The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-04-14


charges that spies were sent in with
his men to get evidence from Lewis
private papers and that these report.
ed directly to Cortelyou. Also. that a
letter written by Madden to the post
master In st. Louis was so altered and
garbled as to be used as evidence in
a case against Lewis when 1t was In.
tended to clear him.
The book traces through two years
the course of these Investigations and
spyings. Madden charges that the
laws were broken again and again by
the postal officials; that 100000 copies
| OF magazine were seized without
right or warrant and that Lewis was
cheated out OF more than s12S,000 ex.
torted as excess postage.
Fraud Order Lifted.
The two Lewis magazines were
finally excluded from the mails and
the publisher Immediately started the
Women's National Daily. through
which he fought the postal authorities.
sfnally. the fraud order was lifted
from the magazines.
Madden claims that. throughout,
Lewis asked only to be shown where
In he had contravened the postal laws
and offered to change his methods,
both In banking and publishing, but
that he was denied a knowledge of
the charges against him and given no
chance TO makes changes to suit the
department.
Some extracts show the trend of the
whole book.
In such hearings as were given
him (Lewis), the spies and officials
who bounded him were his prosecu.
tors. judge and jury"
His name is gone: his credit Is
destroyed, his business wrecked
He may not again receive in
the mails so much as a notice of the
illness or death OF his wife or child
nothing"
THE country is now infested with q
Rreat band OF secret agents and in
Ispectors. Z. travelling about terrorizing
citizens In the name OF the
government, to carry out some pur
pose Of an administration no longer
circumscribed by constitution or law
History must record this man Cor
telyou freak OF singular and unac-
countahle circumsttnce-three times a
cabinet officer, but a nonentity In
each; man TO whom frankness Is
stranger; man whose light Is wholly
reflected; man totally lacking the
power OF initiative beg
ger mounted, he rode his horse to
death And, now note the immutabii-
ity OF fate, as this book goes to print.
the press accounts are to the effect
that this man has been discovered In
double dealing to the hand that raised
him"
Among the other charges In the
book are these: That the government
spent quarter of a million dollars to
Lut Lewis out Of business; that sys-
tenn Is In vogue by which publishers
are blackmailed by threats of fraud
orders being issued against them;
that the government spent more In
publications defending itself In the
Lewis case than In publications with
regard to the Spanish war.
Wrote Book to Defend Name.
IL have not attacked Mr.. Cortelyou
so much as have defended myself
from the attack he made on me before
he left the postofice department"
said f. c. Madden, Tuesday. Il wrote
the book to show the facts as they
were and for the sake of my children
and my name"
When asked regarding statement
from Washington to the effect that
Madden has been working for Lewis
since he left the postal service, the
former assistant postmaster-general
replied:
What would that matter? They
might as well say | had been In bal
loon. II I have stated facts In my
book. that is the important thing Let
them answer to the facts as I have
represented them"
Mr.. Madden would make no state
ment as to the animus behind the al
legged persecution of Lewis further
than to repeat remark In the book
In which Lewis said that he believed
the express companies were behind
the opposition TO him.
A side light on this Is given In the
fact that the Postmasters' association
for a number OF years Endorsed plan
for better handling OF small money
orders and were persistently blocked.
One of their representatives was told
that Senator Plat, who Is interested
In express companies, was opposed to
the bill, and that II would never pass