Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-03-15

OF five members or this house, to 1nVeS-
tigate said charges; that said COM
mittee have power to send for persons
and papers, to enforce the production
Of the same, to examine witnesses un-
der oath, to have the assistance of q
during the sessions Of the house, and
to exercise all functions necessary to
"a complete investigation Of said
charges, and to report the result Of said
investigation as soon as practicable.
In the Brlstow report there is a dis
tinct charge. reiterated and repeated in
the above resolution, that longtime
leases were Cancelled at the instance OF
influential members Of congress and
new leases made at an increased rental,
and II a member Of congress requested
an increased allowance at any postof-
fee that Beavers usually complied
with such request without inquiring
into the merits Of the case.
When this resolution reached the
committee on postoff1ces and post
roads, the chairman Of the committee,
acting at the instance Of the commit
tee. made inquiry Of the postoffice de-
partment for a report and detailed
statement in each and every case
wherein this had been done.
Mr.. Speaker, I am not apologizing
for the committee or for myself when
say that the great majority Of cases
reported by the postoffice department
a. L., ~ q
Hay resolution or the inquiry made by
the postoff1ce committee. On the con-
trary. a very large per cent Of the
cases reported bear no relation what
ever to the subject matter under con-
sideration by the postoflce commit
tee
This report from the postoff1ce de-
partment, consisting, as l recollect, of
more than 1000 pages Of typewriter
matter. purporting to give detailed
statement of more than $50 cases, was
referred to the subcommittee Of the
postoffice committee.
I was not member Of that subcom-
mittee, but the subcommittee was
composed Of both majority and minor
ity members. They reported to the
full committee that all Of the facts
that could be brought out to which
reference was made in the Bristow re-
port, were contained in the report Of
the postoffice department to our COM
mittee. That report was not read be-
fore the full committee. and the COM
mittee acted upon the belief that the
report was full and complete and con-
tanned all the information obtainable
in reference to the cancellation Of long
time leases for postoffices and securing
renewed leases at higher rentals. and
so the committee made its report to
the house.
Prior to the report I had examined
only one case. wherein mention was
made Of my name. and I knew that
this case could not properly be included
In the list of cases about which the
committee were directed to make in
quiry. I believed that a mistake had
been made at the postoff1ce department
In this one case. knew Of my own
knowledge that no longtime lease, or
any other lease, had been Cancelled and
a new lease made at q higher rental.
I knew that the record In that case
was incomplete, in that there was not
a statement showing that the govern
ment of the United States did not, on
June 10, 1902, or at any time before
or since, have a lease on the postofhce
building at Yorkville, s. c.
had intended when the report came
up for consideration to take this mat
ter up and state the facts in the case.
Since the report was made l have
ascertained that what Is true as to the
Yorkville postoffice Is true in a large
number Of other cases, and I have no
hesitancy in saying now that the re-
port sent by the postoff1ce department
to the committee is in many instances
incomplete, facts and documents In the
cases being suppressed to such an ex-
tent as to give false impression and
one calculated to deceive.
1 believe that this was Intentionally
done for the purpose Of browbeating
congress in the matter Of making an
investigation in the postoff1ce depart
ment. 1 think that I ought to say here
what 1 have stated to many of my
friends on the minority side of this
chamber before the opening Of this de-
bate, that 1 do not believe ]. L. Bris-
tow to be the author Of this report.
do not believe that he compiled 1t, read
it, or approved 1t.
My reasons for saying this, in brief.
are: That he Is not a fool; and. in
addition to this. I believe him to be an
honest man. This report contains
statements and charges that are not
true. Cases are cited in 1t relative to
the lease Of postofflce buildings where
in the facts are willfully and deliber-
ately misrepresented or suppressed.
So, I repeat, Mr.. Speaker, that j. L..
Bristow, in my opinion. Is not the au-
thor of that report. Who the author
is do not know. But, Mr.. Speaker, the
time Is short when the house will know,
and when we will know, who Is the
perpetrator of this fraud and slander
upon so many members Of the house
of representatives. Loud applause.]
Take the case Of the Yorkville
postoffice. On page 174 the report
charges that in 1902. when the salary
of the postmaster at Yorkville was ST.
5OO the allowance for rent $125, and
for fuel and light s34, s159 in all; that
on Tupa IN tho nostmaster asked for