The Sun

MEMBERS OF HOUSE INVOLVED.

RESOLUTION CALLING FOR INVESTIGATION BY CONGRESS.

Three Members of the House Own Buildings Which Are or Have Been Rented for Post Offices—Some 700 Instrumental In Getting Additional Clerk Hire.

WASHINGTON, March 1.—Representative Cowherd (Dem., Mo.) to-day introduced in the House a resolution providing for the appointment of a committee of five members of the House to investigate the affairs of the Post Office.

This resolution is a sequel to facts which were developed before the Post Office Committee while it had the appropriation bill under consideration, touching upon the interests of members of the House in the rental of buildings to the government for post office purposes, and the interests of members in the matter of clerk hire for various post offices, and, in short, affecting all matters pertaining to this department.

On Jan. 5 Representative Hay (Dem., Va.) introduced in the House a resolution calling for a Congressional investigation based upon certain statements made in the Bristow report, wherein it was insinuated that Members of Congress had violated the law in their efforts to lease buildings to the Government and procure additional clerk hire for various offices in their respective districts. That resolution was referred to the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads, but has never been acted upon.

The Postmaster-General sent to the committee, by request, a statement which covers the instances referred to in the Bristow report and which in part contains the information asked for by Mr. Hay. It is understood that before the Post Office Appropriation bill is taken up the committee will report back the Hay resolution, accompanied by the information which was sent to the committee by the Postmaster-General, which Republican members of the committee think is sufficient to cover all the points in the Hay resolution. In case the resolution is not reported, Mr. Hay will move that the committee be discharged from further consideration of it, and will seek to bring it directly before the House.

The information which the committee has elicited from the Department relative to Mr. Bristow's insinuations respecting violations of the law by Members of Congress is to the effect that, contrary to the statutes, three members of the House own buildings which are now, or have been, rented to the Government for post office purposes. Two of the members mentioned in the statement submitted by the Postmaster-General are Representative Calderhead (Rep., Kan.) and Representative Wadsworth (Rep., N. Y.) In the case of the other member, whose name is not divulged, he is or was the owner of a one-sixth interest in a building rented to the Government for postal purposes.

In each of the three cases cited the buildings were originally rented while their owners were not Members of Congress, and the rental was simply continued while they have been in office without change of ownership, so that it is contended that while this is technically a violation of law, there has been no collusion involving moral turpitude or effort to have the rental increased by these members.

In the case of Representative Wadsworth, for instance, as in others, he was doing the Government a favor by continuing the rental of the building, as it would have caused inconvenience to remove the offices because the owners were Members of Congress.

The Postmaster-General cites some seven hundred cases where members have been instrumental, through Beavers, in getting additional clerk hire for offices in their districts. In eight or nine of these cases it is pointed out that there was apparent collusion, inasmuch as the increases were for certain persons; that in certain instances where clerks were appointed the salaries were immediately increased, and when these particular clerks for any reason left the service the salaries were immediately cut down to the original figure. It is asserted that this has been done by certain members, whose names are set forth by the Postmaster-General, in direct violation of the law, and that the offence is punishable.

In the statements of the Postmaster-General to the committee no Senators are involved, it is said, because the Hay resolution only related to members of the House.