The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-03-12
USE OF INFLUENCE
HOUSE POSTOFFICE COMMITTEE
MAKES ITS REPORT.
Document Is One of Over Two Hun.
dred Closely Printed Pages and
Gives Many Instances of "Inffu-
ence" Used to Secure Advantages
to POstmasters.

Washington, March S.-Postal af-
fairs engrossed the attention of the
house yesterday practically to the exclu-
sion of all else. The subject was in
troduced by MI. Overstreet, chairman
of the committee on postoffices and
post roads, who submitted the report
of that committee on the Hay resolu-
ton calling for certain information re-
garding the use of influence by
mem bers of the house to secure in
crease in salary for postmasters.
There was full attendance of MEM
bers on both sides of the chamber
when Mr. Overstreet stated that he
had been directed by unanimous vote
of the committee to recommend that
the Hay resolution be tabled, as the
information wanted accompanies the
report. Minority members urged that
debate and vote on the resolution be
deferred, as they had not had opportu-
nifty to read the report, so an agreement
was reached to postpone further action
until Wednesday, and 4 200 copies of
the report were ordered printed. There
will be three hours debate ON the mo-
ton to table and a formal amendment
will be offered by the minority to pro-
vide for a general investigation of the
postoffice department.
No Reflections on Members.
Mr.. Overstreet, in connection with
the report, said that in his opinion
there was not single instance of any
reflection upon the integrity of any
member The postoffice appropriation
bill was then taken up and Mr.. Moon,
Democrat, of Tennessee, the ranking
minority member of the postoffice COM
mittee, arraigned the present system
employed in the postoffice department
and made an appeal for a general in
vestigation of the affairs of the depart
ment. Mr.. Cowherd, Democrat, of
Missouri, also member of the COM
mittee, followed with an anylitical re-
view of the charges made in the Bris-
tow report, which he referred to as a
shameful story of fraud and maladmin-
istration.
The report on influence" is close
ly printed document of 21S pages, re-
counting the instances on file in the
postoffice department in which men,
bers of the senate and house of repre-
sentatives have used their influence
with the officials of the postoffice de-
partment with more or less success,
to secure increases in salaries, addi-
tional clerk hire and advantageous
leases of buildings for postoffice pur.
poses.
Report by Unanimous Vote.
The report is made by the unani-
nous vote of the memb ers of Mr.. Over
streets committee, in response to a res
olution calling for the information, in
troduced by Representative Hay, of
| Virginia. As the information accom-
panies the report, tthe committee rec
ommends that the resolution lie ON the
table. Some of the transactions in
volving members of congress recorded
in the report are held to be technical
violations of the statutes; others are
pronounced by members who have read
the report as clearly censurable, while
in the majority of cases it is held that
members i'll making their recommended
tions to the department expected moth
ing not in harmony with the rules and
practices of the department.
| Three cases are set forth in which
members of congress own buildings
which are leased by the government
for postoffice purposes.