Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-07-05

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'c"om an allowance was made, nor the date ,chen /,
was made Mt Taylor. therefore. TO surmoupt hi,
ducu'ty, called on Mr. Brown for father nsteucticn
how TO ascertain these respective date, Mr. B,]wn
directed bin TO take tho only eri,eton ibat the hacks
aHordeu' which was tie dates of the several entries
m he books OF accounts 10 the credit If the eopiros
Tor the extra allowance. The books had been kent I'm
der the direction OF Mr.. Abraham Bradley and ives
presumed mat they he'd been correctly kept 10 dale
and 1t so, the date OF the entry Of each allowance IL
was believed, would furnish an iniabie criterion Of
the time when il was made and conse que nIv Of the
Postmaster General by whom il was made. In ths
manner The clerks proceeded TO The Accomplishment, Of
their task.
"In making their abstract of each case Of allowance
Mr. Taylor IVES OF the opinion, that from the Oh Of
March, 1929, the day when Mr. nIcLane ceased IN he
PooImasier General MIR. Barry TO he considered az
Postmaster General, though be did enter upon the
duties oil his Office ill the 9Th Of April 70 inv; end
therefore, he noted in the abstract which he w,s max
ing, the maine OF Mr.. Barry, as Postmaster General
during mat period MIR. Durdas doubted the correct
ness OF ibis course, and as difference of opuion exist
ed between them, the subjec, was referred hv Mr.
Taylor to Mr. Brown, for further instructions as to tho
person who wa, to be considered Postmaster Genera
Outing each period. Mr. Brown answered by stating
that from the let July, 1925 to The 9Th of March $500
Mr. MeLssn was Postmaster General, ard The, an
allowance, therefore, during tina, period were made
by nun. 1 nal from The 7h Of March, to the OH OF
April, 1929, the law constituted Hr. Abrahom Brai
iey VINO was The senior assistant the acting Postmas.
ter General and that all allowance, made within that
period, were therefore made by him. That NJ Bar
ny took charge OF he Department On the 9Th dav If
APtiI' 1872 and that all allowances from that day.
insuueiion Mr. Taylor perceived tina, he bad no, been
correct 10 writing upon the abstract which h4 was
making. the name OF Mr.. Barry as Postmaster Gene.
raj while Mr. Bradley wa, filling that Office and
therefore, corrected his by erasng the name q,
Barry, and writing that Of Bradley upon il, or by d.
recing Mr.. Dundas 10 do So
'Thi, IL all the erssure or nutils tion that has .,
ken place in the whole Of this business cl.rk cor
iec'ed his own error, in documen, which be ras
himself preparing, before he had finished tina document
and before 1t had been by any one of mia srner
Gus III ocr OF received any official sanction whatever
Inc Postmaster General was during this time, conGn.
ed with severe attack OF lie pleurisy.
The report was finished, comprising nearly siy thou
ssnd large iollo pages, at time when Mr.. Brown waa
eonnned to his chamber with sickness, and sen, The
Senate without his examination. Mr.. Beovp tbsr..
ioreI cannot be held responsible for any mistake
which may have occurred, when he was unable TO ex
amlne II, and had had no hand 10 wiling il,
The report was referred 10 the committee IN tho
investigation OF the Post Office Department. In the
course oil investigation before ha, committee Abraham
Bradley, who had been di.uissed by Mr. BarTv from
the office of Assistant Postmaster General and who i
revenge was laborng to njure Mr. Barry with that
committee, c:covered mistake in the;dale OF an allow
anes whsh bad been made to Mr.. Hatrell for trans.
porting the mail between Georgetown end Charleston
c. That allowance had probably been made on The
Isth OF April 1929, and It was entered in the abstract
which Mr.. Taylor and Mr.. Dundss had srepaTed ss
IN de on the LIST of April, 1929
Of This Mr.. Bradley complained; because he was
himself as'ing Postmaster General ihe LII Of April
1917, and the allowance therefore appeared TO bsys
been made by him; but Mr. Barry was Pofimosier
General on the IL OF April, 1929 aud by him tho al.
iOWAhce was therefore made. On fbe ,ipt Of
Mr.. Bradley, the Hon. Messrs Grundv and HoIn,eo
the Committee Of the Senate, visited The eneral Pos,
once and examined, under oath, such of the clerks
had been conserved in ihe transaction or whose know
ledge might enable them develope the facts Tbsv
also examined every book and document in The D..
