The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-06-05
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D.. c., June 1st

MIR. ED1ToR:-August w. Machen, Cen
eral Superintendent of Free Delivery, has
been arrested and admitted to bail to the
amount of $50, 900, Postmaster General
Payne is Frustrated by the occurrence and
the impossible has been accomplished.
Ever since the Washington Times started,
last December, publishing charges against
the Postoffice Department and especially
against Superintendent Machen, the Post
master General has figured as the apollo
gist for that official. Machen holds, as
his proudest possession, a letter from Sen
ator Hanna encouraging him in his tribu
lations and Mr.. Payne, who is the servile
servant of the Ohio boss, has protected
and shielded the dishonest official with
all the power in the possession of a Cabi-
net officer.
The charge against Machen is that he
has accepted a commission from the firm
of Croft Bros, from whom the Govern
ment has purchased fasteners used in at
taching mail boxes to lamp posts and col
lection boxes to posts on rural routes, to
the amount of $3.50 900. The commission
paid to Machen to secure this contract
was 40 per cent The history of Machen's
arrest is significant. Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow was given in
structions by the President to prosecute a
relentless investigation into the alleged
Postoffice irregularities. Assuming that
he had the cooperation of Henry Payne,
Postmaster General, Bristow has reported
to him each discovery as it was made.
Finally. Bristow became alive to the
actual conditions which confronted him
His inspectors suspected Machen of re-
ceiviug a commission, but no word was
spoken to Mr.. Payne. A still hunt was
instituted. The positive evidence was
secured. Machen was confronted with it
and practically broke down. A warrant
was secured and then, and then only, was
Mr.. Payne apprised of the facts. 1t was
too late to retreat, too late for circumlocu-
ton. The Postmaster General was COM
PEELED to give his sanction to Machen's
apprehension (Machen was already IN
CudIN Vi q CulGCu al liz loi "Ae
the arrest followed. Postmaster General
Payne, the politician, the Lobbyist, whom
Mckinley had refused to admit to his OIL
cial family, whom Mr.. Roosevelt had ap-
pointed only to placate Mr.. Hanna, was
outwitted and the man whose political
machine, carefully built up at the expense
of the taxpayers, was to elect Hanna
president, went to jail.
Incidentally, it is worthy of note that
the further the Machen rascality is probed
the more implicated become a member OF
the Mckinley family and a former First
Assistant Postmaster General. For leni-
ency towards the former Mr.. Payne had
appealed to the newspaper correspondents
with the words, "Have not you boys a
little warm blood left in you? Would
you drag that sainted family in the dust?'
For the latter he had appealed with the
statement, ''He was one of you. Would
you boys, notably good fellows, blacken
the reputation of a fellow newspaper
MANI" When Machen and his friends
had tried to blacken the reputation of
First Assistant Postmaster General
Wynne, a newspaper correspondent OF
twenty years standing, Mr.. Payne had
made no appeal. When Machen and his
pals had secured the dismissal of a man
aging editor, who charged him with dis
honest practices, Mr.. Payne had made no
appeal. The end of the Postoffice inves-
t~igation is said to be in sight. More ar
rests are to follow and then, it is claimed,
the criminal ring will have been elimi-
mated from the postal service.
Will Senator Hanna be able to maintain
control of the Hanna faction in Ohio, is
the question which republican politicians
in Washington are asking with keenest
interest. The abject surrender of Hanna
was supposed to insure the action of the
Ohio convention, but Senator Forake:
left Washington far from assured. There
is a large faction of malcontents in Ohio.
They have tlocked to the Hanna banner
because they understood that he was OPP
posed to the Roosevelt administration.
There are leaders like II. M. McDaugherty
and E. E. McKisson who this year furnish
a large part of the Hanna strength. Form