Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-13
GOES AFTER LAWYER.
Penrose Oen0unces Way of
Furthering Postmasters'
Claims.
WOULD BAR MAILS TO HIM
Senator Says Demands Are Unjust,
and Reads Letters in Which "Cheat-
ed and "Confiscated" Are Used.

The Senate devoted the greater part OF
the afternoon today to the recital by
Senator Penrose. chairman of the com
mittee on post offices and post roads. of eff
forts of a Washington attorney to further
the claims of former postmasters
throughout the country to moneys al
legged to he due in reimbursement OF their
salaries
The matter was first brought up yester-
day by Senator Bradley of Kentucky, in
a resolution directing the auditing of the
claims OF a number of postmasters in
kentucky. Other senators had similar
resolutions pending. All these Senator
Penrose undertook 10 oppose.
He first caused to be read letter from
Acting Secretary Norton of the Treasury
Department, declaring that the resolu-
lions were without merit and should not
be adopted. This was buttressed by opin-
ions from the law department of the gov
eminent, Senator Penrose declared.
Claims Promoted by Rathbone.
Senator Penrose said that these claims.
notorious for fifteen years. Among their
promoters, he said. was +. G.. Rathbone,
sometime assistant postmaster general
and later director of po is in Cuba
Senator Penrose said the claims would
probably amount to Si.OO0O0O. The at
ttorneys would get about 81 100000 in
fees if they went through, he asserted.
Senator Penrose caused TO be read let
ters from the Washington attorney to
postmasters urging them to aid him in
pushing the claims. These letters re-
cited that the postmasters had been
robbed of money due them by former
pOstmasterS general. The words "confis-
Gated and Cheated were frequently
used In the letters. while the officials of
the Post Office Department were branded
as claw Killers
Senator Penrose declared that in his
opinion the letters warranted the post Of
flee inspectors looking into them to see
if the mails were improperly used on
account of the wholesale charges of
fraud, which the letters made, against
post Office officials.
Trouble Made for Authorities.
Senator Penrose severely deprecated the
efforts to expedite these claims and said
that 1t required constant vigilance on the
part of the Post Office Department and
representatives familiar with the cases
to protect the department. He said that
advantage had recently been taken of
his absence to pass a resolution calling
for the auditing of some of these claims.
This brought Senator Lodge to his feet,
who said he had presented resolution
which was adopted, calling on the de-
partment to audit for payment the claims
of postmastefs in Massachusetts. He
had not examined the resolution as care
full y as he should have done and did
not realize its object.
He had since received letter from the
auditor for the Post Office Depa. tment.
saying that it would take twenty clerks
SIX weeks to prepare the data for Massa-
chusetts alon. and that, furthermore. the
resolution directed the audit of the claims
in manner prohibited by law, and ns
hoped it would be rescinded.
Senator Hale. chairman of appropria
tions committee, pointed out that these
resolutions directed the auditing of the
claims for payment, which was in effect
TO require Congress to app opriate for
them He sarcastically remark d that the
trainers of these ingenious resolutions
were aware of the meaning of this direc-
ton to Cong ess, and he hoped the COM
mittee on post offices would br ng in a re-
port finally settl ng all these efforts
He said the lobbying in behalf of this
project had become so vigorous, invoking
the assistance of so many senators in be-
half of the claims, that he hoped the
committee would settle the matter once
for all.
Reference to Committee.
Senator's Hale, Lodge and Carter all
urged that the resolution be referred to
the committee on post offices. That COM
mittee. 1t was explained, could determine
whether or not the claims are just. It's
report would settle all the agitation re-
garding them.
Senator Bradley then agreed to the ref
erence of the resolution to the committee
on its promise to make report by Feb
ruary /
Il don't want any constituent of mine
to get dollar that Is not due him, but
do want every constituent to get every
dollar that is due.
matter should go to the committee for
know how TO reply TO constituents bring
ing up these claims.
Without objection the resolution as
amended TO cover post offices in all of
the states was referred To the committee
with the understanding that IL will re-
port before February /.
Kentucky Postmaster Claims.
Sharp retorts marked the discussion of
The resolution providing for the auditing
Of the accounts of the Kentucky post
masters In the Senate yesterday after
noon
M opiectior maae - Hot 70