Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-04-09

on the LIST Of January, 1883: now if III,
improvements were ordered ss at the be
ginning" IL the services and compensation
upon this route had been fixed. why was
it omittcdP The 1o.50o dollars are all
charged and allowed on the Isl Of Janua
I ~, 1883; why were not the charges and
allowances made at the end Of each quar-.
terp IL was so done in other contracts
which Mr.. Reside had, and there was no
good reason for not doing il IN this. lie
was in debt TO the department at the end
of the first quarter IL ,0T9 dollars 9 cts.
at the end of the second quarter e0.5Sl
dollars 2 cents. and at the end Of the
third, o6,Ti4 dollars 4 ceats. (See Rec.
sides account. Doc. No. - If there
was liquidated and settled claim. spec
cific agreement existing between bin and
| The department. for fixed sum as this
endorsement asserts, il is strange that the
credit was not given. and these balances
lessened thereby. Besides. the postmas
ter General asserts in his address, (pago
81 ) that two propositions were made; the
smaller was first accepted yalterwards for
the better accommodation of the public,
the greater service was required, and OF
course. the higher compensation given"
Ii this be true, the endorsement was not
made before or at the beginning. and the
higher compensation ought not TO have
been credited 10 the contractor from the
beginning. The endorsement seems to be
naturally connected with the time when
the allowance for the extra service was
made, at some period subsequent to the
execution of the contract and when il be
came necessary TO give sanction TO pay
ments previously made 10 the contractor;
and il is perhaps unfortunate, on account
of the differences which may be drawn,
that the time Of the actual credits TO the
contractor was Immediately succeeding an
important presidential election, IN which
he was not inactive, and also that there
should have been allowed al The very same
time, on this same route, several other
items, some OF which arc not TO be found
in the accounts, either preceding or sub
sequent 10 that particular date, lst JanUa.
ry, 1888, and others are unsupported by
any evidence of the existence OF the ser
vices. Exclusive ofth 90 500 dollars be
fore mentioned, but including the express
mail, they amount TO about 1886 dollars,
and had the effect of reducing the balance
Of the advances made to the contractor
from 26,7l4 dollars a cts, as il appeared
on the LIST Of October preceding. down TO
the unimportant sum of ,SlA dollars 90
cents. These items are not specified IN
this place, as The attention OF the Senate
will be called TO them in another aspect.
The committee have endeavorcd, as Tar
as practicable amidst the impediments
which they have had 10 encounter. 10 as
certain the manner in which this contract
has been executed, and the nature aud
amount of the allowances which have been
made upon il, and they submit to the Be-
nate the results OF their inquiries upon So
veral points.
The advertisement was 10 carry the
mail from New York, N. Y, by Jersey
city, sc. 10 Philadelphia The bid was
to carry the mail according TO the adver
tisement for 5000 dollars. 10 the impro-
we'd bid, il was " distinctly understood that
he was TO deliver the mail at the Post
Office in the city Of New York, and re-
ceivc i, at the Post Office in the city OF
New York. and convey it between that
office and the river; and across the river.
but that the department will defray the
expense of barge and oaIsmen IN ferrying
it across the river, &c.
The contract was for carrying the mail
" from New York, N. y, by Jersey City
ST., 10 Philadelphia, the department TO
pay the expense Of carrying the mail
across the Hudson river. a" There is a dis
crepancy between the bid and the con-
tract, nv the former The department was
"to DELAY the expense Of barge and oars.
men. by the latter, the department was 10
de(ray the expense Of "carrying the mail
across The riscr," But the discrepancy is
not important, for by both. as wen as ny
the advertisement, Reside was TO carry
IT from city 10 city, and oil course from
office TO office. He was 70 deliver ana re.
ceive il at the Office in New YORK, aud
convey i, between that Office and The river
and across the river.
Joseph bod, (see Doc. 97.) in bis dcpo.
sition, states that he has carried the mail
between the Office in New York and Jer,
sev CITY since 1917. "From 1917 until
Reside became contractor. he received
from the department 500 dollars per year !;
that Reside then allowad and paid bin
Goo dollars So that, under his former
contract 20 carry the mail from city TO
/ city, Reeside did carry it, or rather pay
for carving il across the river to and from
the office. by express words nc was oolinn
10 do so under the present contract. fet
Joseph bod sacars, that in 1882 he again
Z became a contractor with the department
10 carry this mail from The Office 70 Jersey
/ Civ at the rate Of 500 dollars, which he
I still receives. The committee called for
a COPY Of Dod's contract and account. and
they are appended TO the report, and sus-
tanned by his III, (sec Doc, 90. THUS
appears, that in diIec. violation Of tho con
tract with Reside, the department has
paid SEQ dollars per year. for performing
a part Of the service which Reside was
bound TO perform, even under the original
bid in other words, has given that Sum
Of money to bin annually, amounting nov