Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23

the crimes on the inside are added all
the crimes and swindles carried on
through the mails. all burglaries Of post
offices. all stealing of stamps and padding
returns. you will see that the wires OF
his influence reach to every man, woman
and child In the country, and that upon
him the most of us depend for protec-
ton.
The name of the chief inspector is
Robert S Sharp and. s.ngularly enough,
he is the son of A G. Sharp. who held
this same office when Mr.. Gresham was
Postmaster General. and who at that
time put down the Louisiana lottery and
wiped out all sorts of chance games
through the mails. Mr.. Sharp recently
acted as one of the internal revenue
commissioners, and ii was his work
among the moonshiners of the TenneS-
see mountains that caused Postmaster
General Hitchcock to ask him to aid in
putting down the mail swindlers. He
took charge only about a year ago, but
since that time he has already convicted
and punished men who have defrauded
the people of perhaps S210.0O0.GO. lie
has today score of such miliionaires
under the harrow, and half dozen or
more have already been put behind the
barSs
1 should like to introduce YOU to the
chief post Office inspector, but that is
impossible He will not allow his face
to be published. does not like to have
his name mentioned and | doubt whether
the apartment house where he lives here
in Washington knows that he is anything
more than mere government clerk. He
does not like TO talk, and ii was only
through a suggestion from the Postnas-
ter General that it might be well to let
the people know what Uncle Sam is
doing to protect his children from the
wiles of the swindlers that ne gave me
an interview.
1T is my business to keep in the back
ground. This work is done for the gov
eminent and the people. and ] would like
to have you say that Ii IS Uncle Sam and
the Post Office Department who are con-
voting the rascas. This government Is
bigger than any one man, and we want
TO make these swindlers know that it Is
the government and not individuals who
are after them. We want them to know
that the government is bigger than any
individual, and that no matter how rich
or influential the rascal may be. he is on
a level with the poorest of his kind In
the eyes of the institution.
g. n*
These were the instructions which the
Postmaster General gave me when / took
charge He urged us to be sure that we
were ght. and to then go ahead without
fear or favor. That Is what we are doing.
When We arrest man We follow the same
procedure. it makes no difference whether
he is a millionaire or a pauper, whether
he is at the head of the politics of a city
or an individual voter. l have instructed
my men TO make no change In the ar
rest of a mill onaire over that Of negro
stealing ham. The patrol wagon is
backed up to the door of the palace. and
we take the rich swindler handcufYed to
jail. He has all OF his rights at the trial.
but II he does not make good he goes be-
hind the bars just as surely as does the
negro who purloins ham. 1t Is this pub
licity that the m llionaire swindler OBJ
jects TO, and also the fact that his in.
fiuence and money count nothing.
This is the only way to treat these
fellows" continued the chief inspector
The department has tried again ant
again TO put down swindling through tn,
mails, but in the past every time maj
of prominence and good banking connec
tons was arrested he could command hi
politicians to have the department cas-,
S up on him, and the pressure was suci
that the work could not go on
} But are there many men who make