The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-07
THE POSTAL SCANDALS
MATTER COMES UP IN THE SEM
Ledge Says the Democrats' Desire for Information is for Campaign
 Purposes -Carmack Says Payne Was Lukewarm.

purposes- -Carmack Says |. Payne Was Lukewarm. Washington. Jan. e.--Alleged irreguiari- ties in the postofiice Department con- stituted the only theme in the Senate to- day. The question came up on q motion first made by Mir. Lodge. and afterward by Mir. Penrose. to refer the Carmack resolution looking to a sensational inves- the Committee on Postoficss and Post Roads.
 The Republican senators resisted tho motion and contended that the country would not be satisfied with an investiea- ton of the department made by the de- partment Itself.
 Mir. Carmack charged that Postmaster General Payne had been lukewarm at the beginniDg of the inquiry, and Mr. Spooner replied in defense of that official Mr- Clay said that the tenor of the Bristow
 report had convinced him that Mr. Brfs- tow considered former First Aesistant Postmaster-General Heath more guilty than any one else connected with the postofhce irregularities.
 When the Senate met today. Mir. Nor gan's resolution declaring that the Prcei- dent had no power to declare war was read. but at the request of Mr. Morgan 1t vert over for the aday. fs The resolution of MT. Carmack. direct-
 ing the Postmaster-c General to send to
 the Senate the papers connected with the
 Postoffice Department irregularities and
 was taken up and Mr. Lodge moved it's
 reference to the Connrnittee on Postoficea. Mir. Carmack resisted this motion, de- claytng that if departmental irregularities
 were to be investigated only by the de-
 pertinent themselves. it would not be long unttI there would be stench In the nos trils of the people.
 Mir. Teller said that if for no other
 reason than that criminal charges were
 nlads against Senators and members of the House of Representatives, an investt- gstlon should be made. Later he spoke of the newspaper reports that a lease of postoffice building which was owned
 by a United States Senator, and also
 quoted the press reports saying that the Postoffice Department had explained that the lease In this case had been because the Senator's building could be secured at a lower price than any other. 'srhat," he said, lis most astounding. When did the General or the President. for that matter. get the right
 to suspend the statute forbIdding this practice7" MT. Foralxer interrupted Mir. Teller to say that It was his understanding that the
 lease of the building under consideration had been made before the property had como into the possession of the Senator, 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 it since he had made the dis covery.
 ''If that is true" responded Nr Teller. "the representations to which I have re- ferred are a gross slander." Mir. Foraker admitted the correctness of this inference. Mir. Carmack made q general plea fo- a Senatorial inquiry and quoted the newspaper report to the effect that the General had not been when undertaken. and that he had pro-
 nounced the Tulioch charges to be ''hot air."
 Thls statement aroused Mir. spooner, who said that the charge did great ln-
 jury to the Postmaster-GeneraI. So far
 as the Bristow inquiry was concerned,
 Afr; Payne was in sympathy with 1t and had placed the entire machinery of the department at the command of tho offi- ciaI who had made this most remoreeless
 inquiry. That said the Wisconsin
 Senator, T shall be able to prove when
 speak at greater length on this ques- ton as mean to do.,
 proved. That is what we want the in- quiry for"
 He repeated the report that Mr. Payne
 had referred to the Tulloch chargez as
 'hot air." and Mir. 6pooner said that his statement had covered the Bristow in- Quiry only.
 Replying. Mr. carmack diselaimed any
 intention to cnarge Mir. Payne with com
 plicity In or sympathy with the irreguIari.
 ties in his department. HIS suggestion
 was that of difference to the wrong and the natural inference was that if the in-
 Quiry had been left to him there would have been none.
 Mir. Spooner again spoke briefly, saying
 he would be able to show that Mir. Payne
 had solicited an appropriation for the
 purpose of making the investigation long
 before the investigation had been under
 taken.
 Mir Lodge said that Congressional in-
 vestigations conducted for the purpose of
 discovering crime are practically worth
 less. He called attention to the congress
 sional inquiries into the official conduct
 of Mir. Machen while he was 'superin-
 tendent of free delivery.
 Both the Senate and the House inves- tigated Machen," he said, sat the very
 time at which he was engaged in The practices for which he was indicted as a
 result of the department inquiry, aud both cleared him of the charges upon which the inquiry was -predicated."
 Mfr. German said he was willing to
 have all the resolutions calling for the
 investigations of the Postoffice Depart ment referred to the committee on post offices and post roads as he has received assurance from the chairman that prompt action would be taken.
 In this connection, h0weevr. he said he wanted to cal attention to the fact that all of the debate on this subject had but emphasized the necessity for an iuvesti-
 gation of the Postofflce Department. He said that he had no desire to investigate any particular office, that tho investiga- ton should be much broader than that, as the Irregularities had crept in by de-
 grees and tho corruption possibly had
 been a part of three or more administra-
 tions It now has reached a point, ne
 said, where the men who are corrupt
 themselves have disclosed the corruD-
 ton of others.
 My purpose" he added, ''ls not 50 much to expose this corruption as by the
 action of Congress in making protective
 laws to eliminate the chance of such cor.
 ruption in the future fin the Postofflce De- partment."
 Continuing be declared that the corrup- ton was not party matter; that the
 present Postmaster General could not
 nave been responsible for the state of
 affairs in his department as 1t started be- fore he entered upon his duties at the
 head or the department. He declared tt
 had been the policy of the President to ignore his cabinet ministers in this mat
 ter and give the credit for the exposures
 in the PostofIlce Department to w. e.
 seckendorff and William Allen White.