The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-09-23
CORRUPT TRANSACTION in THE POST
OFFICE DEPARTMENT..

The Madisonan at length confesses the truth
of the charge that the Postmaster General pays
the editor Of that print for its editorials written
in defence Of the Department This is the way
the peoples money goes The Post Office De.
partment is complained against for negligence,
Partially, or other misconduct; newspaper ed-
tor takes it upon himself to defend the Depart
ment for which he is paid 10Th The peoples mo-
neg. The editor of the Madsonian attempts to
Justify himself on the ground that those editorials
were handed in by the Department, and he had
therefore the same right to charge for their in
sertion as for private advertising. This may be
all true, and yet the fact confessed convicts the
Department of guilty, fraudulent waste, and
embezzlement Of the public money. The officers
OF Government have no right to expend the pub
lie money in defence of their public or private
conduct, and every cent thus expended is fraudu-
lent and illegal.
So far as the editor of the Madisonian is con-
cerned, we will merely say that although he is
not bound to inquire who 81 oots his bills" SO they
are footed, yetit would have looked much more
genteel TO have inserted the aforesaid editorials
no imposition upon the public as to the candor of
the facts and arguments they embodied. As ad-
vertisements they would have passed for what
they were worth. As editorials they went forth
as the candid, honest convictions of the editor.
We trust it is not rule with the official organ
to whitewash any transaction, public or private,
upon similar terms. If such is the case, the pub
lie ought to know it.
At any rate, there remains strong ground for
suspectng any future apology for official mis-
deeds which may appear editorially in the Mad
isonian of being merely an " advertisement" in.
serted and paid for at the public expense by the
functonary concerned.
After alleging that the Post Office laws have
been misrepresented by the Wing press, the edi-
tor Of the Madisonian says:
ITO publish and explain these laws, and the
decisions thereon, where such efforts were made
to misrepresent them, is not only an appropriate
function of the officer charged with the admins
tratlon of that Department, but his imperious duty
to the Government and the people whom he is |
required to serve.
"Another item of publication CHARGED in the
account is denial of the statement industriousIy
circulated representing the Department as being
indebted to contractors half million of dollars.
The department not being behindhand with |
contractors one cent, the Postmaster General did |
not deem that SANDER SO injurious to the credit
OF the Department and the public service should
be quietly permitted to range itself as conspic
uous fact in the newspapers without contradiction.
A denial OF this important and imposing scandal |
was authorized in this paper and the editor had
an undoubted right to charge for it's publication,
as the Department was undoubtedly bound to paw
Tor II. Contendlng against formidable array of |
mercenary individuals, whose object was to enlist
the public sympathy against the Department and
the laws made for its support, the Postmaster
General would have been most negligent of his |
charge had he allowed to the enemy the advan- |
tage which an acquiescence in such falsehoods
would give him in his unpatriotic enterprise
against the authority of the laws and the eff
cheney of the Government