The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-07
INVESTIGATION :.
WAS DISCUSSED
fcontinued from First Page,

Continued from First Pagel
alton had been made before the property
had come into the possession of the SEN
ator who now owns it. The senator did
not know of the lease when he acquired
the building and that he had been trying
to get rid of 1t since he had made the
discovery.
IF that is true" responded Mr.. Teller,
the representations to which ] have
referred are a gross Islander"
Mr.. Foraker admitted the correctness
of this interference. Mr.. Carmack made
general plea for senatorial inquiry
and quoted the newspaper report to the
effect that the postmaster general had
not been in sympathy with the postoffice
inquiry when undertaken and that he
had pronounced Che Tugloch charges to
be s.hot air."
This statement aroused Mr.. Spooner,
who said that the charge did great In
jury to the postmaster general. So far
as the Brostow inquiry was concerned
Mr.. Payne was in sympathy with it and
had placed the entire machinery Of the
department at the command of the Off
clal who had made this remorseless In
quiry.
That" said the Wisconsin senator, II
shall be able to prove when l speak at
greater length on this question as l mean
to do"
1t Ought to Be Known.
Mr.. Carmack: ut ought to be proven.
That is what we want the inquiry for. 4"
He repeated the report that Mr.. Payne
had referred to the Tulloch charges as
hot air. and Mr.. Spooner said that his
statement had covered the Bristow in
duiry only.
Replying, Mr.. Carmack disclaimed any
s..A -. n. ~.rs4l
plicity or sympathy with any Irregular
ties In his department. His suggestion
was that of Indifference to the wrong and
the natural interference was that If the
inquiry had been left to him there would
have been none.
Mr.. Spooner again spoke briefly. say
ing he would be able to show that Mr.
Payne had solicited an appropriation for
the purpose of making the Investigation
long before the investigation had been
undertaken.
Mr. Lodge said that congressional in
vestigations conducted for the purpose
Of discovering crime are practically
worthless. He called attention to the con-
gressional inquiries into the official con-
duce of Mr.. Machen while he was super
intendent OF free delivery.
Both the senate and house investigat-
ed Machen,' he said, Eat the very time
at which he was engaged in the prac-
tices for which he was indicted as a re-
suit OF the department inquiry and both
cleared him of the charges upon which
the inquiry was predicted"
Willing to Refer Them.
Mr.. German said he was willing to have
all the resolutions calling for the inves-
legations of the postoffice department re-
ferred to- the committee on postoffices
q ND dc ha ha roCefVR1
ance from the chairman that prompt ac-
| ton would be taken.
| In this connection, however, he said he
wanted to call attention to the fact that
all the doubt on this subject had but
emphasized the necessity for an investl-
cation of the postoffice department. He
said he had no desire to investigate any
particular Office, that he believed the in
vestigation should be much broader than
that as the Irregularities had crept in
by degrees and the corruption possibly
had been a part Of three or more admin
| instrations. 1t now has reached point,
he said, where the men who are corrupt
| themselves have disclosed the corroup-
| ton of others.
| MY purpose he added, lis not 50
much to expose this corruption as by the
action of congress in making protective
laws to eliminate the chance of such
/ CORRUPTION III the luture III the poStouiCc
department.
Continuing. he declared that the corrup-
ton was not a party matter, that the
present postmaster general could not
! have been responsible for the state OF
affairs In his department as 1t started
! before he entered upon his duties at the
head of the department. He declared II
had been the policy of the President to
| iEnor his cabinet ministers In this mat
ter and give the credit for the exposures
! in the postoffice department to NJ. c.
Seckendor: and William Allen White
newspaper men OF sagacity.
| The senator expressed a willingness tc
| do justice to the President in this time
| OF trouble in his official household but
| he said he could not understand why the
| republicans in the senate had persistent
| ly refused to give to the minority Official
! information concerning the departments
| He called attention to the resolutions in.