The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-23
WYNNE PUT ON
THE GRlDIR0N
These Be Busy Days For the
POst0ffice Department.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRIAL
AUTHOR OF INDICTMENT RE-
PORT rs WANTED.

TAI ASHINGTON. March 22.-The Nc
w Can committee today continued
its Investigation Of the "indict-
ment' OF the members Of the house by
the postohce department. First AS
sistant Postmaster General Wynne.
Charles y. Waters. superintendent or
the salaries and allowance division. and
Charles p. Cranfield. assistant superin-
tendent OF that division, were before
the committee.
Mr.. Wynne Ws@ me first 10 be heard
After calling his attention 20 the print
ed list OF names of congressman in the
special report. Chairman Mccall asked
Mr.. Wynne what knowledge he had OF
this report In reply, Mr.. Wynne said:
How 1t Got Out.
The first knowledge the committee
on postofiices and post roads had OF
the existence Of such a list was in a
statement made by AIr. Waters before
the committee in explanation of ap-
preparations for separating mail serv-
ice.
When this service was reached in
the hearing, the chairman or some
member of the committee asked Mr..
Waters how many of these allowances
had been discontinued.
He said there had been about 800.
My recollection is that another ques-
ton asked was if there was a list or
these discontinued allowances, and ne
answered that there was
This, Mr.. Wynne eaid. was on Jan. IL.
Mr.. Wynne said the next time the list
came 10 his attention was on Jan. -
when the postmaster general showed
him letter from Chairman Overstreet.
This letter requested all information
which could be communicated by the
fourth assistant postmaster general
with reference to allowances TO clerk
hire and leases which had been made
TO members of congress.
Wynne Was Shocked
The postmaster general instructed
Mr.. Wynne 10 procure the list. Mr..
Waters was sent for by Mr. Wynne
He produced the list. and Mr. Wynne
said he noticed that il contained the
names OF senators, members Of con-
gress and others.
II called this TO the attention Of the
postmaster general said Mr.. Wynne,
and on my statement that IL would
not be right TO couple the names Of
these gentlemen with Beavers and Ma
chen. he agreed with mS"
The names were eliminated and the
list sent TO Mr.. Overstreet without
them.
The next day the postmaster general
informed Mr.. Wynne that this was not
satisfactory and a letter from MI.
Oyerstreet asking for the detailed in
formation was read to the committee.
Acting under orders from the post
master general the preparation of the
printed list was begun As 10 making
the record complete by copying each
letter in every case in fun would make
large document. Mr.. Wynne suggest
ed TO the pOstma Ster general an abbre-
waited statement. This was assented
TO and when a number of cases had
been prepared they We're submitted 10
the postmaster general and by him To
Mr.. Overstreet- This was exactly what
was wanted, he was told. The work
was completed Feb. and transmitted
10 Mr.. Overstreet the next day. This
list contained the names of members
and was the list published in the re-
port.
List Was Ordered.
Mr. Bartlett asked If this list was
originally prepared at the instance or
the pOstOffice committee.
Mr.. Wynne answered that the lisf
was not ~ prepared since it was i'm cX-
istence. He added that NIr- Waters
might answer that. Mr. Waters was
then questioned He was asked by Mr..
Mccall about the history Of the list
Mr.. Waters said that on the LIST OF
November. 1903. the chief postofiice in
SpectOr. Mr.. Cochran. sent for him and
told him that on account Of the state
ments that would be made in the Bris-
tow report he wanted to know how
much work it would be to get up "A list
from the files Of all matters relating 70
reductions for separating allowances
He asked to have the statements show
whether the allowance when made was
excessive. Mr.. Cochran was told this
would entail a large amount Of work.
4 70 n
there We're 100 such cases The answer
was that about 700 reductions had been
made Mr. Cochran said if Mr. waters
did not want to volunteer the IN
formation he would have the fourth as
sistant postmaster general write let
ter asking for the information MI
: Waters requested the letter HIS recol-
/ lection was that the letter was later re-
ceived although he put his clerks 10
work to prepare the list. The letter,
( however. is not on file in his papers
I and he concluded that il was never re-
ceived.
The list was prepared up to Nov 10,
Original List Produced.
At the request of Mr. Bartlett, the
( original list was produced and retained
( by. the committee
! Mr.. Bartlett then went over the
ground with Mr.. Waters To get his i'm
/ preston for the reason Inspector Coch-
ran wanted the list in the first instance,
/ and asked: They wanted the list OF
\ the names of congressman and wanted
/ you to state if it was safe 70 say there
were 100 such cases?
THAT is my recollection
Did he give you any reasOnE'
Il inferred from the conversation that
/ a statement had been made or he was
! called upon TO make a statement about
/ a number of such cases. and he wanted
/ TO know il il was safe TO say It,.
( prior 10 that time asserted Mr.
! Bartlett. "a statement had been made
! public in which il had been stated that
there were 100 cases Of that character
Il could not say that any such state
ment had been made public" replied
! Mr. Waters. 4 had not at that time.
nor have since, seen the Bristow re-
port
! Mr.. Waters added that he thought
! that WAS the only object in preparing
| the list.
The committee then went into eNecu-
] tive session and discussed the testi-
mOny which had been taken Another
| hearing viii be held tomorrow It ia
! understood the committee is DESTROYS
| of hearing from Postmaster General
] Payne Inspector Cochran and Chair
| man OverstreeL
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