New-York tribune., 1903-06-13
PUSHING THE POSTAL INQUIRY.
PROMOTION RING IN CITY OFFICE LIKELY TO Bl
DISCLOSED
Inspectors Work Here and in UashingonTrouble h the Cai-
NAY BE INDICTMENTS.
Grand Jury Likely to Take Up
POstOHce Scandals.

When the federal grand jury reconyenes on
Tuesday it is believed that IT will take up the
postoffice difficulty here, and indictments are
looked for. While numerous inspectors from
out of town are probing the stories of the al
legged promotion syndicate they are care
fully avoiding the heads of the office here. and
Postmaster Van Cott is in Ignorance of what
they may have learned. However, the stories
yesterday had it that these inspectors would
figure prominently before the grand jury, and
that when Judge Thomas sits in the United
States Circuit Court on June 10 to receive
the budget of indictments, there would be
many found for the purchase Of places IN the
postal service and for payment to obtain in
creases in salary.
It is the hope of all the heads If this post
office that the investigation will show so con-
clusively the :nadequacy Of the present classifl-
cation law. as applied to the New-York office,
that the law will be amended or a complete
new one enacted. This law. they hold, is to
blame for whatever wrong classificat tions exist
The business Of the postoffice, larger than that
Of most States. has grown so enormously ana
its methods have changed so greatly since 1883
when the present classification was framed
that 20 pay the men adequate salaries 1t is
necessary to put them in classes whose work
they do not do
EVILS OF PRESENT CLASSIFICATION.
That" said Thomas a. Jardines. the auditor.
yesterday, after explaining these facts. rs the
reason these forty-eght men about whom nave
been asked are rated cashiers. They might
he superintendents. doing the work of superlH-
tendents, but in order to pay them enough II
might be necessary to rate them as hnahce
clerks As The Tribune has pointed out, this
classification act is out of date entirely Think
Of it-with the business of this ofiee--no pro-
in he tjO0 for SteuOgra pEerS.
What We need is an act making classes ac-
cording TO the work, then have Grades A, B,
c and D in each class.
Inspector Oldfeld. of st. Louis. came back to
this city yesterday. He and another inspector
visited Stations and @. 1t is known that they
ore working on the cash register case" which
excited no little comment recently.
VAN CoTT ORDERED TO REPORT.
Postmaster Van Cott. II said yesterday.
had been ordered to make a full report to
washington on conditions in every branch Of the
office.
THE papers," he declared. seem to know
more. about this than do: but. anyway. don I
read the papers. You see. I'm going on a Weo-
ding Journey next week. and want to keep In
a pleasant frame of mind. If l did know any
thing about these supposed irregularities !
should make a report TO the department at
Washington; then they could tell whatever they
cared to-
the postmaster replied with much emphasis:
"Resign? Did you ever hear OF a Van Cott
resigning?"
This has considerable bearing on the contro-
yersy about the superintendenCy of mails ana
the moot point as whether Richard van
t,ott or c. W. White should have the Jon-
There are two separate places. said Assistant
Postmaster Morgan yesterday. but 1t could not
he ascertained what the classification list says
or what the postmaster will decide. OF this.
C1barIas p Page who has been supporting Mr..
White said that " ere it to come 10 a question
of dropping one he would withdraw, as he could
hardly ask the postmaster to drop his son He
racognized that there work enough for
both
There were many politicians at the once
yesterday presumably because they felt anx-
ions a bout the prospects of some of their con-
stituents There are rumors that politics plays
an important part just now, however. ana mat
,1niticaI developrnents and postoff1ce investga-
tion are interdependent.