The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-13
THE EUROPEAN STEAMSHIP MAlLRoUTE

THE EUROPEAN STEAMSHIP MAIL.RoUTE.
We have seen with surprise, in one of the New
York papers, bitter complaint against the Post.
master General, for having let the European steamer
mail-route, to a Mr.. Mills, in preference to a Mr..
Sloo We have inquired into the particulars Of this
matter, and certainly, never in the course Of our
long and varied experience, have We seon COM
plant 30 utterly destitute Of the least foundation
| Our respect and admiration for Cave Johnson is
greatly increased This matter illustrates the sterl
ing qualities Of the man-his careful observance Of
the law-his incorruptibe integry-his characters
tic sagacity in distinguishing between those ProPo-
sails that are made for public service, TO be faith
fully rendered and then paid for, and those that are
made for other purposes.
We can give but glance at tho facts-but that
will be sufficient. The Postmaster General adver-
tised for a steam ship mai-route to Europe He
named nine different ports-but he was TO let but one
route-and the bids were to be in competition with
each other. Although he said 20 trips year were
contemplated he fixed precise number Of trips, nor
schedule of departures and arrivals but expressly LEFT
that to the bidders to specify in their proposals He
received bids from but four persons. Those Of Mr..
| Smith and Mr.. Mann declined because too
high and for other reasons. No question is raised
| as to them The bids Of Sloo were utterly mad.
missible to acceptance They contained a condition
to advance $500, 900. This the Postmaster General
is expressly prohibited by law from doing 1t con,
tanned proposition for the United States to invest
half million Of dollars in building ships, to ena-
! A.. ". he ,vhen la NJ
! ls45 was passed for the express purpose Of enlist
ing the private capital Of the country in the col
sruction Of ocean steamers, such might be suita-
BILE for war purposes instead Of experimenting in
that way with the public money, as had heretofore
been DONE And when Mr.. Sloo was told Of this
Objectionable feature in his bid, instead of withdraw
ing it, he sends in a new proposition, at a re-
duced annual compensation, but he still made the
advance a condition, and increased the amount Of
advance from FIVE hundred thousand to a million of
| dollars. This showed that an advance out of the
treasury was the very thing almost the only thing,
he came for--an advance to be made upon bid
not legally guaranteed. There were names, to be
sure, signed to paper purportlns to Bee guaranty
but though told by the advertisement that the qua
rantors must be shown to be sufficient by the written
certificate of postmaster, other equally satisfac
tory testimonials, yet he yes no certificate or tes
timony whatever this point-an advance which
he saws in his bid is to be secured upon the sh ps-
the government of course to take the contingency
whether the ships will be built, built they
should be, or will answer the purpose after they
built But it is idle to dwell on these particulars
He demanded of the Postmaster General the ad-
vance as preliminary condition; he insisted upon
it, and increased the amount. The law says to the
Postmaster General: You shall not advance dollar;
you shall have the mails carried first, and when the
auditor certi6es to you the performance of the ser
| vice, then pay for it, and not before.
| The Postmaster General could not have accepted
Mr. Soo's bid, no matter what the annual compensa-
ton asked by him. 1t would have been fraud upon
one act of Congress, and barefaced violation of
| another
particular
He asked 5000, 900 year to Havre for 20 voy-
| ages, and an advance of 100000 besides Sup
posing the 100000 was only loaned, instead of
given away, that, at per cent, would increase his
price to 1926, 900 year.
Mills asked but $500, 900, and performs one-sixth
more servce-24 trips in the year. M Hiss bid is at
the rate of 500 VOYAGE Sloos bid at the rate of
GIG, $50 voyage. Take the terms of S years and
Mis's bid is a cheaper one to the government by
the sum of 1915, 900.
But it is claimed that Sloo made bid to run from
New York, by Cowes, to Bremen, for less money
than the department has contracted to Mills this,
we learn, and also see by the documents is untrue.
What this allegation is made out Of is this. He bid
to run from New York to Havre and back, touch
ing at Cowes, in steamship Of large class Then
he proposed to run another route between Havre
and Bremen in a separate boat Of an inferior class.
This last route, we see, is named in the adver-
misunderstanding il is not authorized by law,
which requires the route to be run from and TO
port Of the United States and are informed that
the representative Of the Senate Of Bremen, gave
notice that if any such arrangement requiring tran
| shipment in a foreign port established, the
cooperation of his government would be wholly
Withdrawn. But take this illegal, unauthorized,
and rickety plan of getting the mails to Bremen,
| and what would it cost
New York to Havre 100000
Havre to Bremen $4,000
Five per cent. on the 100000
advance $4,000
For 90 voyages 100000
Mlls's contract is 100000 for % voyages in a
mode that lie legal, feasible, and acceptable Mlls's
service lie at SIG, 666 a voyage Sloos, with oil ats
imperfections on its head" would cost $4,000 a
voyage. Figure this out by the year. and by the
term Of FIVE years. and see by what an immense DIFF
ference Sloos bid bad it is In all other respects,
is the worst also in price.
Will the pretsuce be set up that "a voyages