Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
OLD CHARGE REVIVED
Allegations of a Former Post
Office Clerk.
HIGH OFFICIALS IMPLICATED
News to Postmaster General
Meyer.
MAJ. REEVE DEN0UNCES STORY
Declares That the Accusations Are
but "Pack of
Les.
HIGH OFFICIALS IMPLICATED
Postmaster Genera
Meyer.
MAJ. REEVE DENoUNCEs STORY

| NoteQ three columns OF space to an an
: nouncement that Heads will fall as result
| OF postal scandal The story is directed
particularly at Third Assistant Postmaster
General Edwin G. Madden and Maj James
| II. Reeve, superintendent of postage sup
plies and postmasters' accounts, and it deals
with the story of Thomas Jones. a former
clerk in the Post Office Department, who
was dismissed about one year ago. The
| writer for the American declared that in
formation obtained from the highest au-
! thority" made possible the announcement
| that Mr. Madden S resignation had not been
voluntarily rendered but was demanded.
| The same ''authority'' was quoted for the
| statement that Maj Reeve, together with
many other officials high in the post office
service. will be asked to follow Mr. Mad
den's example in a few weeks.
/ Obviously the highest authority" men,
! toned could not be the new Postmaster
General. George Won l.. Meyer because,
| when seen in his Office this morning he
/ declared he had never heard Of the scan
| dal." 1t was suggested that men said to
| be involved were still connected with the
| department. and Mr.. Meyer asked that a
COPY of the story printed in New York be
| left with him so he could look into the mat
| ter at the first opportunity. First Assist
ant Postmaster General Hitchcock was on
| his way to the White House with Mr. Meyer
when seen, but he would not discuss the
| subject.
Mr.. Madden's Resignation.
Whether or not Mr. Madden's resigna-
tion will now AXE effect az promptly as has
been predicted Is an open question, but it
is stated the third assistant postmaster
general Is anxious to remain m office. now
that there is indication of q fight on the
| horizon, until absolute vindication is Sc
cured.
The third assistant was seen for mo-
ment i'm the ante room of the office of his
chief this morning He was In the act or
reading a copy of the story in which his
name is so freely mentioned. but, m reply
to a question. he declared he had nothing
to say either in the shape OF formal or IN
formal denial of the charges thus brought
against him.
"Lies'' Declared Reeve.
Maj. Reeve, when sen in his Office in
the Busch building, was slightly more com
municative.
you can just print it as coming from
me that L have nothing to say. except that
| 1T is all a. pack of lies he. declared
Everything mentioned in that paper this
| morning was thoroughly investigated two
years or more ago, and | think the fact
that 1 am still holding office is the strong
| est proof that there is nothing to it, q:
Another high official who talked for
! the American under pledge of secrecy"
was made to say that Mr. Madden was so
nearly proven sglhltya of iptcit TRAFFIC In SOU
venr stamps that the Post Office Depart
| ment determined just after the Pan-Ameri-
| can exposition MT to issue such forms of
| stamps in thes future AS a matter of fact
there was an issue of stamps for the Lou
| isiana purchase exposition in st. Louis. and
| the department has just completed arrange
! ments by the acceptance of the designs to
| be used. for the printing of a complete
series of special postage stamps me co1snec-
! ton with the fair at jamestown.
Nothing New in the Story.
Although lie comments heard on every
| side in the Post Office Department this
| morning We're to the effect that there is
nothing new in the story. it was none the
! less evident that unusual excitement pre-
| vailed. Chief Inspector Vichery had a
copy of the paper on his desk. but he, like
| all other officials approached on the sub
ject, declared that every one of the charges
made lad been subjected to thorough in
vestigation a year or two years ago. He
remembers that Jones at that time was
prominently identified with the inquiry. as
| the source of Information. but Mr.. Vfckery
was unhesitating in making ne statement
| that so far as his information went. there
was no occasion for a rehash al the present
| time.
Jones' Charges.
According to the published account:
| Thomas Jones, when humble clerk in
| the department refused to turn blind
| while laws and rules were being violated,
| and he first filed charges with Postmaster
| General Robert Wynne,. now consul general
to London and later with Postmaster Gen.
eral Cortelyou, now Secretary of the Treas
| ury.''
: One charge specifically made had to do
| with the alleged mulcting of postage stamp
| collectors; the claim being made that I'M
/ limited supplies of rare stamps were pro-
| vided, and it was mentioned that Thomas
! Jones and another clerk were set to work
/ on one occasion to hunt out sheets of Pan
American exposition stamps, which were
! of value to collectors because of an error
! in printing, with orders to take all OF the
high value stamps to Mr.. Madden or Maj.
| Reeve.
| A so-called swindle in postal cards COM
prised much of another column of the
| story, and this matter, it seems. was also
| subjected to investigation a long while ago.
| Certain irregularities were discovered on
| part of the postal card contractor, but it
! was never shown that suspicion in refer
! ence to the matter led back to the depart
| ment in Washington in any way, and the
| government lost nothing
Department Will Do Nothing.
| According to an authoritative statement
| made yesterday afternoon, the Post Office
Department will pay no attention to the
! scandal" because the records show all
| the charges covered in the published story
| to have been Investigated and settled long
ago. In fact, nearly all of the Jones
| charges were regarded as closed incidents
even before George B. Cortelyou, the pres
| ent Secretary Of the Treasury, became
Postmaster General Third Assistant Mad
| den had twice appeared before the in
quisitors, and 1t was declared yesterday
/ that the investigators just as many times
| found him to be innocent. 1t was further
| said the matter of the alleged campaign
contributions said to have been solicited
| by Mai Reeve was submitted to Assistant
| Attorney General Robb, and upon his de-
cision that prosecutions would not lie Post
master General Cortelyou based the final
| disposition of that charge.
The Only Charge Not Terminated.
Altogether, the charges contained in the
Jones story in the New York American yes
terday laid stress upon all phases of the
Post Office Department troubles, which
were everywhere else regarded as settled,
and omitted mention Of the only one of the
charges made by Thomas Jones which has
not yet been terminated. This includes an
Investigation into certain aspects Of the
contract for furnishing stamped envelopes
/ to the government as it existed two years
| or ago. :