Western courier. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1837-1838, 1837-07-06
mus. have had reference to claims then

III eLlSen(e.
The Solicitor allowed "the claims" re-
ferred to in the act, and the Postmaster
General has paid them. But the Solicit>
or went further, and allowed negu claims,
some of which had been rejected by the
former Postmaster General, and others
had never been known or heard of before !
the act passed. and those the Postmaster
General refused to pay, as well because the !
Soiiciter had transcended his legal author"
ity, as because they zuere chiefly for SER
pices neper rendered. This description
embraces the whole sum Of S59. .472 At,
which constitutes the subject of this con-
,roversy. 1t was believed that Congress
never expected to see Sl92,O00 added to
allowances which they had declared to be
"7vithout reason, ftr9hriety, or justice"
and that they did not intend to confer on
any one the POWER to add to them tens
and hundreds of thousands by the admis"
sion Of nczv and unheard of claims, having
no foundation but in The imGginings Of de-
iuSiuc iEintereSt, or the vRgaries oJMe
7uiidestc construction. Until the day before
the first portion Of the award was semitic
him, the Postmaster General had never
conceived that the act of Congress was
susceptible Of such constr uction, and of
most of the specific claims now withheld
he ncver heard, until he received the an
nunciation Of their allowance!
The only hesitation of the Postmaster
General was. whether he would pay any
part of the award without reference of
the whole subject back to Congress, with
an exposition of the facts, so repugnant to
his conceptions Of right and wrong were
its conclusions. He did not believe that
all the investiga of Congress had been
a farce, and their reports and illustrations,
some 10000 copies Of which had been
printed and sent among the people at the
public expense, pretence and mock"
cry, in which all parties had combined 10
misrepresent and destroy the administra-
tion ofthe department. On the contrary,
he knew, that although there was much
error, there was also much truth in those
reports, and he believed in the sincerity
Of most of those who made them. He did
not doubt, that the addition of SSl61 900
to the allowances which they had 80
strongly condemned, would fill them with
surprise and amazement. Inspired with
those feelings himself, that he did not re-
fuse to credit and pay any part of the
award, until Congress should have an
opportunity to review the whole case, is
to be ascribed solely to doubt as to his
duty 10 do so, and his uniform practice, in
cases Of doubt, upon matters of private
right, to decide in favor of the citizen.-
But as to the additional claims presented
and allowed, he had no doubt. He had
the less reluctance in taking that step, be-
cause Congress was on the spot, and could
easily, by an additional act, direct the
whole amount to be paid, if, in their opin"
ion, 1t were required by justice or law;
result not possible in his conception.
But if it be admitted that the Solicitor
had right to consider and allow new
claims which were never known to the
Department or to Congrers, there are
other fatal objections to the legality of
the allowances now'in question.
The first item Of those allowances is an
extension Of the SO per cent. allowance
entered on the Slst day of March, 1885.
from the 1st OF April TO the S1st Of De"
cember of that year, inclusive, S14.440
so.
This allowance was not for an "extra
SERVICE" or any service at all. Nothing
was" performed' for it. II is not based
on any contract or additional contract"
made with w. T. Barry, or any one else.
1t originated thus:
On the 9th Of March, 1888. as we
have seen, while contractors were under
pay for running two daily lines of four
horse post-coaches on the Cumberland
road, and were running but one and
about half, r. C.. Stockton complained to
the Department that the increase in the
weight Of the mails was so enormous, that
II was impossible TO carry them with the
means provided, and offered 10 put on
such additional stock as should be compe-
tent to the object, for an addition of 25
per cent. upon Their improved pay, being
$9,627 per annum. The Department
ordered him to run a second full line of
four horse post coaches, rCserving the
question of additional compensation. On
examination 1t was found that contrac-
tors were already under pay for second
full line, SO that no addition could be
made to their compensation on that ac-
count. On the Sd of June, 1883, they
applied again to the Department for an
extra allowance on the same grounds,
raising their demand to SO per cent. or
SI9, ,e54 per year. In December, 1888,
this allowance was again pressed. twas