Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-03-07
CON G r 4 S s l..
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. A
BRADLEY

DNhDLEI.
In The Senate ON Thursday, Mr.. Chambers
rose to present memorial from Mr.. Abraham
Bradley, former Assistant Postmaster General.
relative to his name being substituted in lieu of
another which has been erased in abstracts of
Post Office returns, contained in the Postmaster
Generals Report; from which it would appear,
contrary to the fact, that certain extra ALLOWANCE
es in the Post Office Department had been made
by Mr.. Bradley.
Mr.. King requested the Senator from Mary
land TO state the nature of the memorial.
MIR. Chambers explained the purport of the
memorial. which was then handed In, and read,
nm which MIR. C. moved that the order for print
inc the Postmaster Gencral's Report be suspend
ed.
Mr.. Grundy thought there was different course
which would be better than the one which the
motion went to adopt. Ii was the object, he was
convinced, of the Special Committee to do justice
10 both parties--tO the present Postmaster Gene
raj, and to those who were formerly in Office
With this end in view, it was his opinion that the
right way would be to print the report Of the Post
master General! as had been ordered, and in like
manner to print this memorial OF Mr.. Bradley.
which might be appended 10 it, and along with
this the dispositions of Mr.. Blown, the Chief
Clerk of the Post Office Department, and of MIR.
Taylor and Mr.. Dundass. Clerks in the office.
which we're explanatory of how the error occur
red- This he thought was the fair course, and
he would therefore recommend that the motion
would be for the printing Of these several docu-
ments, and then that they be appended to the re-
port.
Mr. Clayton, Chairman of the Select Commit
tee to whon these documents had been referred,
arose and observed that they were very volumi
nous, purporting to be answers to the resolution
of the Senate of the 14th Of May last which di-
rected the Postmaster General to report s. copies
of all existing contracts made by him or his pre-
decessor i'm office, on which allowances have been
made for additional services, designating in eacn
case how much and what additional service has
been performed, and by whom it was required.
and designating also what sum has been ALLOW ed
in each case, for such additional service. and by
whom il was allowed"
The answer TO this call was kept back until
about the 10th of February last. During the de-
bate which occur ell here on the resolution of the
gentleman from Tennessee. among other things
then said, | complained of this delay as an evil
dence of design to battle inquiry into the con-
Germs of the Department, and after that, the re-
port called for in MAY, 1880, came in 1t was
first referred TO the standing Committee on the
Post Office, although prayed for its reference to
the Select Committee, to whom unquestonablv,
as we now see, it properly belonged. The stand
inc Committee without examination as we must
suppose. recommended it to be printed-and the
Senate ordered it to be printed After this. and
about week SINCE, it was referred to the Select
Committee They examined it, and have ascer-
tained that in thirty Sir cases OF extra allowance
to contractors scattered through these documents.
embracing some ut the grossest violations OF the
law in granting away the public money to mail
contractors. the allowance have been falsely set
down as having been made by Abraham Bradley,
as acting or assistant Postmaster General when
in these very cases the allowances made by the
present Post Master General: and for the truth
of this refer to the deposition of Mr.. Bradley,
those Of the Clerks in the Department, and the
report itself of the Post Master General in an
swer to the CALL all now on the table before you,
as well as to the statements of the Senators from
Maine and Tennessee. Messrs Holmes, Grup-
dy.) who went to the Department as a sub-com-
mittee by our directions, to ascertain the facts.
These documents in each of these cases, exhi-
bit to your eve paipable erasures. where the name
of William I. Barry, Postmaster General
has been rubbed out. and that of :. Abraham Brad
ley, acting Postmaster General, inserted. The
result of the examination was, that MIR. Barry's
name was originally written down on the docu-
ments, as the person who made the allowances,
according to the truth-that the name Of Mr..
Bradley was afterwards inserted. and now stands
in each of these thirtysix cases. which, call them
falsehpods. errors, or what you pease-certainly
misrepresenrs the fact. Then it is also necessa-
nv to state that the letter of Abraham Bradley to
the president, which was read IN the debate here,
ON the resolution of the Senator from Tennessee,
charging Mr.. Barry with gross violation of law
in some Of these cases, particularly IN the case
of the South Carolina contract,) was written
more than year ago, and shortly after his remoy-
al from ofiice-that this letter had been sworn to
by Mr.. Bradley, in the committee. and that the
tendency of this fabrication OF the documents,
if undetected. was to convict Mr.. Bradley of
swearing falsely, who. in saying, on his oath,
that the Postmaster General made the ALLOWANCE
es, stated the exact truth.
Sir, have bestowed much attention TO these
papers, and do not undertake to say that these