Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-04-08

law, particularly tue case Of Harrall, where the
allowance per annum was 1892 so cts in n contract
of 6O00 and the consideration for this in
creased expedition only off hour in twenty four.
Here 1t is important TO remember dates. Bradleys
letter To the President the nth of October,
1929, in which this extravagant allowance in Har-
rails case charged upon Barry. That the
President communicated this letter to Mr. Barry,
ii would be uncharitable to doubt Six months
after this viz April, 1880, Mr. Burne. made his call
upon the Postmaster General for information in re-
gard to these extra allowances, and after taking
ten month more for deiberation, Barry reports to
the Senate under his official signature, that this
Harail contract, with forty six others, bad been
made by Brsdley himself during the short time
that he the acting Postmaster General between
McLean's leaving and Barry's assuming the Office
to wit, from the 10th March to 7th April.
Hereit is proper TO make remark in regard TO
these sabstracts OF allowances reported to the Sen
ate order tp Correct both of the friends
and opposers of the administration.-The are not
pretended to be copies Of any record in the depart
ment. They appear in the report in form like this:
"No 1871. EIarralls contract for carving the mail
from Georgetown to Chareston S. c. for S6O0O-ad
dtonal allowance 1882 SO per annum for two hours
increased observation-disclosures by a Bradley act
ing G., I992 50'' In most of these abstracts the
consideration for the allowance is omit cd-S in this
1t Is Disstated-the increased expedition being an
nour and a half only Now there is no document in
the department which speaks this angua ge but it is
an official certificate or report of facts compiled
from the contract, the correspondence and the
books. When we told therefore that sno re-
cord IN the apartment has been altered, the
ton smouDts 70 nothing. Barry certifies upon his
official responsibility that these abstracts contain the
truth Nor is IL material, as some have pretended
that is whether this report falsified before or
gfter the official signature. If it was first made
out correctly, and afterwards, and before the off,
cia signature, it fasfed by the erasure of Bar
rvs and the insertion of Bradeys name the fraud is
papable to say the least, as IF it had been FIRST
signed and then ulutilated.
The committee must have been surprised to see
that in the short period of twen,y-six days Bradley
who was the acting Postmaster General only to fill
the chasm until Barry should assume the duties to
which he had been appointed and who held the office
OF assistant by a very precarious tenure (the pro
mise of Barry should have made extra allowances Of
$4,000, and by this prodigaiiy have furnished an
apology which Barry would have so gladly seized
on, for his removal. They must have been surprised
moreover, to find that Bradley had charged upon
Barry an cXtravagant allowance in Harrei's case
when by Barry's official report it appeared that Brad
ley had made it himself BIT it must have excited
their special wonder, when it appeared by this Off
eai document that ofthe orty-seven of allow
ance charged upon Bradley, in hirty-sir instances
barrys name was erased and Bradley'S inserted and
Bradley has 6isclamed these on oath. Whatever
apology there may be for these mistakes as they
are chartably Called the fact is that these cases the
rleht names originally inserted and ,oere erased
md The aorong one substituted.
II Is now SAID as an apology for Mr.. Barry that
he knew nothing of the circumstances" II is in
ieeG ADMITTED the ABSTRACTS, as originally drawn up
Tere true and that the and insertions have
nnde them false and that the falsehood is calcuIa-
ed to exonerate Barry from thirty six extra allow
nces, though he made them, and 10 charge them I'D
N Bradley, who did not make chem
The manner in which the truth was converted in
o fasehoodis equally extraordinary. Those clerks
who compiled the document had made it I'D accord
ing to the facts, and afterwards Mr. o. Brown, |
BY an authority from the Post General direc-
led these clerks to look to the leger only where the
accounts were adjusted with the contractors, to
The end of each quarter. The allowance to Har-
rail- for example, was included in the adjustment up
to the first of April. when Bradley was the acting
Postmaster General, hut this adjustment was not
made in fact until June. Bradley ceased to act as
Post Master General ON the 7lh April and it was
found by the subcommittee that Barry made this al
Iowance himself the 18Th six days after Bradley's
time had expired. Now to resort to a rule SO Ut
tery fallacious, after every thing had been done
right, and thus reverse every thing and make all
wrong, and by doing to throw off responsibility
rom the Postmaster General where 1t belonged and
TX it on Bradley where it did not belong is an FAC
ient or mistake" which looks SO much like desic7
hat il, is severe tax upon charity to presume
innocence
The following is list of the allowances charged
BY the Postmaster General to Mr. Bradley in his
ePort to the Senate ID obedience to Mr. Burnet's re-
1ut;o