New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-03
[FRou THE TRIBUNE BUREAU

=
Washington. April 2--The Mccall investigat-
ing committee has in rs possession this evening
startling evidence and information which is OF
the utmost value to the committee in its earnest
effort to get at the bottom of the mystery which.
like net. has met it's efforts to investigate the
Overstreet report on every side, but which prom
ises to prove to Chairman Overstrcet of the
Committee Postoffices and Post Roads an
even greater Nemesis than the Payne report,
which described in these dispatches Of Feb
ruary 20 as white elephant"
The most important part Of this evidence is
the statement of Postmaster General Payne.
made before Representatives Mccall, Hit, Rich
ardson and Bartlett this afternoon. which shows
that four important documents were suppressed
by the Committee on Postofices and Post Roads:
that the date of one letter was deliberately al
tered, and that the same date. when appearing
IN another letter. was altered to fit the first
cnange the apparent purpose of these changes
being to throw blame which properly attached
to the committee on the officials OF the Post
office Department.
In the Overstreet report entitled. with HIS ap-
parent sanction, Charges Against Members Of
Congress- House Report 1895. a letter bearing
date of January %. written by Overstreet TO the
Postmaster General and demanding the fullest
information. was suppressed On March H.
however, Representative Cooper discovered
and was about TO introduce 1t in the House
when Overstreet secured the floor and intro
duced it himself saying it had been omitted in
advertently. The Mccall committee is now in
formed that the Postoffice Committee further
omitted a letter Of transmittal from the Post
master General conveying to the COMMITTEES
list Of the cases called for. but without the
names Of the members of Congress involved;
also this list ITSELF and a telegram sent by the
frR n .
communication from the committee, saying that
the full information demanded by the COM
mittee would be forwarded next day.
CHANGED DATES OF LETTERS.
The most serious charge made by the Post
master General is that of alteration OF dates
He exhibited to the subcommittee the original
OF Mr. Overstreet's letter, dated January =. and
which appears in the Overstreet report as dated
January %" That this was not a typosraphi-
cal error is suggested by the fact that the date
is also enormously changed in Overstreets next
letter dated January %. in which he is made
to refer to his letter Of January %" instead Of
30. it's genuine date.
The purpose OF these suppressons and changes
Of dates might DO to make II appear that the
Postoffice Computes called for comparatively
little information and received far more than 1t
asked.
First Assistant Postmaster General Wynne'
under OATH told the Mccall committee that he
had had prepared list of the so-caIed viola
tions of the law. emitting therefrom the names
of members of Congress involved, and had for
warded the list TO the committee as the Post
master General had deemed II best to omit the
names; that he had then been informed by the
Postmaster General that the committee had
telephoned TO him that all names must be in
cluded. and he had then prepared the list after
ward published and had forwarded II to the
committee. Mr.. wynne further testified that the
list, without names. had been in possession OF
the Postoffice Committee for week
OVERSTREET CONTRADICTED.
Overstreet not under oath. testified that he
had never examined" the list. which did not
contain the names of members OF Congress. al
though it now appears that this list was in the
possession of his committee for a full week. and.