The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-06-01


decided to get Payne and enlist him
under the Roosevelt banner. and thus
checkmate any moves Hanna might
make.
Payne carried out his part Of the
con act faithfu,sf He began 20 play
poi les as soon as he sa. down at his
des He was familiar enough with
pos office affairs to get a quick grasp
Of lis office and he was so familiar
with politics that the working out Of
the few Roosevelt problems was child's
play.
Beginning Of His Troubles.
The postoffice department was booms
ing along. doing favors fr Republican
members Of congress and keeping up
the Perry Heath routine.
johnson of New Jersey was first as
sistant postmaster general He did
not like the place. and was at his desk
but two months of 10 he served.
When he resigned the president
picked Robert j. wynne. a newspaper
correspondent here. who had lived in
Washington 25 years, and who knew
much about government affairs.
Wynne went in TO be FIRST assistant
postmaster general in all the office i'm
piled He had ihings to do ami h.
started to do them. He found that
since the first Mckinley election
combination had grown up in his Of
fee so powerful that the first assistant
postmaster general was mere rub-
Der stamp. All he was expected - do
was to sign his name where ne was
told 70
wynne would not have it, He pro
tested. and, being pugnacious ami ieal.
Gus of his rights, started war that
eliminated in the investigation now in
progress.
The fight was going on before Pjs'-
masaer General Payne's trip 70 tho
south. It came TO a head while he
was away There had been talk OF
crookedness in many divisions The
situation was explained to the prcsi-
dent He ordered Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow to make
an investigation. II was not 10 be
made public.
As soon as word came TO the depart
ment that there was to be an inyesti-
cation. George w. Beavers. who was
head of the division Of salaries and al
lowances. under Wynne, resigned pre-
cipitately That gave the clew, and
since that time the scandals have been
aired freely in the newspapers.
Payne Makes His First Sig Mistake.
When Payne came back he found
the investigation in full swing. He
promptly announced that il would be
thorough and tAat no guilty man would
escape. That was for publication.
Shrewd as he is, he missed an OPP
portunity right there. The newspa-
pers had made it apparent that A. w.
Machen. chief of the division Of salar-
les and allowances, was under charges.
II Payne had suspended Machen then
rss1 there, the investigation would
have begged down, in n newspaper
sense, and Bristow could have gone
along and attained the presidents
end quietly.
The men close to Payne in The de-
partment are the friends of Machen.
Furthermore, Payne saw no wrong in
utilizing the rural free delivery SER
vice and the other resources of the
postoffice department for the aid Of
Republican politicians. He was as
sured there was no crookedness in
money matters and that the whole
affair had been political in its nature
and he saw no harm in that
Payne clung to Machen. lie would
not suspend him. Finally matters
came TO head with the president. He
was away on his trip to the coast put
his friends here We're reporting TO him
that the scandals were attailing such
publicity and assuming suCh proper
tions that tley might handicap him in
his race in 1904.
The president acsed pr-mptly. He
sent Senator Lodge 10 Payne TO de
mand the suspension Of Machen. Much
against his will, Payne found a way q
suspend him.
Then came the Tulloch charges
Payne ridiculed them He called then
hot air" and said Tulloch's detailed
statement was stump speech" Tn,
public did not look on the charges il
tnat light There was a e-eat clamor
Payne held tenaciously to his frs
Characterization.
Valnly Tried TO Protect Heath.
Perry Heath was mentioned fre
quently. Heath was associated witt
Payne on the Republican rationa
committee. Payne was PROTECTING