Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1835-01-28


oiew of Congress and the People, until the pc
nate forced a revelation of the whole system;
, C Your Committee have shown thar Inc rost,
9 master General did not report the lncreaseo
allowances made in consequence Oh theSe -"
{ prored bids, rs any part OF the oflSinal oou-
5: tracts in which they were emoodieo-heiihei
{ did he report them as extra allowances, wheh
{ = ,Iled mon by resolution Of the Senate, TO re-
6 mort the amount of those allowances made for
{ evtra services since the 9th of April, loS9.-
{ They pass wholly without his notice IN any Vi
6 his renorts to Congress, and seem IN MS JUG
ment to be referrible TO no class OF cases "lIa.
ever. Indeed, no one could but feel that tney
were wholly without legal warrant, anu ua'
6 thew could. therefore, fall under no known le
{ gaIhead Nevertheless, immense sums OF mo-
new have, through their means, been transfer
{ red from the Department to the pockets o. III
{ divjduals; and the American Congress anu tie
American people have, until this rnvestigatioh
commenced, been wholly ignorant OF the eX-
sistence of any such mode OF appropfiaung OF
disposing Of the public funds
The Report next proceeds to further eNa-
mination of the manner of making these con-
tracts and extra allowances, with especial re-
ference to the Report of the Postmaster Gene
raj of the 18th April, 1882, which the Comii''t-
tee argue. from tie facts disclosed by this nvcS
tgation. to have been wholly deuslve ana car
culated to deceive. They go so far as 10 say
that it is evident, from the lacts that lnal =,
must have been drawn up and presented 70
CONGRESS. deceptive as it is, purposely SO ana
NOT hy accident. Upon which they uiahe t"e
following severe animadverslons:
Gin whatever manner this matter may have
been considered by the Postmaster General
and whatever may have been his reasons Tor
the presentation Of a report, in its tendency so
certain to misead whatever opinions or views
unknown to your Committee actuated MN;
this feature i'm his report, according to their de-
iberate Judgment, cannot be JustIhed. II IS,
indeed unnecessary to enter into dlSqulslioh
upon the subject; it is question reierrrlble 10
the forum of plain common sense ana COM
mon honesty 1t is simply whether the ophga-
lions Of truth extend or do not extend to the
official papers Of high public functionaries. II
they do not, this paper may be Justlhed; II lhey
do it is breach of official duty.
There is another circumstance touching the
above named report which ought not to be en-
tirely overlooked 1t was made out and pre-.
sented to Congress Just before the commence
ment Of the Presidential canvass in 1882; and
it was a paper, the tendency OF which was 10
bear upon that election. 1t held out to the
| American People delusive view Of the pros
perity of an important Department oil the 60
vernment, and naturally induced belief that
| if was wisely and economically administered;
while, in truth, the public moneys were squan-
dered without stint, and the Department was
rapidly sinking to insolvency"
After contrasting the practice OF the present
with former Administrations of the Post Office,
the Committee revert to the Postmaster Gene
ral's Address to the People Of the United States
at the close Of the last Session of Congress, and
rebuke some of its statements. &c.
The Committee then proceed to re-examine
i'm detail, and at very great length, some OF the
cases of extra. allowance contracts which were
more briefly noticed in their report to Congress
at the last Session; and especially the cases of
J. f. Robinson, J. and B. Bennett. w. Tillow,
Resides contracts from Hagerstown to Nc
Connelsburg, from Bedford to Washington,
from Cumberland to Blair's Gap from Batl-
more to Chambersburg, from Philadelphia to
Pittsburg, Reeside & Slaymaker's extra $4,000
per wear. Resides contract from New Y DIRK to
PHILADELPHIA, &C. The allowances to Mr.. Rec
side are most dwe.t on by the Committee, ap.
parenty because they are the largest, and he is
the most extensive contractor. TO this gentle
man. in one form or other, of contract or allow
ance the Committee say there has been paid,
within two years and a half (from LIST January,
1892, to 1st July, 1934,) for carving the Mails
between Philadelphia and New York, SS4,372;
or 3374o sc per year. The Committee con
clude this laborious examination Of contracts
with the following summary, shelving the dg-
rreeate Of payments which they aver to have
been unlawfuly and unjustfiab|y made to sim
gle contractor:
"Passing over those cases in which con-
tract on an allowance was made contrary to
law, but for which an equivalent service has
been rendered, and taking only those in which
the law did not warrant the allowance, and in
which also no service whatever was rendered
OF in which the allowance was much above the
fair and just value ofthe services, and then TAX
ing the ercess only of the allowance over and
above that value. your committee find the fol-
lowing sums paid to James Reside, since the
1st April, without any warrant of law or justice
to wit:
On the contract to carry the mail
from Hagerstown to McConnells-
burg 1892 90
From Bedford TO Washington 1888 &C
From Cumberland to BIair's Gap
Sl2,559 g., less Sl,50G a year
s'for 2 years $4,000, $3.50 50
From Philadelphia to Pittsburg, ex-
cess of allowance over service
$4,000 for two years and six
months 10000 90
Same route-Carrying newspapers
in most rapid line, half $3.50 90
From Baltimore to Chambersburg 1887 so
From New York TO Philadelphia
Allowance for eXpedtng from
January l1S29, to December 81,