Litchfield enquirer., 1831-03-17
CONGRESSIONAL.
In Senate, March 8, 1881.
DocT OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

o,,ire into the present state OF the Post Othce
Department, made report enumeratlng GER
tain papers, which the Committee were in-
strucfed to have printed, but making no com
Inents upon them the printing ''as ordered.
Mr.. Chambers presented the following me-
mortal from Abraham Bradley, late Assistant
Post Master General.
TO the Honorable the Senate of the United States.
The memorial of Abraham Bradley, late Assistant
Post Master General most respectfully represents
That after his removal from Office, he, as is well
known ~ the Senate, presented TO the President oil
rhe United States letter in whch,am"ng other th'nSs
he stated that Mr.. Barry, the present. Fos master
General, had made extra allowance TO Mr. Har-
rail- mail contractor and to others, rs this memoirs
aIist conceived sOithoW warramt of tnaO.
cOpy of this letter having been called for, was
presented by this memorialis TO the present Select
Commiliee Of the Senate, on the Post Once Depart
ment.
During the last Session Of Congress, call was
made that Department, at the instance OF one OF
the Senators from Ohio, for information relative to
the extra allowances which had been made to mail
contractors.
eOmmitted the view Of this melnorlais rs contain
{dR matters in which he was deeply concerned. Up
W xainnipg it 10 ascertain IL his recollection o F1ar-
slfs case was correct, he UNNECESSARILY astonish
"a IL lind that the allowance was here charged
10 hnpe been made By him, acting as Post Master Gem
eral. Ii evident that the documents had been
originally different that erasure had been made,
and the name Of this melnoriaiist inserted Induced
by this TO examine further he found that fory-nine
cases Of extra allowance were IN that document char
ged TO have been 'nade by him. 1huty-str Of these
were similar the Of HarralI: the original doc
umeDt had been muiilated and the name Of A. Brad
ley, Jr., acting Post Master General carefully n
serted.
mittee 10 these circumstances, evidence of an at
tempt to impeach his testimony, and load his official
conduct with opprebrium, being public documentary
proof from the books OF the Department, that he had
rquandered the public funds during the few days he
had acted as Post Master General, between the 10th
Of March, w.en Mr.. Mclean left the office, and the
5th Of April, when Mr. Barry came into it, and that
in order himself, he had charged these things
upon the latter gentleman. The Committee kindly
authorised subcommittee to accompany this memo
ralist TO The Department yesterday, the 23th instant
tn ascertain whether his statements correct
Your mcmoriast confidently appeals to those gentle
men, in support Of the fact that il satisfactorily APP
peared TO them that in this case of Harrals well
no in every other but in which had
been made, MIR. Barry originally and properly
charged and that il there asserted that these
had been made by mistake, aud his name in
serted by mistake. The gentlemen had not time to
pursue their inquiry, aud examination was made
into those cases originally charged to your memorial
ist.
In whatever manner these mutations of the origin
nj document may have occurred, and those false
amendments to it made by mistake or not, the effect
must he, il it goes the world, 10 injnre f not to
nearly forty public service, must mainly rely
for support The Senate has. rs he has been inform
ed, directed this report 10 be printed.
If this should be done, and it should with all it's
lsehoods aud injurious tendency be spread before the
people under the sanction of the Senate of The United
States, your memorias submits that great injustice
must necessarily follow to him. He therefore prays
that such order may he taken by the Senate as will
his right, and especially preserve the repua
'ion which documents published by the authority Of
the Senate shoud always possess. And your memo
ABRAHAM BRADLEY.
March !, 1881.
MIR. Chambers moved that the order for the
printing of the report referred to he rescinded.
Mr.. Grundy thought the better course
would be--the right way to do justice-to
print the report, AMI subjoin to it the memo
rial of Mr.. Bradley, and the testimony Of
Messrs. Brown, Suter, ct. al.
Mr.. Clayton, Chairman Of the Select Com
mttee to whom those documents had been !
referred, rose and observed that they were
very voluminous. purporting to be answers
to the resolution Of the Senate of the l4th
April last, which directed the Postmaster
General 10 report copies of all existing con-
tracts made by him or his predecessor in off
fee, on which allowances have been made
for additional services ; designating 10 each
case, how much and what additional service
has been performed, and by whom it was re-
quired, and designating also what sum has
been allowed in each case for such additional
service, and By ,chom it ,oos allo,ced." The
answer TO this call was kept back until about
the 10th Of last month. During the debate
which occurred here on the resolution of the
gentleman from Tennessee, among other
things then said, complained of this delay
rs an evidence of design to battle inquiry in.
to the concerns Of the Department and af-
tar that. the report called for in April, 1880,
came in. 1t was first referred to the Standing
COMMITTEES ON the Post Office, although
prayed for its reference to the Select Com
mittee, to whom unquestionably, as we now
see, it properly belonged. The Standing
COMMITTEE, without examination, as we must
suppose. recommended it to be printed, and
the Senate ordered it 10 he printed. After
this, and about q week since, it was referred
to Select Committee. They examined it.
and have ascertained that in thirty-sir cases of |
extra allowance to- contractors scattered !
tnrough these documents, embracing the gros-
sest violations OF the law in granting away
the public money to mail contractors, ths nj.
Iowances have been falsely set down as hav.
ing been made by Abraham Bradley. as Act
ing, or Assistant Post Master General, when.
~ these very cases, the allowances were actu.
ally made ny the present Post Master Gen
eral; and for the truth ofthis refer 10 the de-
position Of Mr.. Bradley. those ofths Clerks in
the Department, and the report itself of the
fost Master General in answer to the call. all
now on the table before YOU, as well as In this