The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-17

CORRUPTION IN THE POsr OFFICE DEPART
MENT-EFFECr OF Mr.. Hours REPoRr.-
Consequent upon our Developments of the
frauds p'rpetrated in the Post Office, in the use
of count erfeit and re-washed stamps, other reye-
latians are being made If criminal practices. in
that branch of The public services, which ;reude r
| still more necessary the investigation we have
! called for. A Western paper contains the fol-
lowing. exross # Post Office affairs in that
| region
We have TO believe that the next sessioc -of
Congress there will be Obtained from the proper depart
melt hgnt and Information enough estaoi,sn tue fol-
owirg facts respecting Post Off frauds and robberes-
The fabrication at the largest Post Oficee IN
the United States Of pay rolls, by virtue of which the
Postmaster obtained from the government an allowance
or c'efh Dre forty per cent greater than paid
to his employees.
2 That Said pay rolls contained names Of clerks at
lge salaries who never performed any service Ia th-
ONCE, but whose pames were used BY tue Pae l,ter 10
enable him TO defrsud the deparm Of tue sums al
ieged on SAID pay rolls 10 have been paid TO
poyes
g. The forgery CT OF clerks to said pay rolls
crime necessary in order to hide from suca CLERKS the
difference betHeen the sums act aiy paid them and the
sums charged AID CO lecteo in tneir the gov
ernuent
A. The a,eraoj and forgery OF post bills from other
ohcs the paimoe oil upon tue government Of the fab
Gated bills, and charging the depa win comm
| slons founded 1foa the forged post bills.
s. The detrauoiug Of the so.vranent Of large sms in
The matter OF newspaper hostages possc on circulars
crop letters, &c, and IN the revenue from box raots
o. The opening anc piliern. OF Letters the Office
employees WIN ibe knowledge az approval OF tue he.,
Ct the oce and the retcntoo o persons
office.
2 The appointment and retention 10 Office of n,onpe
tent drum Ken iltterate cierkten wholly una ouainet
With the geography OF the oouatry, aud send tue
Eastern mail West, ana utoc often ey sead
correctly.
1t is asserted that the proofs of all these state
ments are before the President, and that at a
proper time they will be laid before Congress and
| the country. The country needs no more evi
dence of the fact that improper persons, and even
thieves, are In public employment in the Post
Office Department, than the official report of
Postmaster General Hol ON The case Of Post
master Westcott. That document acknowledges
that the till of the Phiadelpha Pos Office was
robbed Of its cash to the extent Of over fifteen
hundred dollars year. Yet because Postmaster
Westcott endeavored to establish practical
rule for preventing the pilferibg of the public
money, Mr.. Holt draws the law on him. asserts
that ii was Westcott's, aud not the public money
that was being stolen, as he was responsible to
the government for the amount, and, by petit
Jogging construction Of the statute, decides that
it was Postmaster Westcott, and not the Poet
Office thieves, who should be punished. So Post
master Westcott is incontinently discharged for
wishing to enforce honesty, and the Post Office
thieves are retained in the public employment.
We tTemble for the effect Of this action OF
Postmaster General Holt, on the public service
The conditional denial by drivelling paper in
Washington, Of the sale Of fraudulent stamps
except through the connivarce Of the Post
masters or Post Office clerks" and its wish to
shield them by stopping all investigation at
once, have the same tendency, and will produce
IKE results. We fear Mr. Holt lie not u mau of
tbe broad ana statesmanlke views requisite for
one IN me- position. A stateeman recognizes the
fact that laws Gre made to restrain dishonest i'm
pulses, aud to provide for the punishment Of
CRIME. And be recognises the broader fact tina,
the law cannot meet every individual case mn,
the changes produced by social progress: and
his aim is, 60 to conduct the puolc service that
progress shall not be hindered by the law, nor
the majesty of the Law rnarred by the changes
wrought by progress. la carrying out this 4lm
Mr. Holt has signally failed, ia his decision rolA-
tye e Tie PAladelrAia Postmaster HIS Only
way to remedy the Injury be has done is to To-
stitute a strict Investigation into the affairs Of
BIS department and into the business OF selling
Hostage stamps all over thu country.