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Show WILL PAYNE AND BPJSIOW RETIRE FROM THE P. 0. DEPARTMENT AT CAPITAL? CHICAGO, March 14 .Walter Well- man wires the Record-Herald from Washington that the Bristow report, In-s In-s volving 191 men In Congress in connection connec-tion with Postofflce department affairs. Is regarded as the blunder of the age. and predicts the retirement of both Bristow ' and Postmaster-General Payne. ' President Takes a Hand. Mr. Well man says: "President Roosevelt took a. hand today to-day In an effort to repair, as far as may be possible, one of the most stupid political po-litical blunders ever committed In this country. He summoned to the White House Speaker Cannon and Representative Represen-tative Overs tree t, chairman of the House Committee on Postofflces, and also Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General Bristow, the reputed author of the mvnr ?a wtmisj wawtus-- lmntt Ins1 flan O boys for their districts and to secure Improvement of the local Government service, postal and other. To hold these men up to the world as criminals or wrongdoers for attention to their duties du-ties as representatives of the people is about as foolish a piece of business as ever happened outside an Insane asylum. asy-lum. Making Political Capital "But these men must go before their constituents within a few months for renomlnatlon and election, hence they do not relish being put in the 'grafter class in an official report. Their political politi-cal enemies or rivals for their seats in their own party are already making use of these 'disclosures. One member today to-day received word from home that a local paper had suggested his case should be turned over to the grand Jury for- indictment, whereas all in the world that member did was to ask the Postofflce department to give a post-office post-office in his district another clerk. "The New York Evening Post had an editorial' a. day or two ago suggesting that even the Speaker of the House had 'Joined the ranks of the petty grafters.' graft-ers.' These facts show what a lot of harm may be done, as well as what great injustice, to the members of Congress Con-gress whose names are used in this asinine compilation. "The management of that department depart-ment Is such that it has lost the confidence con-fidence of Congress." tors and Representatives of both parties par-ties In the so-called violations of law in connection with the rentals and clerk allowances in postofflces. Talked of Stupidity. "What President Roosevelt said to Bristow is not known, but it is understood under-stood that Roosevelt spoke his mind very plainly about the stupidity, or worse, which induced some one to perpetrate per-petrate this colossal blunder. Bristow nays he did not prepare all of the report re-port only a small part of It. But he stands as the responsible person behind it, and it was prepared by his subordinates subordi-nates acting under his orders. It could not have seen the light of day at all but for his authorization, and hence he is the man who will have to stand most of the blame. "What connection Postmaster-General Payne had with the affair, if any, has not as yet developed, as Payne is ill. Besides it is notorious that in re-' re-' gard to all these scandals and alleged scandals Bristow, and not Payne, has been running the Postofflce department . for some time. What Motive Ruled "There Is, therefore, great eagerness to learn what spirit of malice or of in-eptness, in-eptness, or desire to play a, huge practical prac-tical Joke, prompted Bristow or some one else to compile this report, which would be ludicrous if it were not so outrageous. - "No one would be surprised If the blunder were to lead to the retirement from official life of both Post mas ter-Feneral ter-Feneral Payne and Bristow. Payne is ill at best, and has lost his nerve, which iicvrr waa any iw Dining. xl isllw has clearly outlived his usefulness. There are blunders, said a wise man. which are worse than crimes, and this must stand in history as the greatest administrative and political blunder of the century. As to Bristow's Method. "Many of the more Indignant members mem-bers of the House have wanted to give their committee power to investigate the Postofflce department Itself and to throw light upon all the methods employed em-ployed by Bristow in running down the scandals. ) These members believe enough information could be found to make It impossible for. President Roosevelt Roose-velt to retain Bristow in office. It is claimed his methods have been Imperious, Imperi-ous, tyrannical and, in some instances, !m proper. "For months the Postofflce department depart-ment has virtually been under the rule of a lot of detectives called Inspectors. .Human nature is pretty much the same among inspectors or detectives as with other mortals, and no one looks to that class of individuals as a rule for examples exam-ples of absolute purity of motive and method. Members of the House would like to know why it Is that a good many of the officials of the Postofflce department, against whom no charges are made, have been reduced in rank and pay and why inspectors have been promoted to their "places. In other words, they say it is about time to inr vestigate the investigators. Washington Folks Amazed. "Everyone -in Washington marvels that President Roosevelt, with his penchant pen-chant for giving Une attention to all the details of detartment business, should ever have permitted this idiotic report to leave the . Postofflce department. depart-ment. Senators and Representatives of both )olitical parties are named as having hav-ing violated the law. or a rule of department de-partment and asked that their constituents constit-uents might have a little more allowance allow-ance for rentals of postofflces or for lrk hire. "This is what Senators and Representatives Represen-tatives have been doing ever since the Government was founded. In the opinion opin-ion of their constituents, that is. what thev are here for to act as errand |