Psr'men' thai could shed any lsh, upon The subject
me result oil their examination was-lha letter was
found on record written by Dr. Bradley, dated Ap!iy
I3th, 1929 informing hIr. Harre that the Pcst,baser
General had made him that allowance
The letter OF DR.. Bradley did net state IN what 6av
the Postmaster General had agreed 10 make the ei
owance, but ii is presumed 10 have been on e6av
when mat letter wa. written The pey lie, contain
ed note Ia The hand writing Of the pay ce!k stating
that Mr. HarreI was entitled to the additional allow
ance, but without any date of allowance or any ind
cation q ilmes except the following verbs in paep'l
sis-"see letter to Harrell OF 18Th April" The frs,
credit Tor this allowance 10 Mf. H,irsl, was rlce1
10 the credit oil bis account in the Journal ma Ledger
oil the Department, under date OF the 1T of Anil $500
The Clerks, in making the abslract deuendej mon IN
accuracy OF the accounts, which were then KEN and
had been Tor more than twenty years kept under lbs
direction OF MIR. Abraham Bradley. They did moi
suspect for moment that Mr.. Bradley's fl,ee ion
would have admitted to ihe credit of Contractor AN
allowance under date ante cedept 10 tho decision Of
Ihe postmaster General ia favor OF that allowance
The books OF accounts shew that on The frat da,, III
april, 1929, when Mr.. Bradley was Acting Pnsig,4
Ter General the allowance made 10 Mr. Hlu4p:
and those books OF accounts were the pery time ~
maj entry KEEP under The direction, and subject TO
the supervision OF MIR. Bradley. But it il in the re-
collection OF MIR. Barry, that the allowance was made
by hlmsef after the Oh Of April 1929, aud tr habv
on The 18Th Of April, which the date Of DR. Bad
ley's letter TO Mr.. HarrelI advising bin OF s allow
aD.e.
mr. Bradley complains that in other casee tho s,rS
error exists in the abstract II 10 very possible 5ui
II II does, il arises from the came sause for in eys
ming the books Of The office, ii appears TO have beep an
Old practice under MIR. Ballsy's sdninislya,i o. that
branch 10 antedaie accounts by en'erins 10 rnsn's
credit an allowance under date when that ALLOW
snee had not yet been mado by the Posln, IT, q
eTal.
Nothing can be more certain, than that thsro was
no Intention on the part Of the Department In rooks
Mr. Bradley the author Of this allowance; for RIr Bar
~ mad, at the preceding session Of Congrege t. formal
the Senate, that hs had himself made ths sllowanco
and assigned bis reas'n for doing ia special rerort
which report was printed by order of the ) nate
The whole OF tho foregoing statement il corfirmed
oy several dispositions taken by the committee, and
| which are now 10 the archives OF shs Senate Tho
iacis are known TO every Eiembsr of The committee
! and may be known 10 any person who will t,ke the
trouble TO examine them.
The whole proceedings In this matter 20 70 SHOW
that committee OF the Senate, at the head at which
purpose OF aseerianing whether any error existed u
the Po,t ONCE Department. Bfler luxurious and yipf
liant invesE alton OF moro than two month"; could pot
discover single tangible point OF which 10 comp5in
nor an error oil any description whatever, except lba
Of twelve days IN date and even that reso iar from
the loosenesS OF discarded oesr who was himself he
comp ainant in the case.
or the dispositions which were taken by he com
mlttee, we here insert that OF Mr. Brown which com.
prises tho leading facts in The case add whichs con
hfmed ia all its details by those Of MIR. Suter Mr. rsv
Tor aud MIR Dundas.
o. d BRowN being duly siooJn mado the following
statement 10 writing!
When directed by the po1master General "a e,v,,
made, fret instructed MIR. John Tayl,r 10 commence
the work. and ailerWards, by consent of the Podmsa.
ter General, employed Mr.. Dundas TO assist him Tho
directions which gave, were TO call upon NJ Setter.
Ina lar u - L. B.