The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-13


Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, Who
Was Criticised in the Mccall Report.
a higher rental on the recommendation of
members Instead of this a list pre-
pared under the direction of Fourth As
sistant Postmaster General Bristow pur-
porting to give all cases where members
of Congress had made any recommendation
with regard to the leasing of premises or
allowances for rent, fuel and light in con-
nection with postoffices.
The report further says: Precisely how
this came about is not clear. The chief
inspector testified that he told the fourth
assistant that he thought the inspectors
were doing work not called for, but that
Mr.. Brstow replied that he had talked
with Mr.. Overstreet and knew just what
he wanted, anu he instructed Mr.. Cochran
to continue the work it was being done.
On the other hand Mr.. Overstreet states
that the only communication upon the sub
ject he had with Mr.. Bristow elated to the
| Bristow misunderstood Mr.. Overstreet and
| applied what was said to all the leases in
| volved- But no duty devolved upon the
| committee to use more than Ii desired nor
| to make the whole or any portion OF it pub
! Iic"
MEMBERS wRONGED.
The committee concludes that the impress
| sion made upon the minds of the members
Of Mr.. Overstreets committee by the pub
| LEGATION in a newspaper of the fact that the
report was in its possession, together with
the inference that it contained things which
were serious reflection upon members.
was the reason for its publication by the
committee. "It thus came about the
| port continues, that the report was pub
lished containing the names of many men,
| bers of Congress which never should have
been associated with the so-called charges
set forth in the Hay resolution
| On the subject of clerk hire cases the re-
port says The committee\are constrained
| 10 say that the list with the accompany
| ing schedule is of the slightest significance
| either with reference to the conduct of
| representatives or of any other officers of
| the government. If an office is advanced to
| the second class the allowance of third
class clerk hire would necessarily be dis
| continued So, too, the allowance would be
| reduced or discontinued If the so-caled
| separating business of the Office dwindled
| or disappeared. The bare fact, therefore.
that there have been reductions in allow
| ances means nothing. A scutiny of the list
itself shows that in more than nine-tenths
| of the offices named the allowances were
warranted at the time they were made
The report in this connection refers to
the Bristow statement that millions that
have been appropriated for clerk hire dur
ing the four years have been used by
Beavers as a political perquisite for the
benefit of his personal and political
friends. 1t then gives the total of ex-
cessive allowances as $1,000, which, it says.
would appear to be no more than the
minimum of error inevitable even with a
high degree of honesty and efficiency. The
statement above quoted therefore, that
the millions allowed for clerk hire in third
and fourth-class offices had been used large
ly as an official perquiste would scarce
ly seem to be measured and temperate
statement. having any intimate relation
to the actual facts as shown by the list
which the postoffice has sent to the House
| of Representatives"
There is nothing in the clerk-hire tran
sactions of the members, according to the
report, on which a single member may be
justly criticised. The report says the COM
mttee was unable to find single member
who knew what the secret rule of the
department on which these allowances are
made was, and adds: Secret rules for
the disbursement of public moneys are not
to be tolerated.
The comment is made that although the
lease section of the report from the Post
| office Department seems to have been fairly
prepared, there are some exceptions to
| this, and says the case of Representative
, | Conner, of Iowa, is one of those.
VIEWS OF THE MINORITY.
The views of the minority. signed by
Messrs. McDermott, New Jersey, Bartlett
, of Georgia.. and Richardson of Alabama
are devoted entirely to a discussion of Mr.
Bristow, his connection with the clerk hire
cases at Erie and Kingman, Kan, and his
duties to institute an investigation with the
2 force of inspectors under him wherever he
7, suspects irregularities. 1t is stated initial
ly: 1T is clear that Mr.. Bristow's asser
| Il
] could be cited was not the outcome OF
T. proper investigation, but was a guess anC
the records do not show that guess to have
1T is intolerable to assert that Grim,
, being suggested the fourth postmaster gen
eral must wait for orders to investigate
q | If the postal inspectors not to keel
guard of the department they are almos
I useless. If they are not to be on the out
s look for crime, what are they employed
d for?"
: Some of the things which the Inspector
n should have ascertained are mentioned al
n follows: "A small army of inspectors, EN-
e powered to enter and inspect Offices at al
e times and TO make such other inquiries an'
[ Investigations as the interests of the servic
:. may demand should be able to proven
t 'wanton destruction of ink; they shoul'
: not have allowed to pass un
f noticed the fact that there wer
many excessive and unnecessary shin
/, ments of ink TO various postoffices;' the,
: should have known that penalty labels
! were being Illegally used; they should hav
s discovered that the 5000 linking pads wer
e of inferior grade; they should have learne
: that the postoffice at Columbia, o. T., ha
= enough ink on hand to last for four years
e that the office at Block, Kan, had receive
= ink and pads that were not needed and tina
: the offices of Bolarville, o., Watt, O., an
n Cement City Mich, were packed with use
n less supplies; they should have known tina
e the department was buling the twine mar
e ket and storing Irvine; they should hav
e found out that the divisNn of supple
l. was criminally extravagant; they Shout
have known that the public funds were be
ing wasted in purchasing inferior and un
necessary manifold books. Attending strict
&c ly to business. they should have discovere
II | that the Postoffice Department bein
a used to violate the revenue laws; we'll d
rected, they should have arrested an
III prosecuted those who were using the mail
&c for fraudulent schemes popularity know
IN as 'get-rich-quick concerns.
Without working more than eight hour
IA a day they could have prevented or discoI
ID cred and punished nearly every fraud an
g wrong mentioned in Mr.. Brstows Octobe
IN | report. The business of this department
~ | 10 watch and guard all other department
&c | of the postal service Its chief merit mu:
"a | be found, not in the result of special in
n | vestigaticns of CONGRATULATIONS that has
pr | become so great as To challenge gener;
= | public attention, but rather in the exercis
5. of a vigilance that will prevent wrons
RS doing"
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