The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-11
INVESTIGATION IMPERATIVELY
NEEDED.

Pcstoffice Department the more is seen
the need of a Congressional investigation
of it's affairs. The latest Brstow re-
port, intended to be quasi-defense of the
department and to put the blame on
members of Congress, will prove to be
a boomerang. The ringing denunciation
of the spirit of the report and many of
it's details by Hon. w. W. Kitchin shows
the wrath of the honest members of Con-
gress who are maligned in the%report.
| Rristows report is divided into two
parts, both intended to shift responsible
| ity. That portion of his report that deals
with the recommendation Of various Con-
gressmen to have increased allowances
made to postoffces in their district is
lndetensible. The idea is to clear the
officials by putting the blame upon mem.
bers of Congress. 1t would be as silly
and worse, for officers and directors of a
bank to seek to escape responsibility for
bad loans by saying that a stakeholder
recommended the loan. The cases cited
simply that, upon representation of post
masters who stated that they needed ad-
ditiCnal force or compensation to proper
| ly dispatch the mail, these representatives
sought to serve the people by asking
officials to grant these requests if their
investigation showed the representation
no M ctn
spcnsibility rested on the Postoffice De-
partment; not on members of Congress.
| It was the duty of the officials of the
department to refuse any application not
needed for the good of the service, no
matter if a Congressman did request it,
and the attempt of the Bristow report
to put the responsibility for extravaganza
expenditures upon members of Congress,
who sought to secure necessary allow
arces for postmasters in their district,
is a discreditable piece of business and ad-
ditional proof of the utter unfitness of the
present head and officials of that depart
ment.
Those members of Congress who merely
did what Mr.. Kitchin, Mr.. Pou and others
did, will not be injured a particle by
the Bristow report. But it may be that
some of the criticisms of members of
Congress along this line is deserved II
any member used his political pull" or
his vote or his standing in with the pow
erc that be to secure allowances known
to be extravagant or unwise, and to be
given to a postmaster as reward Tor
personal or political service-whenever
any Congressman used such influence to
get money for postmasters, it was scan
dalous and Bristow cannot jump on such
congressman too hard. 1t proves that
such representatives were "in cahoot"
with the postoffce grafters, and their
the list of dishonest men who have made
the Postoffce Department stink with
corruption and graft. The honest mem
| bers of Congress, whose names have been
used for the purpose of trying to shield
department grafters, should join in de-
handing such an investigation as will
vindicate honest men and convict the
giafters, whether in Congress or in the
department
The second portion of the Brstow re-
port, dealing with the actions of members
of Congress who rented buildings which
| they owned to the government for post
Office calls for investigation. 1t is
stated in the case of more than one rep
resentative that, having rented his build
ing for the postoffce, he has been par
tcularly active in securing an increase
OF the rental. That is scandalous. 1t is
also scandalous for a member of Congress
to use his influence to secure the renting
of his building for the postoffice in any
place in his district. To permit such a
practice opens the door to defrauding the
government. In North Carolina a county
commissioner cannot buy from himself for
the county. 1t is good rule. The same
course of reasoning would prevent a rep
resentative securing lease for his build
ing by the Postoffce Department. Bris-
tow's use of Senator Overman's name
shows that the report was not primarily
prepared to end wrongs. Long before he
was a Senator, Mr.. Overman's building
was rented as the postofice and there
was. nothing wrong about that. Hon.
John Sharpe Williams declared that the
name of Senator Overman ought to be
placed on roll of honor" because when
elected to the Senate he offered to sur
render the lease. Now if Senator Over
man had procured the lease for himself
while Senator, and if since election he
had sought to secure an increased rem
| tai and used his pull" to increase the
trent, he would be subject to criticism,
but under the circumstances the use of
his name is unwarranted and dscredits
| the motives of Mr.. Bristow.
| Two weeks ago and more Senator Sim
mons sought to secure a Congressional