Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-03-23

this way: he expended S74,7l4 10, and
the residue, S26 ,54l SO, is composed OF
unavailable, which MIR. Mclean render
ed as available funds. Now were il true
that Mr.. Mclean had reduced the funds
S74,7l4 Is, and had calculated S2G ,54l
88 as good, which afterwards turned out
to be bad, still is it fair to change Mr..
Mclean with an expenditure of SlOl,-I
25s O3 over his income? But Mr.. Bar
rvs excess of expenditure over his IN
come from July, 1929, to Ju-
ly, 1880, is $4,000
Add to this the sum expended
by him from April to July,
which he has included in
the S7l,7l4 10, charged to
ton $1,000
Add, moreover, as in the gen.
eral appropriation bill Go,64O
And you will find that in the
five first quarters of Mr..
Barry's administration, he
has expended over and a
bove the income 171,G10
This is not all Under the act of May
1898, there were established go addi-
tionaI post routes, at an expense, proba-
bly,, of $4,000. More than half of this
expense was, probably, incurred by Mr..
Mclean. These routes went into OPP
Grafton in January, 1929, and the profits
of the first quarter did not fall due until
April, and were consequently not paid
in TO Mr.. Mclean, but to Mr.. Barry.
lie admits, also, that the income from the
Office has increased in the last year n
bout $4,000. Now, the appropriation
bill Of the first year Of Mr. Barry paid
him about $4,000 more than it did in
the last year of Mr.. Mclean; and with
all these facilities, how docs it happen
that Mr. Barry has consumed in five
quarters, $4,000 Of the Post Office
funds over and above the income, receiv-
ed upwards of s 900 from the general
appropriation bill above the former year,
the avais ofthe whole quarter of the new
routes established in May 1923, $780,
600 of additional revenue, and yet that
the available funds which, in 1893, were
( S332 900, should, in 1880, be down to
Sl43, 600? Should we this year appro-
pirate no more than the SGO,640, (the
appropriation Of the last and the draft
upon the surplus fund should be no great
er than for the year 1880, $82, 900, the
expenditure for 1873 would consume the
whole amount Of this surplus fund, and
the Department will be literally bank
rupt. That is, for The first time since as
establishment, IL wiii fail 10 support ITSELF
Now, this aspect of affairs may be err
roneous; but | can see no error. 1t pre-
sonts at least subject Of inquiry. We
would examine if these things are so! s.
if they are, whether the changes of the
officers may not have produced this cf-
feet. If Mr.. Mclean had retained 600
bad officers, so bad that they deserved
to be removed even without notice, and
his successor had substituted as many
faithful men in their stead, it would seem
little strange that while the officers
were becoming better, the Office was
growing worse. In the first aspect Of
this affair, it would seem that in these,
The late Postmaster General had new
er prosclibed-and never inquired of the
party feelings Of an officer or candi-
date Yet, it is believed that, when the
present Chief Magistrate came into of
flee, decided majority of the Postmas-
ters were in his favor. ! do not ascribc
this majority to any sinister conduct of
the late Postmaster General; it was prob
ably because that it was the settled plan
of the supporters Of General Jackson's
election that they took care, and were
on the alert to recommend one of his par
tisans to fill every vacant Office. Take
an example in Maine: in the county of
York, my own county, there were 81
Postmastcrs-Jackson %, Adams g. One
would have supposed that the proportion
Of % to 8, in district that chose an Ad-
ans elector, would have satisfied the
most Unsuitable and vindictive persccu-
tor; especially as the remaining eight
were Offices SO insignificant, that they
were scarcely worth holding, and most Of
them, probably, more trouble than profit
But no! the knife was applied even here ::
three Of these have been removed, two
resigned "to save the trouble" and one
remains; and of the remaining two am
not certain. Thus we see, in single
Congressional district, the whole Post
Office influence, with custom-house Of
fcers and all others, brought to bear on
the ireedom of election, and thcn the Ad-
ministration will boast of success! An
army Of officers let loose to dragoon the
people, the election is carried, and then
you stand upon public opinion. Now,
this is the very evil that the inquiry is
intended TO remedy. 1t is the abuse Of
nnhlic nnininn. II j. the n1nrLiI .inin nr