The Press., 1903-08-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
washington, August 8, 1903.

post Office department and seven or nls
confederates, story which revealed the
fact that on four contracts made on behalf
of the post-office department Machen had
secured a ''rake of" aggregating $75, 600
While, of course, Machen did not person
ally profit to the full extent OF this
amount, being obliged to divide with the
many confederates who participated In his
fraudulent proceedings, that Is the
amount which he has defrauded the gov.
ernment on these four contracts alone
while on other contracts already unearth.
ed enough more had been fraudently se'
cured to bring the aggregate, as result
Of Machen's Vaccinations alone, up to
approximately 100000. From the evi.
dence produced before the grand jury II
appears that Machen has been conducting
his fraudulent operations ever since 1892
and possibly longer.
Along with Machen were indicted VIM.
@. Long, formerly of Xenia, Ohio, but for
some time of Washington, Maurice
Runkle of New York, John T. Cupper,
the mayor Of Lockhaven, Pa, William
Gordon Crawford, manager of the Postal
Lock and Device company of New York,
and one time deputy auditor for the post
office department. Indictments on fresh
counts were also brough In against Ma
chen, Mr.. and Mrs. George E Lorerz OF
Ohio, Leopold J. Stern of Baltimore, Md,
and Thomas W. MacGregor, formerly a
clerk In the rural free delivery division.
While the number of indictments exceeds
four counts, there are really four contracts
on which they are based. 1t appears that
In two instances Machen awarded con-
tracts for letter carriers satchels or bags,
the specifications calling for leather
shoulder straps. He then purchased, at
the expense of the government, these
straps and had them delivered to the
manufacturers of the satchels while he
divided with his confederates the saving
so affected, about 25 cents per strap on
many thousand satchels. The third con-
tract called for small leather cases used
by carriers. These were purchased with
out competition at cost OF 80 cents each,
that being go cents In excess of fair
price, and Machen and his pals divided
the go cents. In the fourth instance Ma
chen gave to Mayor Cupper contract to
paint all letter boxes, although the con-
tract with the manufacturers of the boxes
required them to paint the boxes. On
this deal alone Machen, Cupper and Long
divided between them $19 600. In the
light Of the Wholesale corruption practiced
by Machen during several administrations
1t would appear that there we're no recent
postmaster generals who had right to
boast of their administrations, which have
been so occupied with securing places for
politicals proteges as to be utterly obliv-
ious of such systematic and unblushing
rascality. The grand jury Is still consid
ering other cases, and there is, as yet, no
telling when the investigation will end or
the extent of corruption that will be ulti-
mately revealed. In this connection 1t
may be said that there Is no truth In the
reports sent out from Washington and
from Oyster Bay to the effect that Presi-
dent Roosevelt has taken steps to hasten
the completion of the investigation, his
only instructions having been to conduct
the affair SO thoroughly that no guilty
person shall escape the dragnet 1t Is
also worthy of note that while stories OF
corruption in Machen's division have long
been In circulation, no attention was paid
to them and 1t Is doubtful II any would
have been, had not the president appoint
ed as first assistant postmaster general,
Robert J. Wynne, former newspaper
correspondent. Mr.. Wynne almost i'm
mediately discovered that rascality was
being practiced, and brought the matter
so forcibly to the attention of the presi-
dent that he ordered Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Brlstow to ina ugurate
the Investigation which has yielded such
abundant "pay dirt" to use the post
master generals favorite expression.
AS result Of the arbitrary action of
the bookbinders' union and the suplne
yielding to the demands of the union by
Public Printer Palmer, another investiga-
tion Is to be inaugurated which 1t Is pre-
dicted by some will yield as rich harvest
Of scandal as has that In the post Office
department. Having reinstated Miller,
who was discharged from his position of
assistant foreman of the bindery In the
government printing Office, the president
has determined to institute an investiga-
tion of the methods prevailing In that es-
tablishment, as result of which the cost
of printing and binding done In the gov
ernment Office Is from so to $50 per cent.
greater than 1t would be were the work
done In private establishment. Doubt
less this investigation was first decided
upon because Of the impression that rule
of the book binders union, which limits
the task of each employee, was the occa-
sion of the increased cost. When advised
of the presidents intention, officers of the
union informed your correspondent that
they would welcome such an investiga-
tion. They admitted that the cost of
work In the government printing Office
was inordinate, but asserted that It was
due to "leak" and not to their rules.
What the leak Is they declined to say, al
though they limited at jobbery In the pur-
chase of supplies, ETC.. They have long
been rumors to this effect, and 1t may be
that when Secretary Cortelyou, under
whose supervision the proposed investiga-
tion will be conducted, inserts the probe,
he may find q condition of affairs equally
as corrupt as that which has been found
to exist In the postoffice department.
Puts an End to it All.
A grevious wall oftimes comes as q
result Of unbearable pain from over taxed
organs. Dizziness, Backache, Liver COM
plant and Constipation. But thanks to