert, unccr thret
Of mourning tie disploasu sure Of tie Post
MASTER Generol Is friends " they did not
buv, Rand compelled the immcdihte re.
traction of this fslsc charge. but ire wound
rart'od In other beasts t,Hn his cwn.
Machen has powerful friends among
both the Democrats and Republicans In
Congress- but they will make only per-
funotorv fight to have him restored and,
Of course. will not succeed. The Post
nlsster-Gencral has determined. however,
hat as soon as Bristow me kes his report
he will take up with President Roosevelt
the quo~'ion Of whether Wynne was JUSTIFIED
In sacrificing the good name of the Depart