The San Francisco call., 1904-03-13
KEEP COOL.

PHILOSOPHER, sitting in the gallery of the
n House of Representatives at Washington, during
4 the sessions of the last three days, could have
made good of megaphone by aiming at the floor
below and calling upon the members to keep COOL The
torrid appeared due report
under authority of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Mr. Bristow, in which free made of the
of Senators and Representatives of both parties
connecting them with the of Machen Beavers and
other grafters and builders the Postoce Department
Be known that every postmaster, and the commun-
ity which he sells stamps and money orders and
dies mail, wish raise the grade of the Office 1t
for the incumbent salary and enables the citizen
say to the visitor, Yes, sir town in the State more
prosperous Our postofice gained grade in the last
year, SIR" The influence used increase the grade and
allowance of postofce is naturally the member of Con-
gres for the district The postmaster gets the people
write to him. and he goes to the department in Wash
ngton with these letters and usually gets what he
for whether be advance the grade of the Office
clerks clerk hire. If the Congressman do not
this errand when the people ask him, hard
with him the election 1t is regarded business
the interest of his constituents and he be naten-
tive to it be unto him.
The report attributed to General Bristow is catalogue
of the instances in which members of Congress have
done these things and when the granting of the
lay with Machen Beavers that fact stated in the
port When this made public the face of luna be-
came CORY. In the House members of both parties
broke out in oratory less impassioned. The
whose not in the report sympathzed
with those who in it, and these uttered themselves
i'll the language of indignation anger and defiance When
highly excited member uttered especially
fu and denunciatory sentiment both sides appauded.
The gale gathered strength it blew and when one
gentleman who felt aggreved than the Others de-
nounced Bristow liar and scoundrel the applause
rocked the marble efhgies in Statuary Hall.
The whole demonstration is regretable its
is Rrist he
port The service agents of the Government
responsible for this and great many other offenses,
which should secure the vigorous overhaung of that
bureau. They supposed to be detectives and being
backed by the Federal Government they have the power
and have used destroy the reputation of honorable
and to send the innocent to prison and disgrace.
When their services are invoked Cabinet officers are
powerless The Brstow report bears the marks of their
work 1t is characteristic of them that every
who in with Machen and Beavers, dur
ing their sixteen years service the department.
doing something wrong and must be exposed. In that
spirit inquiry has been made by them into the advances
grade and clerk hire andioher matters which
bers of Congress attend for their constituents and the
whole has been published Brstows authority cast
dscredt upon IoI members of the House and Senate
who have done wrong but the contrary have done
exactly right behalf of the communities they represent
The report covers another class of cases. in which
members of the House and the Senate have owned
purposes. These rent contracts ten years When
the report appeared these assumed
be on all fours with that of the Brooklyn Congressman
who was interested in a supply contract, and the
bers involved supposed to be under the shadow of
an Indictment But upon examination it found that
such had been made before the of
the property became members of Congress- and that
upon abandonment of the contracts being notified the
department the Attorney General had decided that cleo
ton Congress subsequently the making of such
contract did nullfy it, and that the Government
sisted upon compliance. This is good law and good
sense. If contracting party be competent when the
made, subsequent incompetency would affect
only contract and would not nullfy the old
While admit that the nsinuations of the report
infuriating and that rage natural yet
quite unparamentary, and the dignity of the House
would have been sustained and the judgment of the
country convinced by calm statements, judicial Tone
putting the facts without any dressing of ephet and in
vectve There had been no improperly of conduct on
part of any of the members found in the drag
of the dummy Vdocqs of the service and that
could have been made plain without impropriety of
speech.
At election in New Jersey the interesting dis
covery was made that voting machines, newly acquired