The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-04-03


Tins very transaction before their late election, from
statements no ess false and fraudulent than you now
advance, but which your simple story teller does mol
deem it prudent 10 repeat the ground Were 'he
means Of detection ut hand. The charge IN inc
ne wspapers in that State allied TO the lying cause
which the Globe espouses, was, in substance, tai
had been permitted Inspect the proposals q other BID
der, after being received al the Posi- Office Department
and thus enabled 10 frame NY proposals as 10 inter
epi m This charge by your allies was stated to have
been received from the highest authority" re-
spectacle Democratic newspaperof New. Hampshire
now before me- states that il declared TO be true
that g corrupt deed Of transfer and sale oil New
| Hampshire to John Tyler had been actually signed
sealed, and delivered by Isaac Hill. The story
| run through the State like wild-fre Under these
disadvantages, the rally of the old Democratic Re
| pubcans under John II. White commenced; and ON
this cry of WoJ ,oo however absurd in itself, the
election has probably turned"
You and your simple story-teler Rives, have done
your best to give counenance and aid to the falsers
in New Hampshire. Believing it necessary that
the editor of the Richmond Enquirer, and others
who had taken the falsehood conceded truth
that had entered upon, and that the Executive OF
the nation had profered the OF corrupt bar
gain and sale in this transaction, should continue to
believe the false charges, you have attempted to
manufacture something's multitude of circum-
Stances all pointing 10 the ehectuaton Of the same
objec-that of bestowing the wide spread patronage
of the Post Office Department on Mr.. Hill, Of New
Hampshire, in advance Of his last desperate effort to
put down the regular q Democratic nominations Of
the State"
On this subject, the editor of the Enquirer and
Others viii not probably be at the pains to investigate
the matter but will Judge of it from the differences
which you have forced from presumed and assumed
facts and so the libellohs charges which you have
preferred against the Postmaster General will pass
for truth, as similar bels did in New Hampshire,
long as will be necessary to effect their intended OBJ
ject. Some of your Misrepresentation to
break down your whole fabric of alleged corruption
will notice.
You back up your simple man, Rives, to his
statement that ours were combination bids, by
suming that the bids which profered, and which
the Postmaster General accepted, were :" ex-
pressly forbidden by the advertisement" and
therefore unlawful and Illegal combination
bid, (not forbidden by the advertisement is
one where group of proposals being taken
all together brings the entire series lower than each
and all of them would be If taken separately
For instance, there are five mail routes or five
States for supplying blanks. One man bids for the
whole together at $1,000, or for the five at 5000
each. Others bid as the lowest for the same five
routes, 100, $50, 200, AGO. and $500. OF the sepa-
rate BIDS the two first lowest the third is equal
and tied by the separate equal bid on each of the
combination bidder but if the bid of The latter be
taken in the aggregate, being $3.50 below the sepa-
rate bidders he obtains the whole to the manifest in
justice of the two lowest separate bidders. But the
bids of Isaac Hill and Sons not combination
bids because both Of their two sets were made for
" each State separately" in strict compliance with
the terms of the advertisement. BY no fair con-
struction of language either Of them be called
combination" bids. Had they not been the loves,
on each of the States they bid for, they would not
have obtained them. In most of their bids their
highest prices were lower than the lowest of other
persons. They acted and bid on the principle recog
nlsed by all persons, that large quantity Of ari
Gle can be furnished cheaper than a small quantity
they therefore, grouped together number of States
with the higher price for single State and the lower
price for all united if all fell below the lowest then
each separate lowest bid prevailed. II any one fall
ed, all failed and fell back upon the highest. And
in no did the grouping together of separate bids
take away the contract from the lowest bidder
Another fact by Mr. Rives, from which intended
corruption in the Department or design to defeat
bis obtaining the contracts is inferred is his statement
that "he States of Virginia Maryland, and the District
of Columbia are not mentioned in the advertisement
They were reserved (he says doubt for per-
son residing here" This is very charitable but n
be had asked the question at the Department
others did, he would have been informed that propo-
sails for furnishing post Offices in these States and
District were not invited for the that they
were already under contract, in compliance with
previous law, and at prices even lower than bis vol
unteer bids.
Previous 10 this advertising under the law, your
Office as am informed, executed that part Of the
post Office printing which could be conveniently done
at the city of Washington. Your prices were then
a, follows, the first column indicating the price where
you furnished the paper, and the second column the
price where you did the printing and the Department,
furnished the papers
Prices paid TO Blair and Rires tor printing.
For mails received and sent, per ream sl3 90 IS so
" Accounts current, do. 50 so
Blanks for newspapers and pam
phlots, do. 10 90 so
"Post bills, DO so so
At these prices without advertising for proposals,
ysu have been paid many thousand dollars
for furnishing post Office blanks. With the
single exception Of post bills, your charge for
printing The blanks alone higher than The rbols
average conirao price Of HH Sons for furnishing the
blanks including The paper, printing, enreiop, paper do
ing up, forwarding &c. IL the act Of the Depart
ment in giving the contract on their lowest bid,
" bestowing the widespread patronage Of the Post
Office Department on Mr. Hill, Of New Hampshire"
as payment for desperate and wicked effort 10 put