Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-05-12

uncGuvocal declaration of the House Committee
that they do not ysuoen reason for questioning
the given by the z. NJ General in his last an
nual report, that the debt impending over the De-
partment viii he eXtnguscd before the close of the pre-
sent year. ought TO adnonsh his pursucrs pause in
Their pronunciation Of tle Department. and inquire
how that such result consistent their charges
1t their own charges be consistent Icih trah Then
again. SO ceien has been the system Of collections that
only $S 10 bad debts aScertancd been made
duiing his six years administrations and while -
millions of dollars have been involved in the business of
the Department! How is such 4 fact to be reconced
with either weak negligent administration of the
Department. The truth is, excitement among the poo
pie, and political effect, have been aim and end of all
the hue and cry that has been raised against the De-
partment. This has been kept up constantly and with
industry, while the Department has been relying in ST.
encc upon the results of its operations prove its
innocence and Its claim to the gratitude well con-
fidencc of the nation
But there another view illustrative Of the correctness
OF the Department in general, anterior 1898 The
committee find that the contracts upon about 1900
routes, and nearly that number of distinct UNDERTAKINGS
And yet after all their laborous research and many
months Investigation, only about fifty contracts found
fault with i'll the whole number! Suppose the number
to be double that named. In case is it pretended
that the Department has departed all from the prece
dents OF Maj Barry predecessor except in the single
omission of notice in the advertisements for mail CON
tracts that the proposals would remain unopened until
the time iorIeccving bids had expired Upon this point
the majority Of the Committee do say there were no
Precedents but rather imply there were such. Their
language is, under the late Postmaster General the
notes annexed to the advertisements USUALLY, if
uniformly, stated Nc. The minority say. in every
advertisement prior to lS0, inclusive the advertisement
contained this notice., &c. However, the majority saw
the advertisements for in 1888 and 1884 re-
stored to It's proper place the clause that it not in
tended to break the seal of any proposal until the time
for receiving bids should expire This rule as the com
mittee understand strictly adhered i'm those
years.
In this last statement the minority also cnncnr AnJ
thus Is that the correction of this irrcpuarv
long preceded the complaint of it by the committee
And in relation to most ofther other complaints the same
remark will hold true, and the same admission of it's
truth in relation to them would no doubt have been
made by the agniiee had they in such other eases as
they have done in respect to this taken pains
all the dongs and improvements introduced into the
Department since the commencement of 1888. / will
here repeat, that nearly every condemnation of each
branch OF the committee has reference To what the
Department 1oGS two years since, and what it
NOR IS The committee in hcr pursuits have been in
duced by the cunning, perhaps Of the minority, fall
TAR in the rear OF the improvements and actual condition
OF the Department at the present lime. Had their
port been written two years since, it might have been
IN some respects very timely production But it is 10
The present administration and condition OF the Il. O.
Department. precisely what almanac compiled for any
year between l7S and 1883 would be the year 1885
The committee indeed, say, that "a new organization
was given to the Department in March, 1913" But
they have entirely omitted to make exhibit of the
highly approved and efficient condition into which the
Department has been brought by this new organizations
The points upon which the Committee dwell in their
examination, follows:
The practice OF the Department in making allowances
TO contractors for extra services
Ihc practice Of accepting bids based upon the pub
slcd proposals OF the Department. with other bids for
improvements upon those proposals by the
mlttce improved bids 49,
accepting
combined, called ''comhined bids
And tie practice of allowing extra pay, bounty
TO persons already IN the employ Of the Department for
pursuing mail dcpredators But whether these practices
are, or arc not inherently wrong Tie blame Of originating
them belongs not to the administration Of the present
Postmaster General Preccdcns for each nbo,ni in c
administration of MIR. Mclean and in that of each of his
predecessors also is believed Various instances of
each class cited from the records of the Department.
by the committee These preccdents freely admitted
to have been acted upon long and long before Major b.
into the Office. And how pary in fact, have Lcen
the effect of his having acted upon cm las also been
seen in the exposition which has already been made in
the preceding remarks.
In allowing the supposion FOR the sake of argument
that there had been lost to the of the Depart
ncni an pRaouUL He i91 chlfged BY the ,q9;90y g.
nc House Committee through lie extrayagOnccs
Encouragement of any of Major Banys
subordnates by no means take that suppositon true
For while the Committee have dwet with particularly
upon Of extra allowances made to contractors in
which waste extravaganza is thought 10 have existed
they have not brought so light the in which
the Department have secured services To the public
from contractors, terms altogether more bench-
col the Department than could IN reality be afforded
by the contracting party. In instance Of the kind
which has under the observation of the people Of
state (MaineO it is most certain that the con-
tractor had The worst end Of the bargain by many
thousands Of dollars In fact, ! am informed by
VI my honorable colleagues, (CO Patks) that the
contractor lludcd to, offered Tic Department. one pc
rod, TO give u very large proportion,-a proportion
That cost him $lZOOO, aud then ia perfect ordcrof an
his teams and carragcs, condition Of being released
from his Oicr similar cases haze 10 doubt &C.
Of the Bargain and hc Department much TIC best side
The common sense Of every must persuade hni,
that such Inequalities VII occur between tic parties in
the making 81 more tIuu 1000 contracts The De-
partmcnt las in some Of them had decided ad.
vantage aud obtained services for less than their
tual value and iH other instances IL has doubt paid
more than fair value for tlcm 10 would be- passing
strange were 10 not And yet while 40 the latter
have been called out and embazoued ile public
by p enemies Of the Postmaster General and charged
wastes, fraud. and pafGzu gifts, he former eases
have been passed ju entire silence f they have not
Dccn scduously avoided! What man business. either
in public private lie, cannot BE- made appear H.
his dscfcdtbc made TO Indicate nisuana cement OK
tHvagance esd even corruption, were such a onc.sided
and unfair, and unbalanced exhibit made oi 1t But 10
IT, tus tia MAJOR Barry administration has been treated
and tlug naaify have bis operations been represented
before i.e people. Wbcn, however, they traced
in s aggregate and 20 actual results tie Department.
not only proved competent 10 manage us with
efficiency and care, bot to double soif ia magnitude u
little tan si years. and be entirely fee from debt
q. tBc end OF that period
50 for Major Barry Individually the suspicion Of dis
hof ecuation where, and IN persons
mit gtacli 10 him All who have known him for
yea her they 20 be- found in Che ranks Of this
or dcs porty accord 10 him every trait that appef-
m honest honorable, hial-mndcd, falcntcd md