The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-07-05
LEWIS PUBLISHING
CONTROVERSY TOBE
S|FTED BY HOUSE
Expenditures Committee to
Air Charge Against
Postoffice.
BUSINESS RUINED,
SAYS ST. LOUISAN
History of Famous Case Will Be
Reviewed From Be-
ginning.

The famous case of z. G. Lewis
against the Postoffice Department will
be taken up and tried this week before
the House Committee on Expenditures
in the Postoffice Department.
Lewis has been in controversy with
the department for many years. The
department has seemed committed to
the view that he is a charlatan and a
faker. His friends and supporters have
insisted that he is a great publishing
genius. The departments attitude to-
ward him has caused widespread and
bitter controversy. In Congress, at the
present time, there are many friends
OF Lewis who insist that he has been
made the victim Of a persistently hos
tile purpose of the ruling officials; and
the Ashbrook Committee on Expendi-
lures proposes to go to the bottom OF
the whole affair.
Some time ago the committee called
on the Lewis company to present its
case. Members of the committee have
just had placed in their hands the
printed reply of the Lewis company.
1t was printed for use of the committee,
from the original letter signed by the
Lewis companys attorney.
Lewis Able Attorney.
1t is an interesting incident that Ed
win c. Madden. formerly assistant to
the Postmaster General, and expert in
second class mail matters, is now act
Ing as attorney for Lewis in this case.
Madden is fighter. During his admin
istratton of the second class business
of the department he became convinced
that Lewis was a legitimate publisher,
and he has taken up the case with much
zest
Lewis founded the Woman's Maya
zine. the Woman's Farm Journal and
the Woman's National Daily. They
were printed at a great plant at Uni
versity City, a suburb of ST. Louis,
and postal business was conducted
through the st. Louis office. The Wom-
ans Magazine developed a circulation
Of about 100000. and the Woman's
Farm Journal one Of about 100000.
Madden. as attorney for the Lewis
company, charges that away back in
1905 the department began its fight on
these publications. Some very grave
charges are made. One is that on one
occasion 100000 copies of one of the
magazines were seized and presumably
destroyed, after they had been mailed.
and the postage paid: that they were
never delivered; that the action was
secret; that there was no recourse and
that greaI damage was done
Charges Seizure of Letters.
In another case. the Lewis people al
lege, vast quantity of first class mail
letters-was seized, and, the complain
ant alleges, opened in violation of law,
and read, for the purpose Of estab-
hshing grounds for more persecution.
This is declared to be utterly Illegal.
On another occasion, an illegal spe-
cial inquiry, not provided for or con-
templated by the regular administra-
tive methods of the department, was
instituted, to determine whether these
papers were entitled to second class
mail privileges. This resulted in a clear
bill of health being given them. The
trouble would seem to have been ended
But instead another special inquiry was
at once started, and this time a great |
force of Government employees practi- |
cally took possession of the accounting |
department of the business At night. |
when these officials went away. thew
would lock and seal the rooms in which
the company's books were kept The re-
suit was that the company was de-
prived Of access to its own books, and
ness in the regular course. to its great
injury.
Finally, in 1907, the company was fat
ly denied the use of the mails under
the second class privilege. This order
continued in force for some time, when
the protestations of the victims and
the big fight that was started caused
reversal of the order. The magazines |
were restored to the second class mail |
right.
Business Is Destroyed.
But nine months had passed. The
business was destroyed. A determined
effort was made to rehabilitate the bust
ness, after this long suspension; but II
was too late. In October, 1910, the two
gave up the ghost, as a re-
suit of the long persecution, despite that
they had been INDICATED completely to
their right to use the mails at publish
ers' rates.
Madden alleges that from S250,0O0 to
$500, 900 was spent from Government rev. II
enues, in this campaign to destroy this
business. He charges that there was a
conspiracy among officials; that laws
were misreprescnted in order to indict
officials of the Lewis company, and
that civil suits against II were begun;
that neither suits nor indictments were
In good faith, but later dropped; moth
ing came of them except injury to the
general repute of the business.
The Ashbrook committee believes the
case is extraordinary, and is prepared
for long session over it. There are
the committee, that this case will de-
velop the most sensational features Of
any of the numerous investigations now
In progress.
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