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

that Mr. Holmes asked the witness how iool
| he had been Assistant Postmaster q neral
and what were the duties assigned him in tn
Department That Nc Holmes objected Il
giving any further explanation Of the object o
his question than he question itseh conveyed
aud Insisted on his right 10 have the witness
examined that il was then decided thai thu
witness should be sworn aud answer his 9tes
hon. by the following vote.
Yeas-Messrs Holmes. Hendricks, aud
CLAYTON.
Nays-Nessrs. Grundy and Woodbury.
That Mr.. Bradley WINS then sworn ly the
Chairman, and answered the question, when
Mr.. Holne. proposed the following question
" Were Vou rsnlored from your office, and ishen
aud u you knoie. for What cause or cdastsi
That Mr.. Gruudy objected 10 this question,
and that Mr., Hendricks. TO give himself time,
as he said, 10 examine the resolution, had
moved 10 adjourn. On the question Of ad-
tournament
Yeas essrs. Grundy. Hendricks, aud
Woodbury.
Nays-Messrs Holmes and Clayton.
Thus sir, you will see that the question has
been proposed by my iriend lrom Maine TO n
single witness, aud that before the Committee
had even decided upon IL, the gentleman from
Tennessee offered this resolution tn the senate
II appears To me, said Mr.. &. tina, the gentle
man from Tennessee thinks that WI should
never dare to gam Information FROM any Other
source than the Posim stcr q neral h'ms"it
10 prove this, II proof we're VT necessary, re-
frr 10 the loarnhl OF his day preceding, when
a resolution was offered 20 request Joseph w
Hand, Solicitor OF the Department, 60 attend
with the book showing What balances oil nc
counts have been collected, aud 10 give intor-
nation as To the actual state Of The available
funds WHEN he objected to the resolution, aud
mnVu1 ia Its with Nh Hand tp4ltln y
aud cal on the Postmaster General ON thu sub
Jtci aud being snppoite IN TVS bs III" grn
ueman from New -iIainpshife, the testimony
was refused. Mr.. I. thea went iuto "A state
meat 10 shuw the Senate the importance vi as
ceftainug the true state OF those funds that
the hill now pending IN tue olher House 10 ">s
tablsh additional post routes had been Arrested
on account ui the Supposed wa"t OF funds I .
deiray the expense oil them that the public
demand for these rout $. as manifested by peu-
tions daily presented here. demonstrated the
interest which Tins que ton had excltet and
insisted that the honorable member frns len
nsssee laboured under some mhniiesi aclnsInn
IN suppo.ing that such an iuquuy should Ou
confined to the Postmaster General
In conclusion, he Would notice one other
remark OF the gentleman. who seemed To sup
pose that dismissed officer was incompetent
to testify merely because hr Ind ben DIS
be fore us (Mr. Bradley has served his coun-
try with great honor to himself Tor about 'h,tty
years. lie grew up in tins Department, Is
thoroughly conversant with all its concerns,
and has through life sustained charac'er n
bove suspicion. The breath ot prescription
could not tant ii.--And II the testimony ot
such men be Incompetent, 10 whom shall we
go Tor Information 10 the Clerks and DILL
GERS OF the Department alOne' Aie they more
worthy of credit than the man who nus been
driven out of office for manly exercise OF the
righ, of opinio Are those alone worthy OF
your confidence who have learned 10
-"ctook the pregnant hinges OF the knee,
+" Where thrIii may follow ia~nIng =
There are doubtless. Sir, many high minded
aud honorable men holding office under the
Department. But would you compel them Ia
appear 10 give evidence against Il, when you
know. from the prosecuting and proscrlpuVe
temper evidenced by II, that for any material
disclosure OF abuses, they would probably fall
tbs victims oil tneir o"n inlegry IN less than
Nv en- y-iour hours Somr--nay, not -
few Of these men with Their families are lie
pendent their otf es for bread. ferhap
they have learnt no other means OF living. s'r,
for one DO DOT hesitate To say, thht would
rather forrgo the whole investigation, ilnppr
tant as yerIly deem 1t, than compel one OF
motive, or honorable IN it. p nance. might
cause hlin 10 be depr we'd his means IT .lvlng
1t VII be seen, then, that whne the committee
are thus trammcll d 5y refusal o suEet them
10 inquire into abuses from any person WI"
may have been dismissed from oihce, those
abuses must pass without exposure S,Ile ihis
Department, which by tho report Of the late
Postmaster General, for the year 1927, nap.
pears contains not less than t"enty.stI thou
sand officers aud agent Of every description,
among whom there ore more than eig1t thoussni
Jour hundred Poslmasters, aud mO'r TOM Two
thousand mail contractors can Of us II turn M
executive army ready 20 march ii an tinlt al
the word of its political chIe1 aud storm any po-
sitIon which he may oidtr 70 be carried, how -
ever sacred in our clvll instlutoGs, aud though
IN our souls just estimation p'ihrd above all
price. But u viii remain TO bs ssea whether
this determination 20 hIde the light VIII satisfy
the people. They are awake 10 the importance
OF TINS inquiry they feel that the Agencies
OF The country, now demanding the establish
ment of so many new post routes, aud now for
the first time ~ the whole history Oi this De
parrment, demanding Them in VAN, call loudly
Tor some radical change IN the management Of
It's affairs. They have read, as nave, with
aStonIshIuent the report OF It's Chlei 10 HE com
mIttee on post ulhCes and posi- roads OF the
other House during the lost session, III winch
he declares that II mus. be obvious, that vii .
out any considerable Improvement III maIl
facilities Tor al least three years 10 come, II
will be difficult to make the department sns-
tain Itself IN It's present operations, without any
increase OF the number OF mail routes And
seeing these things, say TO the gentleman
from Tennessee, let no friend of the Depart
ment or us cbleflay the ilauer,ng JUNCTION to
bis soul. thai by supPresslng th's 'h'es'ig atom
either directly VI indirectly, they Can escape
the consequences which invariably Ito" IRON
attempts to conceal the true state OF Their al
fairs IRON an Intelligent public
Mr.. WOODBURY. thea rose and said, tina
when tue resolution now under consideration
was first introduced, IT had not been his IA
tention to offer cay remarks on the SUBJECT bu
tue course which had been adopted, he tel
| had rendered 1t necessary. The man question
which it embraced stood forth sIngly-'lain Il
every understanding and lie was OF opinio'
1 III. a al. anN