Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-16
BLOCKED BY RECALL
Dead Letter Sale Order Re-
scinded at Last Moment.
ALL THE PLANS COMPLETED
Assembled Crowd Notified of Indef-
mite Postponement.
ALLEGED REASONS FOR ACTION
Suggested Violation of Lottery Law
and Protest Filed by Local
Retail Merchants.
ALLEGED REASONS FOR ACTION

corps or ROBUST SlOOmS ana SO sudden
and severe was the rout that some of the
shattered Joys" even as they fell in
their tracks. looked dazedly about them
and inquired if it really could be true.
The diagram to this prelude is that
probably 900 men and women. mostly
women. who had gathered at the auction
rooms and packed every corner, eager
with anticipation of the bargains to be
had at the dead letter sale, which was
| announced to begin at 10 O'clock this
morning, apparently received the disap-
pointment of their lives when the
auctioneer solemnly announced that the
sale was indefinitely postponed.
Behind him on shelves that lined three
! corners of the big room. with a relay be-
hind. were 900 dead letter packages
ready for the SALE tracked and ROUTED
as they call it--while about on the floor
were thirty large dry goods boxes that
had not yet been unpacked- Down in the
boxes.
Yet, with all this splendid outlay for
the temptation of the bidders, Postmaster
General Hitchcock had directed by long
distance phone from New York that the
sale be indefinitely postponed, and DR..
Charles P. Grandfield. acting postmaster
general, enforced the order.
Alleged Hitchcock's Objections.
There were two reasons for the post
ponement given this morning, from two
different sources. One is that last year
Postmaster General Hitchcock is said to
have directed that the dead letter sale be
not conducted again according to the
| methods then used.
For two years past the Postmaster Cen
eral. in his annual report, has objected
to the manner in which the unclaimed
valuable matter received in the mails
at the dead letter Office has been disposed
of, although such sales have been going
on for fifty-three years in practically the
| same way.
Mr. Hitchcock believed it looked bad
| for the department to be vigorously en-
| forcing the lottery law against offenders
and yet at the same time conduct sale
which, in his judgment, possessed the
| feature of chance In 1910 he recon-
| mended a change in the law, section
| 1888 of the Revised Statutes, so as to
permit the Postmaster General to dis
pose of the matter usually offered at the
| annual auction sales in such manner as
he might designate. His idea Is declared
to be that the articles should be indi-
vidually appraised, and then offered for
sale in bulk to responsible persons, in
stead of separately as a sort Of pig in
the bag
Again in his annual report last year
he renewed his recommendation for the
amendment of the law Ito enable the de-
partment to eliminate the objectionable
lottery features inherent to the present
method of selling dead mail" 1t was
at this time also that he directed that no
more sales be conducted like the one of
last year. But as the sale is directed by
law, audit is a part of the routine of the
department to make provision for it, in
the absence of contrary directions, the
preparations went on, but. it is said,
without Mr.. Hitchcock's knowledge.
Last year 81, 262 gross was derived
from the sale, or $9,S4S. y net 1t is not
large sum, but the merchants of WASH
ington felt that it was injurious to them
to spring such sale at this time Of the
year when their stores were stocked to
the limit with Christmas goods that have
not such a good market after the holiday
season.
Another Version.
The other story was that the mer-
chants called upon United States Attor-
ney Clarence r. Wilson, and that his
examination Of the law convinced him
that the sale was in violation Of a law
relating to gaming which is applicable
to the District. There is a gap in the
facts at this point which those who
ought to know seem to be unwilling to
disclose. But DR.. Grandfield, acting
Postmaster General, said this morning
that he directed the postponement OF the
sale and intimated it was done at the
suggestion of the Attorney General to the
Postmaster General.
Whichever is the true story, the fact
remains that the dead letter sale has
been postponed Indefinitely, and that the
individuals who had gathered for its
opening and a great many who stray
gled in for hours afterward seemed deep
ly disappointed.
Even after the auctioneer's announce
ment this morning those who were seated
in the auction rooms remained for per-
haps a quarter of an hour before they
realized there would be nothing doing,
and this onl yafter the auctioneer had
again assured them that he was not
joking.
Preliminaries for the sale began last
summer. when the articles to be sold We're
listed as required by law. In October
Sloan & Co, the auctioneers, gave a bond
in the sum Of $15, 600 for the proper con-
duct of the sale and other conditions.
Five thousand catalogues have been pre-
pared and printed. and many of them dis
tributed to the public.
ATTORNEY Files Protest.