The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1909-01-09

misconduct. The frauds in the postal
department which were unearthed
some six years ago, for instance, offer
case to point My suspicious were
first aroused by report made as to
the very extravagant and debauched
manner of life Of a certain postal en-
ploye, this report being made by an
official of the secret service. in con-
nection with another transaction on
which he was at work. So with cases
of the abuse of the franking priv
ilege, the postoffice never Of set pur-
pose inspects any package sent
through the mails by a senator or
congressman, but sometimes through
the accidental breaking of such pack
ages the contents are exposed. and
if they are of a character which
makes their transmission by ranking
privilege illegal, steps are taken by
the postoffice authorities to collect
the full postage. Some of these in
stances represent real abuses, but in
other cases they are due to careless
ness or ignorance, and very often
doubtless are entirely unknown to the
congressman themselves, and no good
purpose would be served by any pub
licity in the matter.
Brings In TiIIman's Name.
"But a case has just arisen of
different kind, which it seems to me 1
should put before you as illustrating
in striking fashion, the way in which
Investigations begun by any of these
! various agents in the strict line of
their duty may develop facts of high
Importance, which the investigators
would not in the first instance have
sought to discover, which when dis
covered ought not to be hidden or
supposed that the development of
which may tend to create an errone-
GUS impression that the agents in
question were being used for pur-
poses not within the line of their
lawful duty.
ION the 10Th. of February, 1908,
(see exhibit Al Senator Tillman
called the attention of the senate to
a circular of a syndicate firm for the
sale of lands in Oregon, particularly
in Coos and Douglas counties, which
had been granted to corporations by
the government, the letter stating
that the company in possession of the
lands was bound to sell them for
$3.50 an acre, or upon their refusal
would be prosecuted by the govern
ment and that among those who have
spoken for a part of this land is Sen
ator Tillhan of South Carolina, the
leader of the Democratic party in the
senate, a man who usually gets what
he goes after
Senator Tillman denied the state
ment of this circular and expressed a
wish for al investigation, and upon
his request the post-office department.
through its inspectors, made such an
investigation. He stated in reference
to thi scircular:
"T have not bought any land any
where in the west nor undertaken to
buy any l have made some inquiries,
as one naturally would in roaming
through the west. / simply want the
people of the country to put on no
tice that this swindler at Portland
has no warrant whatever for endeav-
oring to inveigle others into his
game
81 inclose the circular referred to
as exhibit B; the report of the post
Office inspectors, under date of July
q, 1908, as exhibit c. This is a con-
fidential report of type usually not
furnished, but in this case the matter
is so serious that l feel l should put
it before you. l inclOse you also as
exhibits .D1, DE-, DE-, D4, Do, photo
graphic fac SMILES of letters and en-
velopes and telegram from Senator
Tillman and his agent, William E.
Lee It appears that on Oct 20, 1907,
Senator Tillman wrote a letter lex
hibit DID, to Messrs Roder and Wat
kins of Marshfield, Ore, who were at
torneys representing people who were
applicants for the purchase of certain
wagon road land grants. Dorr was a
land agent making his filings through
Roder and Watkins. Senator Till
mans letter runs in part as follows:
L wired you from Wauseau, Wis, as
follows and write to confirm it: Will
liam E. Lee, my agent, will see you
about land. l want nine quarters re-
served. Will forward signed applica-
tons and money at once. Members
of my family are entrymen. Letter
follows. (Signed) B. R. T l write
now to say wired MrA-Lee, who re-
sides at Moscow, Ida, to go at once
to MarShfield and see you about the
lands, to locate quarters for the sew
en- members of my family who are of
age and one for my private secretary,
]. B. Knight, whom I desire to let
into the deal, and of course he wants
quarter for himself
TiHman's Resolution.
"The letter continued, stating in de-
tail what was to be done in order to
enable the senator to get the land.
The William E. Lee to whom Senator
Tillman thus referred as his agent,
wrote to Reeder and Watkins under
date of Dec. z letter, Photographic
copy of which is herewith submitted,
marked exhibit d. In this letter Mr.
Lee explains that he had written Sen