Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-02-05
23l Congr,ss-2d Session.


REPOK / UPON He POST OFFICE
In the Senar, scsf rday, Mr.. Ewing, tom the
Commute on he q neral Pest Office (Which,
me reader will rec cct, sat by order of the S,
during the last recess of Congress made a report,
The reading OF this report OCCUPIED the Senate
unI'l the usual hour Of adjourn m, and VS. not
concloIcd " hen the Seaate aduncd
IS 1t is don ifnl Wheiher It will ever be ssib.
or us To publish the whole of this Rcnot (howev-
20 desirable i, would be 50, we have ava,led
ourselves OF " casual opportunity TO make such
abstract of the Repor', IN this aud the owing
columns, us time allows, without lm ing ourselves
that part only Of ii which has been read in the
Senate.
The Report, rolw thstandin. its large volume
and the evidence which II carries on ITS face, and
" d~ bulk, % great labor and perseverance, is no,
hnuIve, hut i"ther report OF the progress OF the
committee, 50 far rs they have gone.
The report ae, stating the meeting OF the COM
'nner in this cny the 10 of Srpiembe, last, and
the accommodation of II room in the Post Office at-
fordtd o them for their sittings, commences wrh q
descrpt Of The confused Of the Books of the
Post Office, which rendered il lnIractcu'e, nscer.
am with any thing ike ooy the true state of
the finances al the Psi Office, oi the OF
,nd 'v'd"oIs with IT, III muny Cases, he state Of an
account, in important particulars. was only to he
bucks. Or the inaccuracy of these accounts several
nstnnces are stated of which, as our analysis OF
he report must necessary he very brief single in
stance quo ed from Inc Report, us follows must
serve as an exomplc:-
Yonr committee called for the account Of Jas
Re- SIDE a. d It slie WIN 10 them the Ledger
when there appeared balance agains, him, on III,
first Of AprIl, 1884 of $i5 1863 OF. The accounting
officers, however, Informed you Committee tina, The
ledger did not present all the cr.dns to which Mr.
Reesiie was enti'led, and they have SINCE exhibit
ell an account containing many additional credus
by wh,rh there appears 20 b. n balance in his favor
IN he first JnIv, 1891, ii 81 500 SIS. making dn
ference of abou, SCI 600 Some at The cr,di,s bcu,
da'e between The Is Of Anr and l,t of July, bu' Il
large par, OF the onn is made up Of enr,cs,
which, # entitled at all 10 place IN he accornl
belons cd 10 date p'ior to the LIST Of April 1884
The correctness OF those several credits will be
| sidcred IN another part Of this report "
Ia conseqr nee of tho difficulty experienced b,
the ronmnuee fom hose Causes, in nrrvn. at tru.
results f'om the hooks, The committee employed
TWO Accountants. UNANIMOUSLY approved, to exam
Inc and audit the book, IN which business these
persons have been ami are stu, diligently engaged,
The result Of whose l. ofs the committee wil report
when arrived at ord examlns1
Meanwhile, w,th he =f3Icrfals in their posses
sion, the committee enlefIn5 AZ ciabo ae cornp,'-
'son of the rcpn'ts of The atesen and la,e FosI
Master General, ard OF the reports of the prescnr
| Post Maser General with farts disclosed by the
books &c. to which nothing but literal transcript
| which We have now no opportunity ct mnking) .!
he hole Of this part Of the report can do justice.
There is one paragraph Of il, howcvcr, which SO for
chilly attracted attention, that We have houg hit II
proper, by exrscng it, 70 make ii an exception to
| the rest. IL is as follows:
"Thcre is one other item introduced into the
| statement Of the 26th December, 1884, Of which
your COMMITTEE knew nothing until since III If for
ncr report, md did not even suspect IT'S existence.
1t is balance against contractors for payments
made them prior to the lst April, 1884, for the cur
rent services OF the quarter which cnicd that day,
and for prior services which had not ye, been plac
cd to their credit, S2Si S97 49, Your COMMITTEE
id not suppose a fund of this character and amount
EXISTED the crcdii of tho Department, because they
knew Ivy former statements, that there were very
large sums actually due 10 contractors, for services
inly ana faithfully performed, IN previous quarters,
winch the D, pertinent was bound IN good faith an"
| in nst,ce to pay Those suTs actually due were
| NOT maid 70: want II funds Largr sums were also
borrowed from Bank on interest," and II seemed IN
| couceiveabl rha', unirr these circums ances, 80
| large IA sum Of money should nave been advanced
- few contractors belize they ent,tlei r.
| ccive u ny me terms VI '"'' wv '"' D' w"
present inves ,gatun has sat,shfd your COMMITTEE
that very large were, AMI stu are, due from
contractors for illegal payments and advances OF
| money, and tina, this sum al leas', ana pr"oao'y
| much larger sum, ought to he reclaimed rom
then, and placed 10 the credit of the Department.
The next topic embraced IN the report is tina, o.
the re- nova, Of Pos,mastcrs without c"usc 10 make
way for mere partisnns, IN many CAS- "ho'y oh'
worthy Of credit or conf iencr &C. the prostcu'
ton of their inquiry into the cause OF these rcmov'
ais the cor,m,ttce were, os the reader already
krows, met by refusal of the Post Master Eener'
a, to furnish the committee with the information 90