The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-24
STRANGL|NG Of
POSTAL INQUIRY
Simmons Tears the Veil
From Dark Places.
DON'T BE TOOZEALOUS
An Ideal Chief Executive Painted b,
a Democratic Brush. Elements
of Discord Among RepubIi.
cans. Promises Made
but to be Broken.
April IL, 1904.

but to be Broken.
April IL, 1904
The Senate having under consideration
the bill (H. R. 13521) making appropria
tions for the service of the Postoffice De-
| parment for the fiscal ~ear ending June
80, 1905, and for other purposes. Senator
Simmons, of North Carolina, said:
Mr.. President: In the speech delivered
by the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr
SpooneD upon this bill on Saturday last
he expressed surprise at the statement
made by me to the effect that the inves-
legations OF the Postoffice Department
had been reluctantly entered upon, and,
from the defense which he immediately
thereafter made of the present Post
master General against that charge, l
infer he understood my statement was
intended to apply 20 Postmaster General
Payne.
If the Senator from Wisconsin had read
the remarks which submitted upon the
frauds in the Postoffce Department in
January last he would have seen that
acquitted the present Postmaster Gen,
eral of any willful purpose to suppress
the lnvestg cations and that my charge
of reluctance in entering uoon these In.
late Postmaster General. Mr.. Charles
! Emory Smith, than to Mr. Payne, the
present occupant of that D. ition. Long
before Mr.. Smiths term of Office ex>
pred even in the early days of that
term, charges were made; not vague, gen.
eral charoes. but specific charges, made
by responsible persons; made by great
independent newspaper published In the
city of Washington, and he was chal-
lenged to make an investigation of them.
He was informed as to the character OF
the offenses; he was given the names
of the witnesses. and yet he went out
OF office with out making any investi-
cation which was worthy of the name of
an investigation
In support of these statements, Mr.,
President, 1 then incorporated in the
Record an article from the Washington
Post, dated May 26, 1900, which contain
ed, under the head of Instances Of i'm
proper payments" the specific charges
of irregularities and frauds alleged to
have been committed IN the Washington
City postoffice and in the Postoffice De-
partment. | will not again read that
article, but will ask that the part of it
under the heading referred to may be
incorporated in my remarks.
The President pro tempore: Is there
objection to the request of the Senator
from North Carolina that the part OF
in the Record? The Chair hears none.
and that order is made.
The extract relcrred to is as follows:
Following are some OF the allegations
that call for inquiry:
INSTANCES OF IMPROPER PAYMENT.
Funds of the Washington City post
office have been improperly disbursed fol
over two years, the Irregularities Tor
! the quarter ending September so, 1925.
amounting to $40, 900 to 100000, according
10 an experts report to Comptroller
Tracewell.
Numerous favorites have been carried
on two and even three pay rolls at the
same time at the Washington Citv post.
office and at other postotfices in the coun-
try. oliver H. Smith, of Indiana, now
superintendent in the local service was
for about year simultaneously auditor
Of local postal stations, laborer and
painter of street letter boxes He drew.
three salaries. Nathan B. CD Baker. OF
Indiana Succeeded to Mr.. Smiths emo;-
uments.
Six, women have long been carried on
the rolls of the city postoffice as cleaners
at $500 a year. performing no work what
ever, and being paid ON separate vouch-
srs, -Four men were for manv months
paid at the local postoffice, apparently 10
investigate claims of letter carriers, all
she positions being snecures
John K. Jones, newspaper reporter
was carried for many months as phvs;-
clan to the Washington City postoffce
| at 81, 700 year.
Travelling expenses of Department o.
ficials who were not on public business.
| trips for private citizens only nominaIly
connected with the Government service
have been raid to the extent of tens o.
thousands of dollars out of funds strictlv
belonging to the Washington postoffice
and out OF the military postal fund.
MI Simmons: in the same article m
der the head OF "Mcn who have infor.
nation" IS given the names of the SOW,
eral witnesses whose testimony. it is said
would sustain the truth of these charges
Among those witnesses are the name,
of Chief Inspector Cochran, A. Fl. Scott
j. Edwin Wilson, and Thomas W. Gil.
mer
In TIE same article the statement ,s
made that the then Postmaster General
M. Smith, invited investigation of thesc
charges and that he had declared all do.
partments OF the postal service. excen,
the Cuban service, would bear the closest
scrutiny, and that he not onlv invitod
! but was anxious that there should hn
thorough and searching invcstirafion
| Four days afterwards the Post repr;rted
| that part OF its article to which I have
just referred and which declared thar
the Postmaster General invited an inye,,
tlgatlon and was anxious that one should
take place, and made this comment:
! This is reprinted in order to correct
| It. The Post, to its sorrow, finds thai
| it was mistaken as to the attitude or
| the Postmaster General. Its confidence.
| in his Willingness toi have the light turn.
| ed on was misplaced. This admission 4.