Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1831-03-10
GENERAL POST OFFICE.

0rENAFu
Inv Mr.. ABRAHAM Bradley, and presented
to lbat body Yesterday The fact which his
letter disclosures will scarcely excite greater
establishment among our readers, than the
egc,se which has been set up by the Depart
ment TO ertenuate it. .MisioGse, 50 peculiar
in If. character, and of such tremendous
import to the reputation Of a worthy and
most respectable citizen, running with such
strange coincidence through a particular
cham of entries, and on records where no
other errors Of entry have been detected,
gssumes consequence which viii naturally
make .aen pause to believe that il is solely
attributable to accident The subject is one
which viii not he permitted 10 sleep The
facts which have been disclosed in this III
vestigation are sufficient 10 alarm the public,
and 10 awaken a suspicion that there is more
th4a misfase at the bottom Of this transaction
TaF the present, however, we shall withhold
iarther comment, and request that our rea-
ders viii atten,iveiy psru-e. and calmly re-
fleet on, The disclosures which are contained
in the following memorial Jour.
| TO hc Honorable lie Senate Of tLe U. States.
The memorial of Abraham Bradley. late
assistant Post Master General, most res
| pecG lily represents
That after his removal from office, be, as
| is well known 10 the Senate, presented 80
| the President OF the United States letter,
in which among ether things Inc stated thAt
Mr. Barry, the present Post Master General,
had made an extra allowance TO a MIR. Iiar-
rail-, mail contractor, and to othsrs, this
memoralst conceived toithout ,cGrrW6 Of ta1c
4 copy of this letter having been called
| for, was presaF ted nv this memoriafist 10 the
present Select Committee of the Senate, on
| the Past Office Department.
During the last Session of Congress call
| was made on that Department st the instance
| of one Of the Senators from Ohio, for intor
| nation relative to the extra allowances which
had been made to mail contractors.
| The response Of the Department to that
call was submitted to the view of this me
! ,norialist as containing. matters in which he
was deeply concerned. Upon examining it
to ascertain If bis recollection Of HarralFs
case WAS correct. he was unmeasnrahiy as
tonisled to tin,l that the extra allowance was
there charged 10 hGre been made bY him, act
ing as Post Master General. 1t was evident
that the documents had been originally diff
ferept, that an erasure had been made, and
the name OF this nemorllalst inserted. In
| daced by this 10 examine further, he found
that forfg nine eases OF extra allowance were
Ia that document charged TO have been made
by bin Thirty str OF these we're similar 10
tue case of ilarral, the original document
had been INITIATED, and the name OF A.
Bradley, jr. acting as Post Master General,
carefully inFertea.
1his memoralst called the attention Of
the Conm!ttee to these circumstances as e.
violence Of an attempt to impeach his test
m9nv. and to load his official conduct with
opprobrium, being public documentary proof
irsn the books eli tha Department. that he
had sqlandeltd the pu5:ic funds during the
ie'g days ehadac ted asp IA Generalbe.ween
the 10Th Of March, hen Mr. MciIane left
the Office, and the 5th Of April, when Mr..
Barry came lnto it, and that, IN order to
screen himself, he mad charged theae things
upon the latt,r gentleman. The committee
kindly authorized = s',h committee 10 accom-
pany this menoraist to the Department yes
day, the. 2Sth inst. 10 ascertain whether his
statements were correct. Your mcmorslist
confidently appeals to those gentlemen. IN
support Of the fact, that il satisfactorily an
peared to them, that In this case of Harrall's
as well as in every other case but one in
which an erasare had been made, Mr. Barry
was originally and properly charged, and
Hdi ~ " a. t'tSEE dSS"Fttl tlut these CFdShTtS
had been made By nistaie. and his name in-
serted By n!istoao The gentlemen had not
tinae to pursue their enquiry and no exami
nation was made into those cases originally
charged to your memoralist,
In whatever manner these mutations of
thc original document may have occurred,
and thase false amendments to it made IN
mistake or not, the effect must be, if 1t GOES
TO the world, TO injWe, if not to destroy rs
putatieo upon which your memoralist. after
nearly 40 years public service must Hlanly
rely Tor support The Senate has, as he ha,
been Informed, directed this report to be
printed
If this should be done, and it should with
all its lalsekoods and injurious tendency be
spread before the people under the sanction
OF tke Senate OF the United States. to,ir me.
moriahst submits that great isusice must
necessarily follow to him. He therefore prays
that such order may he taken by the Senate
as viii secure his right. and especially pre-
serve the reputation which documents pub
h'hed by the authority of the senate should
always possess. And your memofialist as in
duty bound, &c.
ABRAHAM BRADLEY.
March I. 1881
. II. L