The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-10
. B0NAPARTE AND CONRAD
7t MADE ADVISORY COUNSEL

so thoroughly were the PRESIDENT ano
Cabinet and their advisers aroused by
: ceaseless exposure of rottenness and
corruption that the President selected
two of the most eminent lawyers and
disinterested reformers Of the day as
special counsel TO aid in the prosecution
OF those who had abused their trust.
These lawyers were Charles J. Bona.
parte. of Baltimore. probably the most
prominent civil service reformers in the
country. who had again and again re-
fused public Office and had mercilessly
applied the whip OF exposure to Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike In the
course of his brilliant career, and j..
Holmes Conrad, lawyer and publicist
of national reputation. They not only
worked on the legal end OF the Grim
inai cases. but their special report
on the charges of Seymour W. Tul-
loeh against the Washington Postofice
demonstrated that the tentacles OF the
graft octopus in the Postoffice Depart
ment had seized upon the Treasury De-
partment and caused the transfer and
reduction of Thomas w. Gilmer, the ex.
F. pert accountant. who had the courage
to protest openly against the state OF
affairs he found in his search of the
records.
Rout of the Ring.
Machen's arrest completed the rout
of the ring. Those who had rested in
the confidence that they could not be
disturbed because of the backing Of
Machen and Beavers. realized they
-nisht be in the path of a destruction
- which no machine and no influence
could withstand. All sought to stand
from under" and the panic bred by the
arrest of the two men greatly fac,l-
itated the work of Chief Inspector Coch-
ran and his men in obtaining evidence.
From the time of the arrest of Ma
chen other arrests followed with mo-
notonous regularity until thirty persons
had been hailed before United States
commissioners on charges of conspiracy
fraud. or bribery in connection with
PostofTice Department contracts. From
3 New York to San Francisco stretched
the arm of the law in its reach for
those who were charged with plumber
ing the public funds
- Some. against whom there was not
Sufficient evidence 10 cause a conviction
in court. were convicted in the minds
OF Mr.. Bristow and Mr. Payne. and were
summarily dismissed. Still others whose
regulations had been clouded by rumors
and insinuations were allowed to resign.
Far-Reaching Results.
Not only have the grafters been
brought to the bar of justice as a result
OF the agitation in The Times and nu-
merous direct leaks in the Treasury
stopped, but the postal service through
out the United States has been largely
rcadjusted In the interest of economy
The ramifications of the frauds carried
the inspectors into nearly all the large
postoffices OF the country. and in many
zof them were unearthed irregularities
In management of the force OF handling
pof sthe funds. due to carelessness. neg
lect. or even criminal manipulation
Sinecures have been abolished right and
left. and postmasters compelled to re-
fund money paid to persons who did not
work. officials holding titles and draw
ing salaries not warranted by law have
been reduced to their proper level the
ordering Of excessive OF useless supplies
has been stopped. and better systems OF
accounting and auditing have been in
stituted
Instead OF the 500. e0O which it is es-
timated the grafters obtained direct
from the department. representing the
loss to the people the work OF The
Washington Times has saved millions
TO the postal service