Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-14
Inquiry Begun by the Keep
Commission.
SOMETHING MAY DROP
QUESTIONS ASKED OF DIVISION
CHIEFS.
limitations That the Morale as Well
as the Administration Of the Blu
reau Will Be Considered.

i.Gentlemen,s the ONCE ana the clerks, to-
gether with all the books and papers. are
at your disposal. In any manner that
can be Of service to you command me-"
With this remark Commissioner General
Richards of the land office, Interior De-
partment. greeted the members OF the Keep
investigation committee appointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt to investigate the business
and other methods in the various govern
ment departments.
The general land office is now the subject
of inquiry on the part of the Keep commits
sion, and the work was begun this morning
at IL O'Clock. AS has been the case with
other departments of the government inves-
tigated by the commission. that at the gen.
eral land office is behind closed doors. and
the result of each session will be withheld
until the entire inquiry Is ended and a re-
port formulated for presentation to the
President.
Scope Of the Inquiry.
: Enough is known Of the general scope of
the investigation, however. to be able to say
that 1t will embrace much more than the
manner In which the business of the Office
Is conducted. Not alone will the methods
of conducting the general business of the
office come under the inquiry of Assistant
Secretary Keep and his associates on the
commission, but the morale Of at least one
or two branches OF the office will be taken
under consideration. From the chief of a
division down to clerk the searchlight Ia
to be turned on, and 1t Is believed from the
action Of the commission that something
Is likely to drop before 1t gets through
with the force under the immediate super
vision of Commissioner Richards.
The members of the commission arrived
at the land office at IL o'clock, and without
delay sought out Commissioner General
Richards
keys of office" and placed himself and his
assistants at their disposal.
The investigation will appertain almost
entirely to the conduct, Of the business end
Of the office in this city, and will not have
to do with the immense land frauds in the
west, for connection with which Senator
Mitchell of Oregon, Representative William
son and others have been tried and con-
victed.
1t will embrace every branch OF the serv-
ice and will be as thorough as 1t can be
made. 1t is known that the members of
the Keep commission went to the land Of
fce this morning to start upon their labors
LOADED for bar" 1t was apparent that
they had been gathering a little informa-
ton and had been doing little investigat-
ing ION the side for themselves.
Questions Sent to Division Chiefs.
In order that the witnesses who are likely
to be summoned before the commission
might be properly prepared along the lines
the inquiry may take some chiefs of divi-
sion and clerks have received an unsigned
circular letter propounding the questions
which 1t is more than probable will be
asked-Uf them
Extracts from this circular follow:
''The principal examinersh1ps--Isn' this
a privileged and unnecessary class, render
ing services in no way superior to clerks of
classes three and four, and thus entailing a
needless expenditure OF several thousand
dollars annually upon the government?
THE swamp dfvision.-Could not this
division, consisting of less than a half
dozen clerks, be absorbed by a larger
division, and the salary of superf1uous
chief be saved thereby"
Concerning one of the principal d.
yisions.-"Has its chief the proper tenn
permanent and habits for the position
and has he not, for the good of the serv-
ice, been too often malodorously roast
ed by Washington papers?"
"Office morals.-Would not the morals
of the office be improved by segregating
the seXes--Le having them separately
located in the office rooms?"
1t Is believed by those who received
the circular that some person has given
tip to the Keep commission along the
lines suggested. and that the matters will
be taken up, together with the regular
inquiry into the business methods of the
office.
Speaking of the inquiry to Star re-
porter this morning. Commissioner Rich
ards said he was very glad to submit to
1t, as by 1t he might acquire some good
ideas for the conduct of the office and
might also obtain some information that
would be Of benefit to the service.