Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-12-03

| tees obtaining in the Postodice de-
| partment, President Roosevelt sent the
following memorandum to the legisla-
tive body:
1t appears that In December. 1902, Post
master General Payne and Congressman
| +. +. Loud, chairman of the Committee
| on the Post Office and Post-Roads held
various consultations regarding the pos
| tai service. and as result of these In
| terviews II was determined that as soon
| as possible after the necessary appropria-
lions could be made by the Congress an
| investigation should be made of the ser
| vice. both Messrs. Payne and Loud agree
ing as to the need for the investigation
| and the time when II should take place.
Accordingly, an increase of 5000 In the
appropriation bill reported in January
was made for the express purpose Of car
| rying on the Investigation in question.
The investigation made by Mr.. Bris-
| tow discloses condition of gross cor
| ruption in the office of the First Assist
| ant Postmaster-General and In that of
the Assistant Attorney General for the
Post-Office department. Ip the case Of
| the superintendent of free delivery, Mach
en-, the evidence shows that his miscon-
! duct began Immediately after his appoint
| ment In September. 1898. In the case of
the general superintendent of salaries
and allowances, Beavers, II began soon
after he was appointed to that place In
1897 In the case Of Assistant Attorney
| General Tyner 1t has gone on for a num-
Der of years, but Ii Is impossible to say
exactly when 1t began. The following Is
list of the fourteen Post-Ofice en-
ployes In the service at the time this in
vestigation was begun, who are appar-
emily most seriously implicated in the
wrongdoing, together with an account Of
the steps that have been taken by the
Government in each case
(The case Of ex- First, Assistant Post
master-General Heath. who had left the
service over three years before this In
vestigation was begun, Is set forth in
the report Of Mr.. Bristow.)
James N. Tyner. Assistant Attorney
General for the Post Office department.:
appointed special agent. Post-Office de-
partment. March 7. 1861: with intervals
of a few years has been In the service
ever since. and was Postmaster General
under President Grant for several
months: he was removed April o. 1903:
| ne has since been indicted three times.
A. w. Machen, general superintendent
free-delivery system; appointed clerk in
post-office at Toledo, Ohio, March /. 1887:
continuously In service ever since save
for three years: removed May q. 1903:
has since been indicted fourteen times.
George w. Beavers. general superin-
tendent Of salaries and allowances; APP
pointed to oierkship In New York post
office January. 1881: continuous service
ever since; resignation accepted to take
affect March 81. 1903; has since been in
1icted eight times
James T. Metcalf. superintendent mon
ey-order system; appointed post-Office in
spector February 2, 1882; has been in pos
tai service ever since; removed June II.
1903; has been indicted once.
Daniel V. Miller. assistant attorney.
DznN ~ go T,,I, 4
1902: removed May %. 1903: indicted once;
after one mistrial was retired and ac-
quilted.
Louis Kempner, superintendent regis
try system: appointed clerk in New York
post-ottice August. 1856; removed October
q, 1903.
Charles Hedges, superintendent city
free-delivery service; appointed assistant
superintendent free-delivery service July
l. 1898: removed July Y. 1903.
James w. Erwin, assistant superintend-
ent free-delivery service: appointed post
office inspector June a. 1887; removed Sep
TENDER 16. 1903: indicted once.
w. Scott Towers. superintendent Sta
ton c, Washington. d. c.; appointed
clerk, Washington post-oftice November,
1890; removed October. 1903: indicted three
times.
Otto F. weis, assistant superintendent
registry division, New York post-office !;
appointed clerk. New York post office
June, 1890: removed October p, 1903.
T. w. McGregor, clerk. free-delivery d.
vision, in charge of supplies; appointed
Post-Office department. March IL. 1891 !;
removed June g. 1903: indicted twice.
c. E. Upton, clerk, free-delivery divis-
ion; appointed July /, 1900; removed June
s, 1903; indicted once.
NJ. w. Louis, superintendent supply d.
| vision: appointed Kansas City post office
ncfn hnr
Charles B. Terry. clerk, supply division;
appointed September 20, 1900; removed Oc-
| tober q, 1903.
The three chief offenders in the Govern
| ment service were Tyner Machen and
Beavers. AS regards Messrs. Beavers and
Machen the corruption took the form of
| bribery and blackmail in connection with
| the purchase of Government supplies. In
| the Office of the Assistant Attorney-Gen-
eral for the Post-O Office department, under
| Tyner and Barrett, far greater wrong
was inflicted upon the public than could
be measured by pecuniary standard
for In this office the corruption of the
| Government officials took the form OF
| favoring get-rich-quick concerns and sim
liar swinding schemes; in other words
the criminals, whom 1t was the sworn
duty of these Government officials to
| prosecute, paid them for permission to
fleece the public unmolested.
| heartily approve or the recommended
| ton of Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte
that the statute of limitations be extend.
ed in the case of Government servants
to period of at least five years; for the
persons who in such positions of trus
engage in corrupt practices can ordinarily
conceal their guilt for a longer time thar
is covered by the present short statute o.
limitations.
NO crime calls for sterner reprobatior
than the crime of the corruptionist In
public life. and of the man who seeks t
corrupt him. The bride giver and tn,
bride taker are equally guilty. Both alik,
sin against the primary law OF the State!
safety. All questions of difference in par
ty policy sink into insignifcance whel
the people OF this country are brough
face to face with a question like this
which lies at the root of honest and de
cent government On this question, an,
on all others like 1t, we can afford t,
have no division among good citizens
Self-government becomes a farce IL tn
representatives of the people corrup
others or are themselves corrupted. Free
dom Is not a gift which will tarry long II
the hands of the dishonest or Of thos
30 foolish or so Incompetent as to tolerat
dishonesty in their public servants. I'm
der our system all power comes from tn
| ss~~~~~~~-~~-~~~o~->~
Water Supply important.
Many people who build homes Il