Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-07
CONGRESSMEN NAMED
House Committee Report on
Post Office Cases.
NOTHING TO BE DONE
MINOR INSTANCES OF PERSONAL
INFLUENCE BY MEMBERS.
Leases and Salary Allowances-No
Political Lines Drawn-Some
Sharp Correspondence.
NOTHING TO BE DONE

House committee on post offices and post
roads laid before the House of Representa-
tives closely printed document of 21S
pages, recounting the Instances on file in
the Post Office Department in which men,
bers of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives have used their Influence" with
officials of the Post Office Department. with
more or less success, to secure increases in
salaries Of postmasters, additional clerk
hire, and advantageous leases of buildings
for post Office purposes.
The report is made by the unanimous vote
of the members of Mr.. Overstreets COM
mittee in response to a resolution calling
for the information, introduced by Repre-
sentative Hay of Virginia. AS the infor-
nation accompanies the report. the COM
mittee recommends that the resolution lay
on the table.
Censurable and Technical Violations.
Some of the transactions involving MEM
bers of Congress recorded in the report are
held to be technically violations of the
statutes, others are pronounced by MEM
bers who have read the report as clearly
censurable. while in the majority of cases
it is held that members in making their
recommendations to the department ex-.
pected nothing not in harmony with the
pTdcllceS OF the department.
Three cases are set forth in which mem
bers of Congress own buildings which are
leased to the government for post office
purposes.
The details of these cases are given by
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Bris
tow i'll communication to Chairman Over
street, as follows:
Section 3739 of the Revised Statutes
provides:
mo member of or delegate to Congress
shall, directly or indirectly, himself, or by
any other person in trust for him, or for
his use or benefit. or on his account under
take, execute. hold or enjoy, in whole or in
part, any contract or agreement made or
entered into IN behalf of the United States
by any officer or person authorized to make
contracts on behalf of the United States
The statutes further provide:
All contracts or agreements made in
violation of this section shall be void
Yet in the face of this statute Beavers
has made contracts with members of Con-
gress for the rental of premises, either in
their own names, the names of their agents
or some member of their families"
The Office at Geneseo, N. Y.
"The post Office at this place was located
in 1856 in building owned by j. w Wads-
worth. At that time Mr.. Wadsworth was
rot a member of Congress. 1t was advanced
from third to second class July l. 1901
While it was third-class office no contract
was made for the lease of the building but
the postmaster was allowed $500 per annum
for rent, with an allowance of SEQ for fuel
and light, making $3.50 in all. When the
Office became second-class a lease was
made, dating from October /, 1901 At this
time Mr.. Wadsworth was a member of Con-
gress. The building was improved to COM
ply with the requirements of the department
for second-class office; the annual rental
was fixed a $3.50, including equipment heat
and light. The proposal was made by w L.
hn iS cai1 To, ha.t tl,sao ~
Mr.. WadswOrth The property stood in the
latters name September %, 1903. 1t does
not appear from the report of the inspectors
and information secured by the department
that the rental is excessive that the al
lowance is in any way more than should
have been made
A Kansas Case.
Lawrence, Kan.-The post office premises
at this place were leased from J. D. Bower
sock many years prior to his election as
member Of Congress IN 1898, at an annual
rental of 81, 500. That lease expired April l.
1900 On December Is. 1899, Mr. Bower
lease for a term of five years at same an
nual rental. After a conference with. off,
ciaIs of the first assistant postmaster gen.
erals Office, Mr.. Bowersock withdrew his
proposal, submitting one from his daughter
Mrs Hortense b. HILL and the lease was
executed in her name on terms before men
toned. The record shows the title to
premises in question was vested in Mr.. Bow
ersock. The annual rental is the same that
it was for many years before Mr.. Bower
sock was elected to Congress, and the post
Office has been located where it now is for
about thirty years.
One in Connecticut.
"Station A. Winsted, Conn.-The post Of
fee premises at this point owned by
Mr. George L. Liley, NJ. C. Original
lease. which was made before Mr.. Lilley
was elected to Congress. expired April l.
1903. The entire block in which the office
is located was then leased by Mr. Lilley to
Charles s. NewcOmb. and the lease to the
Post Office Department was made in his
name. though the title to the block before
mentioned appears to remain in Mr.. Liley
The rent Is practically the same as under
the former lease.
I'm none of the above cases does II an
pear that the government has paid an ex-
cessive rental. / referred to these cases in
my report. not because there was any
fraud indicated in the business transac-
tions, but solely because such contracts ap-
peared to be in violat ation of the statute
above mentioned"
Excessive Clerk Hire Allowances.
The history of 161 cases is given in the
report. wherein members of Congress figure
| in getting authorization for clerk hire in
excess of the amount the Office in ques-
ton was entitled to. according to the Sc
cret method employed by the department
to determine the merits of the case. MANY
of these increases were only temporary
and have been discontinued. tabulated
statement shows that in eighty-two in
stances where reductions have been made
since April, 1908. $15,SS0 was being paid
annually in excess of the amounts these
offices were entitled to.
AS illustrations of the nature of the long
list of cases. four instances from single
page are quoted. and another on the fol-
lowing page in which Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow appears as the
Influence" as follows:
A Case of Influence"
Mora. Ind.-On June 25. 1902, Mr.. Jesse
Overstreet wrote. requesting an allowance
of $500 for separating-cierk hire at this of
fice. Two days later he wrote requesting
that the allowance be made $780, On June
Continued on Seventh Page)