Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-03-03


tnued in office iii the ensuing MTch-msie the ex
pensve contracts under the act OF May, 1928
the routes into operation January, ls29-eontnued TO
Of the ones being about S25 O00 aud le the year
to be closed In Jsiy, 1922 without any material chan
ges as to expenditures being made by his successor,
from April 10 July. This whole OF thi- year then
virtually Mr. McLsans, and how did it, balances stand
The department tell in arrears almost three times As
much as in the preceding year. having balance a.
gsiust Il Of S747l4. Was this, however, waste aud
corruption in Mr.. Mclean? Yet, Eorsoolh, IL tho q,
aud only ysar OF Mr. Barry has balance against the
department. Il is urged evidence Of incapacity, ex
t'sv.sanee, and bankruptcy Blu, let u. proee to the
quick the mkt year, which wholly belonged to Mr..
Barry. The bsauce assinst the Department Isles than
ght thousand dollars above Mr.. ans last year.
being merely $S2.l24. There was only This small ex'
cess, although there had been flung upon the great
extra expenditure Of three quarters instead Of
ter Of The u-s under the act Of May, 1928. e.
quail to about $4,000. and flung upon |, besides. in
the desire Of the Postmaster General to advance the
pub ic accommodations, the exped,ing and improving
Of old mail routes 10 expense exceeding 500 900,
and to extent exceeding 500 600 miles beyond any
former year. There |, mistake, as the chairman
supposed in computing the cost Of thess improv
of the stage routes had before hesn hor,
routes, and therefore should not be estimated at full Is
per mile. No, sr tho horse routes still lei,
extensive before, and 81 10i miles added; and tho
new and entire addition Of stage couveyances Is TAG,
TOT miles
But how would the two years have compared withou,
tho burhen Of the act Of A. ID. 1928. Mr.. McLean's
deficit would have been about FIFTY thousand dollars,
and NV. BArry's only about seven thousand doars.
How would they have compared, II you proceed aud
deduct also the amount voluntarily expended in each
year for expeding aud improving old routes. BY the
annual rep 'rt OF November, 1899 Il you must
thai account take $67 1888 from Mr.. McLsans expen
which would leave balance in his favor fos that
year Of abou $1,000 while pursuing tbs
and deductng the 800 900 thus the Last
and l. would leave balance la favour Of Mr. Bacry Of
$4,000. Yet Gentlemen talk OF balances con6rma.
on strong OF waste, corruption and incompetency in
| the present administration Of that department.
Turn to another test OF ts administration The chair
man has TO admit that the revenue has increased; but
he says he feels surprise at this, aud that the credit
OF is due 10 the increase OF spondeuce But has
he forgotten the other part of his argument that the
ohcers OF this department are corrupt. negg ent and
wastefu? IL so, how dee happen they collie c, the
revenue so amply, and account for il to much larger
amount than before?,n amount, cir, duIing the pas,
year 10 about hundred and fifty thousand dollars
ger than the highest revenue under any former admin
ist-ation In this city likewise improvem ent ia re.
venue was still continuing, withdrawing the nau-
gura,ion and other circumstances named by tho chair
man are gone by, and the former had In fact gone by
before the change II sii exceeded in the last tn &c
quarters, by the return In hi, hand more than dou.
BILE the revenue before A. ID. 1929 To show what
hdeIi exists in the expenditure OF the re-
venue here aud in the department at large, let il
be remembered that do not present to the Senate
only the old items Of expense and the rquandered
or unaccoun'cd for; bu' present from docu,pents
besides all the old payments. the sum Of S75, 900 adj
vanced on routes, and 500 900 more on
improvements in old routes
close OF the present year, what the inereuces
~ to be drawn from what nlres dy know from the
printed documents before me! large class Of con-
tracts his been rene d, and at an annual saving
the face OF them OF 1926 900. In addition TO tn at i'm
Provements have been contracted for, and put in
ration, costing $40 900 more, and are included i'm the
same contracts without diminishing the nominal gain OF
| the $4,000. The department will also be relic red
from all the expense connected with the commence
ment OF the new under the act OF 1928; and thus
we have decisive da'a from which to infer tha, i, is
neither verg'ng 10 bankruptcy nor needing tbs aid OF
Congress to rescue from ruin So far from ,ha' /,
never as departn ent accomplished much. 1t ne.
yer had the annual ability Ia accomplish much; and
unless we ourselves break dows by the ilion
new aud gravat tur hens, its and it's ba-
iances Old lair 10 Do every thing lis warmes' friends
may desire These are not only my own deliberate o.
pnion from careful examination OF off cia records
but they are fortified by the views given 10 the
annual report from that Department. an by the maur.
ed opinions OF committee Of the other House, the last
| session, alter full and able inve siiga alton.
word or two TO the state of the departme mt
even IL further annual balance against it should &C
crue the present year. Has il, as is intimated, 10
means oil payment without invoking US Has il vast.
ed all the surplus left under its raiion for forty
years! The Senate will recolIe CT that the surplus
balances exceeded the payments into the Treasury,
during that period, something like SSH 600 The bad
debts and losses during the for wears, reduced that
mount TO what Mr.. Mclean, In July, 1925 ed
available funds that is to 1892 l05 This last cum
has been further reduced by the old causes by
tons II eros, and by the annual balances a.
gainst the department to about $4,000. Bat there
still remains $40 900 under the control of the depart
ment, TO meet any future annIal deficiency and so
lar from being insolven from impIoring US for re
hef, II is manifesiiy in safe condition. and
only our orbearsnce to throw upon il too great add
uonal burthens The whole basic, then, OF the Chair
mahs argumcbt vanshes. There is no found rion for
bis inference, that the insolvency o.ihe a,tment
has been caused by the removal Of faithful Ulcers
The insolvency exists only 10 his imagination.
bu', Tor mere arguments sake, suppose the opera
lions OF the department were embarrassed, and i q
means dehcient-is there particle of proof that tb
has been caused by mis- onduc in it's present off GERS
Did not the change oil policy, which led to its
condition, commence under Mr.. Mclean? AMI were
not its consequences developed during the whole two
a'tyears OF his administration and did not the change
happen by our legiation and 10 the fui6ment OF our
own policy And Is Mr. Barry 10 be censured for IL
any more than his predecessor We, ourselves wise.
w resolved that the current and the surplus
fonds, should all be expended in ne routes andim
Provements We, Ourselves, created within fou lie, n
months, the imp ecedented number o. over four hun
dred new routes. costing $500 900 and In fur
lherance oil The same policy, the public eal-d for
the Improve OF old routes TO the extent of some
millions ct miles. We have besn promptly seconded
IN our policy, by both the past and pre- en-. Postmaster
Generais, 50 that the number Of Post Offices nee
1872 are nearly doubled aud the 81 lance OF teanspor
ts'ion Is Increased over three millions OF miles The
SeDate are hardly able 10 COM nd the of the
improvements in that department. without some anay
SIS and u ustraton. la twenty yesfs, from a revenue
Of about half mllioD IL has swollen 10 air o., two
millions; from only about two thousand Post Or ee,
they have multiplied TO eight THOUSAND and from
an annual transportation OF the Mail OF abou, Eve mil.
lions OF miles, has reached fourteen and half mil.
Hons This now averages daily snsyottation, in.
cfeoioe AIT may seem, equal TO nearly twice the cir.
cumierence OF the earth. Yet department so pro-
Perously administered, and largely contributing
nose oent heia results, within The last year. as wei
az n 'he Two preceding years, II Is how the policy OF