After Postmasters

Special Capítol News Co. Correspondence. Washington, d. C, March.20, ism. Congressman Aver}', of the Eleventh Michigan district, has set in motion an investigation, or an expense, that will no doubt result in saving a large number of good dollars to citizens of Mighigan. For years a claim attorney of this city, named Harvey Spalding, has been sending circular letters to postmasters and ex-postmasters of the third, fourth and fifth classes, not only in Michigan but all over the country, offering to collect froni the government certain amounts he claims to be their due under the law for the re-adjustment of salaries of postmasters. In spite of the fact that the courts have repeatedly ruled that no valid claim existed against the government, this man has persistently represented that he knew better than the courts, and that he could and would collect the several amounts that he placed, in different cases, from a few dollars up to several hundred. He has offered to do this for a certain per cent. of the amount, to be paid him in fees after the claim was collected, which the claimBnt could well afford to allow him as scon as the government paid the money he claimed it owed him. Mr. Spalding dld not, however, wait for the government to pay, and here comes in the gist of the whole matter He soon began to ask of those whom he represented as having valid claims, an advance of a "nominol sum for use in paying extraordinajy costs, the same to be credited to you on the fee," these su-ms varying all the way from one to five dollars, his earliest letters being confined to a request for one dollar each. During the past year he has been asking for larger advances, ranging in sums of from one to five dollars. The parties in Michigan to whom these letters have been repeatedly sent, are beginning to return them to their membess of congress, with the request that they look the matter up and inform them if they really have a valid claim and if they had best forward their advance money asked for. Several days ago Congressman Avery seleeted one of the several letters he had received, and sent it to the post office department with a request for information regarding it. In tliis letter the writer said to Mr. Avery: "Enclosed I hand you letter which explains itself. Mr. Spalding claims there is Í91 my due, and wants me to send him $2. I have had several letters from him; he always wants the $2 in advadee. j have written him making some inquiries of him, but get no answer. If there is any money due me of course I should have it, but there are so many imposters these days I hardly know what is best to do. If this man is all right, of course I am ready to send the $2, but if he is an imposter he ought to be looked after." Dr. Avery's letter called from the department (salary and allowance división) the following answer: signed by the First Assistant Postmaster General: "In reply to your letter in behalf of Mr. James B. Bevins, relating to a review of his salary as a former postmaster at LeRoy, Michigan, I beg to return herewith your letter from Mr. Bevins, (with the enclosed circular) as requested, with the information that his application was received and consider edundeadate of August 20, 1887, when he was notified that no additional amount was due. "In reply to your further inquiry, I beg to state that the review of the salaries of postmaster and ex-postmasters of the third, fourth and ii f t li classes, as provided by the act of congress approved Maren 3,1883, has been completed. The act of congress approved August 4, 18S6, limited the presentation of claims of this character to January 1, 1887, and all applications received up to the date stated have been considered and closed. "Certain cases carried to the courts by the agent referred to by you have, in each case, been ad(Continued on elghtb page.) After Postmasters. (Continucd from flrst page.) versely decided. I enclose herewith for your further information, a prioted copy of the decisión of Mr. Justice James, delivered October 24, 1892, for the Supreme Court of the. District of Columbia, in general term, in the case of Elizabeth Trask against the Postmaster General, which case was decided by the Court of Claims, in May, 1892, against the claimant, and was taken to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, in general term, on an appeal." The decisión, which was a f uil, exhaustive and able one, denied the writ asked for to compel the payment of the amount claimed to be due by Mrs. Trask, and the case was an exact parallel with all the cases Mr. Spalding still claims are collectable. Another well-known citizen of a Northern Michigan county enclosed two of the Spaulding letters to his member of congress on the i5th instant, and wrote: "I have always believed that I had a valid claim, and Spalding has been writing me for years. He now asks for three dollars as you will notice. Is he a reputable attorney? Does there appear to you to be apything in his assertions? " The department officials, in talking to Dr. Avery of the affair said, that Mr. Spalding had admitted to them that his first move in the matter consisted in sending out 50,000 circular letters, asking for one dollar from each person so addressed, and that he received favorable responses to 30,000 of them. Dr. Avery was also informed that Spalding had been debarred from practicing before the postoffice department, so if the claims were really valid ones, he would not be allowed to collect them. None of the 800 Michigan people whom he now has on his list, and from whom he is trying to collect from two to five dollars, will be likely to respond after learning these facts. As a further "testimonial" to the man and his methods, Senator Dolph, on the i2th instant, ventilated in the Senate, some transacticns in which Harvey Spalding & Scns are engaged as attorneys to collect from the government money overpaid for certain land. The Sen[ ator designated their methods as "a gr ss fraud and a swindle." Senator Cockrell followed this up with this statement: '[n connection with the letter prt-sented by the Senator from Oregon, I feel that it is a matter of justice and right to the good people not only of Missouri, but of the whole United States, that I should also present some specimen ietters. I hold in my hand a circular letter sent out by Mr. Harvey Spalding, and I ask to have it inserted in the Record in connection with the letter read by the Senator from Oregon." It was of Spaldin's regulation kind. Continuing, Senator Cockrell said: "I have here a similar letter, headed 'Diabolical Attempt to Cheat the Postmasters,' in which he kindly asks for $4 dollars from another postmaster; and I have still another letter frorn a widow in which he asks for $5. 1 am not sure but that I have a letter to another postmaster, which I cannot at this moment lay my hands upon, in which he asks for $5. So it ranges all the way up from $2 to $5, addressed to thousands of postmasters throughout the country, when the whole matter has been finally and everlastingly adjusted and decided by the senate in three different reports and by the supreme court of the United States." Senator Cockrell exhibited still other letters, one asking for $3, another for $4, and the third for only 25 cents, and said: "In this letter he says there are 20,000 victims; that is, 20,000 claimants to whom he is sending these requests for two, three, four and five dollars. I ask that these letters be referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and PostRoads, that the committee maygive some consideration to the matter and put a stop to it." # Congressman Linton has this week introduced a bilí for a $60,000 public building at the hustling little city of Owosso. Congressman Gorman has returned from Michigan, and now the postofiïce candidates in his district who have not already been landed will soon know their fate. Congressman Moon has gone 1o Chicago with his wife and daughter, where they will visit for some time and then go to their home at Muskegon. Mr. Moon expects to be back here in the course of a week.