The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-15

Washington, April 1.-THE report
Of the special committee of h House
appointed to investigate the report
from the postofice department., printed
under the caption Charges Concern
ing Members of Congress-" was made
to the House to-day by Chairman
Mccall. The report is signed by all
seven members OF the committee. The
minority members, however, append
supplemental views.
The important phase of the report
is its finding regarding the connection
of members with the business Of the
postoffce department. This finding is
as follows:
After a careful consideration of all
cases specified in the report, the COM
mittee have unanimously reached the
conclusion that nothing has appeared
in connection with said cases that
would justify that any member Of IN
House of Representatives has profted
financially in the slightest degree, or
that any member was guilty of i'm
proper conduct in connection there
with, or that any member has don in
connection with any of said cases, any
thing that did not appear to be within
the lin of his official duty, according
to long established custom.
Having reached this conclusion,
the committee feel constrained to add
that in their opinion it would be well
to make as formal IS may be, and to
restrain within the narrowest possible
lsDait- ~ nnfinn n mnmhaTS in P0n-
nection with postoffices and the details
Of other executive matters, and that
tho severance of members from work
of that character would augment the
efficiency of the House of Representa-
tiveS.
1T is to the credit of the member
ship of the House that correspondence
of this character thus collected to-
gether should contain so little Of an
un~favorable character. Undoubtedly
there are letters which were carelessly
written. The action in some cases
was not we'll considered. But there is
nothing in any of the cases considered
that reflects upon h integrity of the
membership of the louise of RepreSen-
tatives."
Before reaching the above conclu-
sion, the report gives a history of the
compilation and publication of h re-
DolI
ception so far as the clerk hire"
cases are concerned, the committee
states, was with Fourth Assistant Post
master-General Bristow. Nine hum
dred such cases were finally included
in this list, and opposite each case was
placed the name of a of Con-
gress. This report with the names
omitted was sent to the postoffice
committee, but lin some a which
the testimony does not make clear"
the list with names was called for n
supplied. The report says Mr.. Over
street asked only for lease cases, n
that apparently Mr.. Bristow misun-
derstood the request
The report next takes up the three
cases where members Of the present
Congress were stated to have leased
property to the government for post
office purposes, and concluded:
Under the circumstances of these
cases, the committee n unable TO
discover any sufficient justification for
a reference to them Of the character
of hat made by the fourth assistant
poStmaster-general"
Regarding the few cases in the re-
port where members owned property
. used for postofice purposes, but where
no leases were made, the postmaster
paying the rent out of his salary, the
committee find no criticism, legal or
otherwise.
There is nothing i'm the clerk hire
transactions OF members according
. to the report, on which a single mem
Der may De justly criticised.
The report refers to the Bristow
statement that the millions that have
been appropriated for clerk hire dur
ing the past four years have been
used by Beavers largely as a politi-
cal ~perquisite for the benefit of his
personal and political friends" and
remarks that the statement would
scarcely seem to be a measured n
temperate statement"
The views of the minority, signed
by Messrs. McDermott, of New Jersey;
Bartlett, of Georgia, and Richardson,
of Alabama, are devoted entirely to a
ton with the clerk hire cases at Erie
and Kingman. Kansas, and his duties
TO institute an investigation with the
force of inspectors under him when
ever he suspects irregularities. AS to
the two Kansas offices mentioned, the
report asserts:
1.-The poStoffices at Kingman and
Erie, Kansas, n not mentioned in Mr..
Bristow's report, but they should have
been, for he is clearly chargable with
knowledge that the law was violated
in the payment OF money to the post
masters at those places"
The regulations Of the fourth assis-
tant's department are quoted, and this
conclusion drawn: With these egu
lations existing, 1t is intolerable to as
sert that crime being suggested, the
fourth assistant acknowledgement
must wait for orders to investigate. II
these inspectors are not to keep guard
OF the department, they are almost
useless. If thy are not to be on h
lookout for crime. what are they en-