Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-02-03


the case it appears TO have been with the s'aau
contractors generally. But il has been far otherwise with
class OF urge contractors, who appear to he on terms
oi intimacy and confidence with of the officers of
the General Post Office, and whose affairs are intimately
blended with the fiscal concerns of that Department
or examples In looking the bids of the Fall of
iooi II VIII be found that several individuals who OBJ
famed contracts on the great mail routes or great
number of the small routes united included i'm their
olds, not only proposition to carry the mail, ac-
cording to the advertisements but with stipulaons
that the bidder would bind himself to carry the mail
: IN dferent manner at different price Of the ia
voed contractors, the bids to carry the mail, pursu-
ant TO the advertisement generally rcry io,r so as
: TO enable tho Department award them the con-
tract while their Improved bid, in pursuance to which
the contract is at last executed, is rcry kgh TO
ensure To the contractor an enormous profit The
ccPtancc marked the Proposal Book opposite the
sum which was bid for carrying the mail pursuant TO
the advertisement and the rival bidders will at once
on an inspection of this book, that they are ndeyJd-
But the contracts are executed according the npror-
cd Old, which is often twice or three times the sum nj
whch IT Is entered on the PROPOSAL Book laid open
the inspection of the public"
VI tho general effect Of this mode of distributing at
pleasure the public money TO favored contractors the
Report speaks thus:
IL were tedious to enumcrate the cases in which this
aerencc exists between the bid made pursuant to ud
ver'isemen and accepted, and the execnted
our committee have caused 10 be prepared by their
Secretary and they exhibit herewith table compiled
from DOCKS and papers in the Department. from the
Blue Book from the letter Of the Postmaster of
the 80 OF March, 1854 in reply to call of the Senate
shows in each vidual case in the contracts Of I3I
the difference between the bid as entered on the Did
book, and the contract executed 1t shows also, the
cases IN which no difference exists The same paper
shows in another column, opposite the name of each
CONTRACTORS what extra allowances have been made him
over and above his contract executed from which it
LIST That the whole amount of the bids accept
ed pursuant to the advertisements in October 1884,
was OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. .... $40 626 81
Amount of contracts as executed for same
division (by the Blue Book) ....... 4ee, 25o 40
Making n difference of e,,, coo 10
And it will be that this whole difference
amounting to the enormous above shown, is made
IN favor of not more than - contractors or compa-
mes OF contractors, most of whom your committee will
find 1T their duty TO notice hereafter in this report as
the recipients of other pecunary favors from the De-
'partment."
single out of many is quoted TO shcw the ano
maous character of the contracts unjsti6able
waste OF the public money in the practice of accepting
these improrcd bids:
" Take, for example, the route from Philadelphia to
ftsburg, which first accepted daily 81 000 and
cd bid is carried as alleged twice daily Pshurg at
$4,000, and extended to Wheeling at s27 0O0-one of
!he INES from Philadelphia TO Pittsburg running at
increased speed. Now, IT can hardly be established
a mathematical proposition, that if daily mail costs
$1,000 that mail twice daily should by erdct proper
ton cost SO ,O00-nor do think that any one who
understands the nature and value of the service will
be prepared to say that the bears any fair Just
proportion to the other 1t vain rge apo
ogy for such excessive increased allowance that there
is No means of arriving at the proportion which
the original bid and the increased allowance bear to
such proportion be arrived 81 the law forbds the
increased allowance. Bal an truth no law applies to
TINS species OF contract Ii seems TO be Of hybrid race
-neher an original contract, which the law will re-
cognze nor legal extra allowance for increased ser
vices II is abont equidstant between them and s,ls
: timed by neither
In few words the Report shows how this whole prac-
tee, and the allowances growing of it, have been Of
hcaiy screened from the view of Congress and the Peo
pie until the Senate forced a revelation of the whole
system:
" Your Committee have shcwn that the Postmaster
General did not report the increased allowances made
IN consequence OF these Improved bids any part of
The original contracts in which they embodied
neither did he report them allowances when
called upon by resolution of the Senate report tho
amount of those allowances made for extra services
since the 9th of April, 1929 They pass wholly with
his notice in any of his reports to Compress and
seem, IN his Judgment TO be referribe class of
cases whatever Indeed, one could but feel that
they wholly without legal warrant and that they
could, therefore, fall under known legal head
Nevertheless immense sums of money have through
their means, been transferred from the Department 70
the pockets of individuals; and the American Con-
gross and American people have, until this invesga-
ton commenced been wholly ignorant of the existence
Of any such mode of apProprating disposng of the
public funds"
the manner of making these and extra allow
with especial reference to the Report of the POST
General of the 18th April 1882, which the Com
mee argue from the facts disclosed by this i.yesga-
ton, to have been wholly deusve and calculated to de-
ceive They 60 far to say, that it is evident from
the facts that that Report have been drawn I'm and
and not by accident Upon which they make the fol-
lowing severe animadversions
ain Whatever this matter may have been con-
sldcred by the Postmaster General and whatever NAV
have been his for the presentation of repori
in its tendency certain 10 mSlead whatever opinions
or views unknown to your Committee actuated him;
this feature in his report according their deliberate
Judgment cannot be justified 1t is, indeed unneces-
sary to enter into disquiston upon the subject il is
question rcerribie IN the forum of plain common
sense and common honesty. IT is simply whether the
obligations of truth extend or do not extend 10 the Off
Total nf ntfhr l.IfrE
this paper may be justified if they do il is breach Of
official duty.
80 There is another circumstance touching the above
named report which ought not to be entirely overlook
ed. IL made out and presented TO Congress lust
before the commencement Of the Presidential canvass
in 1882; and paper the tendency Of which was
to bear upon that election II held out to the Aneri-
can People deusve view of the prosperity of an inn
portant Department of the Government and naturally
induced a belief that IL wisely and economically
administered; while, in truth the public monies were
squandered without stint and the Department was ra-
pidy sinking 20 insolvency"
Acr contrasting the practice Of the present with for
administrations of the Post Office the committee
to the Postmaster Generals Address to the peo-
pie Of the United States at the close of the last session Of
Congress, and rebuke some of its statements &c.
The committee then proceed torc-examnen detail and
at very great length of the Of
contracts which briefly noticed in their report
Y. Robinson J. q b. Bennett w. Tlow Reside con-
tracts from Hngerstown TO NJ Connesburg from Bedford
TO Washington, from Cumberland 10 Bair's Gap from
Baltimore to Chamhcrsburg, from Philadelphia TO Pitts
burg, Rccsdc and Slaymakcrs extra $4,000 per year
Resides contract from New York to Philadelphia &c
The allowances TO Mr. Recside are most dwe on by the
Committee, apparently because they are the largest
/ and bp tu Tho rtnas aufaft a..