Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-03-31
From Tie Portland .4dueriiscr.
70 TIE PUBLIC.

From, The Portland .7dueriiscr
70 TIE PUBLIC.
We have seen so many uerSions Of the discov-
cries made By the committee OF inquiry INTO 1.-THE
entire manasc cement" Of the Post Oitice Depart
ment. that ii has bccoGe necessary give 3 tar
view of the case.
In April 1880, Mr.. Burnet of Ohio. offered
resolution which was adopted by the Senate,
calling. among other inquiries, tor information oil
the eXtra-alowances made by the Post Master
General to contractors for carrying the mails over
and above the sums stipulated in the contracts
and ,be reasons or considerations for such allow
ances This resolution was SO modified by the
friends ,f the Post Master General in the Senate
that At might embrace allowances made also by Mr..
Mclean and that the answer to the call might be
made at the commencement of the then neat, noW
Inst session of Congress The answer to the re-
solution however was not made to the Senlte un-
i'll the 10th of February when three fourths OF the
session had expired. The papers, which were
very yoIuminous, were referred to the standing
committee on Post Offices and Post Roads-and
retained bv them until the 2ad February and then
the chairman Mr. Grundy) moved that the COM
| mittee be discharged from the further considera-
ton of the subject and that the part of the report
which regards these extra allowance be referred
| to- the select committee of inquiry (Of which he
was member) and be printed and the Senate so
ordered. These documents. very volumlnous,
equal perhaps TO three hundred printed pages OF
roysl octave, were put into the hands of the COM
mittee on the Esd, when bit eight days 9fthe ses-
sion remained.
The select committee to inquire into the man
| aeement of the Post Office Department were APP
pointed under a resolution offered by Mr.. Clay
| ton of Delaware on the 18th day OF December
last. This committee consisted OF MIR. Clayton,
| Mr.. Gruaay. Mr.. Holmes, Mr. Woodbuy and
| Mr.. Hendricks. The three gentlemen In ttaftcs
| were the friends Of the Post Master General
| The meetings of the committeeIhad been frequent,
| Int from difference of opinion among the men,
bers. as to the mode of proceeding and the extent
and object of the inquiry, but little had been
done. Messrs. Clayton and Holmes had insist
cd. that by the resolution of inquiry, they were
unlimited in the extent of the investigation into
the entire management of the department and TO
this end it was proper to take the testimony OF
| witnesses acquainted with the subject submitted.
| The other members of the committee insisting
that we must first ask fer information OF the Post
Master General himself as to his own official con-
duet.
Ipterrogatories were consequently sent to the
Post Master General at different periods, as to
the performance of specific duties, the arrange
ment of those duties, an account OF the funds
and the expenditures and the removal OF suhordi-
nate officers from office. These interrogatories
were sent to him at an early period OF the session
No answer was given until The Cd Of March and
the report then related to only part OF the Inqui-
~. AT the request Of Mr.. Holmes, Abraham
Bradley. late Assistant Post Master General,
was summoned before the committee and sworn.
,I>t clad nv ii
:. How long were you Assistant Post Master
General and what we're the duties assigned you
in the department. An answer to the question
was objected to BY Nessrs. Grundy and Wood
barry. but it was asked and answered. The next
question was YOU removed from office. when,
and if YOU know, for what cause or causes!' met
with strenuous objections from the two last named
conference.-the committee adjourned and before
the, met again Mr.. Grundy offered his resolution
asking TIE Senate to forbid the committee TO go
into that inquiry. The Senate did 50 forbid.
A writer in the New Hampshire Gazette has
in repIy to statement in the Journal, denied that
any norton of the Senate has attempted Ito keep
tb,n1s close After this motion of a friend of
the Post Master General to suppress the inquiry
and the affirmative vote of the Senate, strictly
nn,fy rofe. the public will judge whether an at
temDt TO smother IS not manifest. But the same
writer adds that the Senate had previously decid-
ed that II pas unconstitutional to uaUesftgae me
causes ofrenouals! The question here was, shall
a committee of the Senate be clothed with power
to investigate the causes OF removals, maze oy
the Post Master General? Whe', did the Senate
6. deliberately decide" that such an inquiry was
upconstitutionall Never. They did to be sure
determine (strange as it may seem to an impair
tiaI m;nd that thev had no right to inquire Of the
President. why he removed man from office
Thouoh This decision was deemed by many dis :
graceful surrender of the constitutional powers .
Of the Senate into the hands of the executive
chief, yet that case bears no sort Of analogy to
this. The President is the constitutional execu-
tive head: the Post Master General is mere ,
creature Of the lac, and may be always directed