The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-13
INGALLS, REPORT
CLEARS MEMBERS
But Minority Doesn't Let Off
BriStOW and Heath so
Easily.


Mccall. The report is signed by all
seven members of the committee. The
minority members, however, append
supplemental views. The important
phases of the report is a finding re-
garding the connection of members
with the business of the postoffice de-
partment. This finding is:
After a careful consideration of all cases
specIned in the report numbered 1895, so
far as they relate to present members Of
the house Of representa- tiVeS which the
committee assume to be a limit of their
Jurisdiction, they have unanimously reach
ed the conclusion that nothing has appear
ed IN connection with said cases that
would justify the finding that any MEM
Der OF the house of representatives has
prohted financially in the slightest degree,
or that any member was guilty of imprOp-
er conduct in connection Herewith or
that any member has done in connection
with any Of said cases anything that did
not appear to be within the line of his
official duty according to long established
custom.
The report says that the severance
or members from work of this charac-
ter would augment the efficiency of
the house of representatives. The re-
port continues:
This inquiry has come upon the house
suddenly and without any notice to its
members. Their correspondence has been
| brought to the light with that department
| of the government with which their rela-
ions are most intimate. In no instance is
It likely that they expected the letters
which they wrote would be published 1t
is to the credit of the membership Of the
house that correspondence of this char
acter thus collected together should con-
tain so little Of an unfavorable char
acter.
The committee tells how the names
| of members were sent to congress by
| mistake, as these dispatches have al
ready explained.
The report refers to the BristOW
statement that millions that have been
appropriated for clerk hire during the
past four years have been used by
Beavers largely as a political perqui-
site for the benefit of his personal and
political friends"
1t gives the total of excessive al
lOwances as $4,000 which, it says.
| would appear to be no more than the
minimum of error inevitable even
with a high degree of honesty and eff
cheney. The statement above quoted,
therefore, that the millions allowed
for clerk hire in the third and fourth
class offices had been used largely as
an official perquisite would scarcely
seem to be a measured and temperate
statement having any intimate reIa-
ton to the actual facts as shown by
the list which the postoffce depart
ment has sent to the house Of repre-
sentatives." There is nothing in the
clerk hire transaction of members, ac-
cording to the report, on which a sim
gle member may be justly criticised.
The report says the committee was
| unable to find a single member who
| knew what the secret rule of the de-
partment on which these allowances
are made was, and adds: Secret rules
for the disbursement of public moneys
are not to be tolerated"
Minority Discusses Bristow.
The views of the minority, signed
by Messrs. McDermott IN. j., Bart
lett (Ga.1 and Richardson (Ala.), are
devoted entirely to a discussion of Mr.
BristoW, his connection with the clerk
hire case at Erie and Kingman, Kan,
and his duties to institute an investi-
cation with the force of inspectors un-
DER him wherever he suspects irregu-
larities. 1t is stated initially:
1t is clear that Mr. Bristow's assertion
that a hundred other similar cases could
be cited was not the outcome of proper
investigation, but. was a guess and the
records do not show that guess to have
been correct.
AS to the two Kansa@ offices mem
| toned, the report asserts:
The postof1ces at Kingman and Erie
| Kan, are not mentioned in Mr.. Bristow's
| report but they should have been, for he
| is clearly chargable with knowledge that
| money TO the pOstmaSterS at those places.
| After giving the correspondence in
! the Erie case between Mr.. Bristow
| who recommended the increase. and
| Mr.. Heath, who made it, the report
| says:
The. report from the Erie postmaster
shows that he was not only not entitled un-
! der departmental rules to an increase, but
that the allowance of 1920 he was receiv-
| ing was excessive. The wording of his
hot Ia +Sy,o-
| was underpaid. he expected to receive
| partisan favor. Mr.. Bristow could
| through any of his inspectors, have learn
| ed whether the report was a proper one
| The first letter from Mr.. Heath was mark
| ed personal, and in advance of any re-
| port fixed the date when an increase would
| go into effect. When Mr.. Bristow signed
| his report last October, he knew that for
| several years the postmaster at Erie had
| been receiving an Illegal allowance and he
| knew that this illegality was begun as a
! personal favor to himself
! Of the Kingman case, the minority
| says:
If he had knowledge, however secured.
! that the postmaster at Kingman was il
| legally receiving government funds Mr.
/ BTistow is mistaken in his view that he
! was not bound to initiate an investieya-
! ton. 1t is intolerable to assert that crime
| being suggested. the fourth postmaster
! general mus wait for orders to Investigate
! If the postal inspectors are not to keen
! guard of the department they are almost
1
| out Tor crime what are they employed for?
What should Have Been Found.
Some of the things which the in
( spectOrs should have ascertained are
| mentioned as follows:
| A small army of inspectors. empow-
J cred to ENTER and inspect Offices at all
/ times, and to make such other inquiries
| and Investigations as the interest of the
/ service may demand should be able To
| prevent "wantOn destruction of ink J"
| They should not have allowed to pass nm
! noticed the fact that there were e'many
! excessive and unnecessary shipments OF
| have discovered that the So, 900 linking
! pads were of inferior grade. They Should
! have learned that the postoffice at CO.
! lumbia, Okla, had enough ink on hand
! to last four years; that the office at Block
/ KAN, had received ink and pads that
! were not needed and that the offices Ar
| Bolarville, Ohio; Watt, Ohio, and Cement
/ City, Mich. were packed with useless
I supplies. They should have known that
! the department was building the Irvine
] market and storing Irvine. They shouId
/ have found out that the division of sun
plies was criminally extravagant They
| should have known that the public funds
| We're being wasted in purchasing inferior
| and UNNECESSARY manifold books
! Attending strictly to business. thew
| should have discovered that the postofFica
! department was being used to violate the
1 revenue laws Well directed they Should
| have arrested and prosecuted those who
/ We're using the mails for 'fraudulent
/ schemes popularity known as ''get-rich
( mn