The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-02-14
THE Cn0RpENNlNG FRAUD.
An Expose Gflfhe Connection OF
CreSTci., Eafle, Cessna. and
Other E8bhststs with the It.
tenpied Robbery,
Dom riatt's Washington Correspondence il
Cincinnati Tianmarn;ul


Cincinnati Commercially
The history of this affair is brief and
easily understood. This Chorrenning
s the surviving member of finn that
undertook to carry the mails from civil
zation, over the plains, to certain points
on the Pacific coast, for four years en-
dine. in. 1855, For these services the
firm was to receive some S26, ,0o0 a year.
The whole amount Of the contract price
it wouid have been entitled to was s104
900 Subsequently, this firm received t
s233,6i extra allowance, on the ground
of loss from the contract, it being great
cr than was anticipated.
The firm failed in every particular to
carry out its contract with the Govern
meat, and, after two years service, were
thrown over on notice agreed upon in
the contract that entitled it to months |
pay In case the service was discontinued. |
Since that time, first the firm, and sub
sequentiy the surviving partner, has been
before the Government with claim,
based first on losses incurred in carrying
out the contract, and, secondly, on loss
es of profits when deprived OF the SER
vice first agreed upon.
The claim has been pressed in some
shape or other for nearly ten years, and
rejected by Postmaster Generals Brown,
Holt, Blair, Rsndell and Creswell, to-
gethcr with the Court of Claims, the last,
however, deciding that 1t had no juris-
diction. The surviving partner, Dir.
Chorpenning, has been tireless, through
all that time, in pressing his demand up
on the Government He came to be, at
last, rcgular'lobbyist, and the Chor
penning claim took rank among a host
of other recognized chronic demands
upon the Treasury. He seems to lave
enlisted in his behalf Mr. Cessna, of
Pennsylvania, and Mr.. Hill; from New
Jersey, distinguished protectionists,
whose ideas of legislative morality have
been somewhat clouded by their ques
tionable pursuit in favor of pig iron.-
In the last hours of the session termin-
ating in July last, Messrs. Cessna and
Hill made desperate push for their CHI
eat, the suffering mail contractor. They
secured the passage of joint resolu-
ton, authorizing the Postmaster Gener-
al to open up, and, settle the claim Up
on the floor, at the time this thing was
done, WAS Postmaster General Creswell,
together with the more influential polit-
ical agent of his department. | do moi
mean to say that they aided in the pass
age of this resolution Though the cir
cumstances since developed would make
that probable J, .but l do say that the
Postmaster. General was on the floor al
the time this resolution passed, so seri
ousIy affecting his department, and mus
I have known Of the manner of its pass
i age. In the confusion incident to Con
4 press at all times, and more especially
| in the last hours of the session., the res
olution ran through the House, was car
! ried to the Senate, amended there, re
turned and affirmed by the House. ant
signed by the President, all within tn
, space Of day
i The questionable transaction was ia
cilitated by what purported to be re
port in the case in the hands of Mi
| Hill, one of the Committee on Post
offices and Post routes. that was written
. it now seems, by this Cessna, and neve
q at any time submitted to the committee
Soon as the resolution passed, MI
1Earle, former partner of the Postmaste
General, and lately his assistant, resign
I ed his place in the department. and be
: came the attorney for the mail contract
. or.
Mr.. Crcswell, who had once decide
3 against the clam, seems, under the IN
fluence of his former partner and Assist
! ant Postmaster General, to have gon
Into the affair very complacently. Here
!. tofore he had been distinguished by hi
: anxiety, expressed on all conceivable OF
casions, to carry on his department. wit
y ECONOMY. so as to make it self-sustail
ling. On this occasion we have not
: word from him. On the contrary, aftt
el he renders his decision granting th
!. enormous sum to stale claim, instea
). of waiting for an appropriation, he DIRE
n "a draft against the general fund th'
e would have paid the claim, the lawyer
/ and put the hungry fellows, Cessna, Hi
and all, in possession of their none,
" but from the fact of the law, passed
n the last session. covering in the fund.
Now here is pollution sosofensive tn
!. not even Messrs. Cessna and Hill-the'
q enthusiastic protectionists, who may
/. heard almost upon every other questie
II in Congress-dare say word in its q
a Tense Mr.. Hill tried to explain, ,makir
Il lame effort in that direction. but Jof
,ol Cessna sat silent during the debate N
= have I heard man, in or out OF 20
al gress, for or against the Administrative
70 attempt to Justify the rascality. M
" Dawes, in his remarks, spoke with e
,e ceeding great caution, and seemed
shrink from an expose of the Postma
10 ter Generals conduct Privately, ho'
=. ever, he says that 1t is villainous bu
n ness all around. Mr.. Beck, Of Kentuck
n. was more open in his demonstrate
he but even he failed to do the subject jr
w tlce.
m Not only was the manner of openil
.. up this case an atroc:ous outrage, b
10 the basis Of its settlement seems to
Id equally questionable, To the; man W
. claimed extra compensation for 10
a. in two wears service Mr.. Creswell
ofllows claim for profits,on the two yea
as The was deprived of that service,at +;
Of that gave him -four dollars out OF eve
aa five that would have been paid. \
ne Chorpenning, the claimant, secured, it
or said, thirty thousand dollars out of
~ Eamount, that can not be recovered
=, THE Government. This, however, v
,ss scarcely pay expenses.
mol Congress, by an almost unanimc
nd vote, stigmatized the transaction as
,re famous, Messrs. Cessna and Hill as G
ay rupt tools of lobby agent, and \
a;s Cresswell as unfit for his position in
Am Cabinet. 1t wonld be well for the pic
pap journals of the country. whose
iicial nostrlls arc offended at my da
expose of infamY here, to take this +
ers into consideration and moderate tn