Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-03-10


hriei statement Of the facts as they really have
: occurred. lie did so with reluctance, because
ne 'hought II would have been FAR better 10
nave suffered them 10 have spoken for them
selves through report, AS 10 all their pro
, ceea'nss but as the gentleman who had taken
IN himself TO INTRODUCES tue matter, had volun.
{ tarily disclosed partial history OF their trans
actions, aud had reprohated the course pur-
sued by some Of his colleagues, he should feel
II MS duiy IN the course Of his remarks To
place them before the Senate in proper lig h.
10 Illustrate the true state Of he question pending
before the committee, aud TO show whose con
duel, IA the language of tina, gent eman, was
either " unbecomIng or calculated TO make i'm
proper impressions
In his opinion, the proposition contained in
the resolution was TO repeal the power deega-
ted to the committee by the fomer resolution
under which they were organized But the
gentleman who offered II, from some of his re-
marks, seemed TO contend that its object was
only to explain and 10 construe that power In
IT'S terms. hls resolulion is only declaratory-in
SUBSTANCE its design IL, and its effect WILL be- 10
repeal an existing power. TO smother inquiry,
anu billie investigation. II II declare what is
untrue in This respect, "a he should attempt 10
show b, lore he sat dunn, the Senate could not
adopt it.
| IL would seem from this proposition, as If
great stress had been laid by the committee
on the causes of the removals to which 1t
referred. The resolution seemed TO carry
with IT the idea that this had been II principal
| ohlrct OF the investigation. destinations OF
TINS character hal been dropped elsewhere. by
those who best knew aud felt most deeply
how much a scrutiny into ths causes of these
removals was 10 be dreaded. But this was not
tue most important OBJECT which he bad in view
when he introduced tue original resolution 10
appoint the committeeman, in explanation oil
| his own object. .In of ring that resolution he
! observed, that its aims and end was to inquire
inio the fiscal concerns of tho Department,
aud to ascertain. il possible, the true Cause of
thpT decline. lie bad seen, that under the
Administration OF the pr d tce ssor OF the pre-
sent Postmaster General, the finances OF thu de.
partment were IN "a most dourishing coud ition
that by the report oi tho Committee on Re-
Tcnchment, IN the other House, iu 1928 il had
been found that under his able supe,,nteu-
dence, its funds had been brought up from an
annual deficit of 900 to vi Id a clear reve-
nue. of $l0O,3l2, alter defrayng all the eIpen-
ses OF mail transportation, and all ihe incidental
expenses of the Department. Mr. {. here refer
red 10, and read from that report the account
gwen in II OF the prosperous state oil the fiscal
concerns ofthe Department at TINT time. H.
then exhibited n statement Of the operations
OF the Department during Tie Administration o
Mr.. NJ Lean, from which IL appeared that the
Of revenue more thaD til cent 10 deirHy all the
bnrthens arising from clerk hire, the salaries oil
officers, and ITS contingent expenses, although,
according to established usage, appropriations
Tor those purposes were annually made from
the Treasury. The Department then Sir bore
lis own weight, paid its own way, and never
made a demand on the Treasury 10 enable il
10 establish new post routes, when the exigen-
cies OF the country demanded them. THIS is
hat thn 10 has a r,yht Ia-
maud from il, and uo,iI the present Admins
ration, they nover were disappointed in those
expectations under any Postmaster General
Nay, more-Pickerng, IL abersham. Granger
MeIes. aud Mclean, actually paid into the
Treasury of this nation the sum Of ) 1913 300
and IN reply TO an interrogatory pat to him
by the Committee on Post offices aud Post
roads in the other House, during the last ses
sion, Mr.. Barry himself admits" There have
not, AT any time, been drawn by the Depart
ment any moneys from the Treasury, which it
has deposited there. al The expenses 0ftrdas-
p0rtdti0H, and others incident ~ the Depart
menl, have been betrayed by It's own resources
without any appropriation, at any time, to
meet them rom the Treasury" At the com
mencement ot the present session IT might be
seea that concerns were in very different
situation. by the report OF tie Heal OF tue
Department, IL appeared that from the LIST Jdly.
ISIS to the Is, JlIy, 1929, there Was an
cess Of expenditure beyond the resrnlc, OF
S71,7l4 To- and an additional excess vi e1peH-
ddare be, ond the revenue, Tor the ensuing
year o 49,, l21 Sc. The expenditures Tor the
wear endiug lst July, 1880, exceeded those
OF even the preceding year by the enormous
sum of n loO, ga 81. He then referred TO- and
read from, a communication made By the De-
part men to the Other House, during the last
session, ia answer, TO a resolution OF that
House, from which it appeared that the excess
of The expenditure for the last quarter OF The
wear endng on the Isl Jolly, 1929, beng the
FIRST uuarter alter the appointment OF The pre-
seat Post Master Genera was the sum OF S3l,
9l5O a sum- said Mr.. C., not quite equal, II 10
true to the whole excess which accrued DUNG
| the three preceding quarters OF that year, ont
which, when added 10 tue excess for tho next
wear. shows that IN The first fifteen months oil this
administration the available funds Oh the De-
| nartment suffered an abstraction OF about
| Sll4OOO IL mi sht be seen, too, that the sums
! drawn from The Treasury 10 pay tue Salaries
| of officers and the contingent expenses, "x-
ceeded any ever drawn before. In 1874, the
whole amount ofappropIiatIons iof ines" p"r-
noses was S3S so. In 1880 II was Soi ,Zoo'
! and the appropriation demandeu Tor lne pres
ent wear ia the same. II was evident, therefore,
tia, If tba Denar tment had not lesned ON the
rreasnrv far support, it would already have
nearly . = hsusted its available funds, accumu
lated during preceding administrations and
amounting Gas the Postmaster General ms s,a-
ted themj on the lst July, 1879 10 @Zoo'ooo'
And without considering tue appfop''a-
tions from tue Treasury, II was piain 10 every
man. who reelected on thus subject, that unless
some en- ange was made in tue administration OF
its affairs, this Department would soon reach
the period OF its lnsol' ency. -,..,.
Snch were the con sderations which induced
him to oppose the i"quny. There we o'nerS
as iiule connected with the matter OF removals
as these which impelled aim to the p'opoN-
ton He had seen that during inc ,s.' 81"
OF Congress a Senator, from oh'o' Yin 'iI,,n 1,,
net \ had introduced a resolution calling io'
Information as to the mail contracts. ihe'e
were the allegations ofgross abuses i" rseaaa