New-York tribune., 1874-04-14
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRDUSB.l


WASHINGTON April 13.-The "straw bid" scan
dal of the Post Office Department was revived to-
day in the House by a resolution offered by Mr..
Stone of Missouri, prefxed by long preamble set
ting forthn detail the mail routes for which special
contracts we're made under the last letting with the
prices paid and the amounts of the straw bids" on
which the awards were at first made This preamble
began with these words: Hheods 1t will be found
that gross irregularities and abuses exist in the Post
Office Department." and tEen went on to state,
as matters Of fact very serious allegations in regard
to the enormous increase OF compensation allowed
the contractors certain specified routes In the
Pacific States and Territories the original offers
of the straw bidders" 1t was such an explicit
and startling Indictment that 1T excited the ndgna-
ton of the Republicans and in the end caused the
most decided manifestation of old fashioned party
feeling that has been exhibited during the present
session. Before the reading had been half completed
there was a clamOr from the Republican side that it
should cease. The Speaker secured for the paper
hearing, however, and Mr.. Stone, finding that he
had made a serious blunder i'll charging as estab
lished facts matters which he wanted investigated
changed his preamble to WhGeas, 1t is alleged"
instead of Whereas, 1t will be fOund.0 The
Republicans not cOncilIated by the change,
however and on vote by telers the House refused
to second the motion to suspend the rules by ~ Yeas
to 81 Nays.
Mr. Beck called attention to the fact that all the
Democrats voted in the affirmative and all the Re
publicans in the negative. This the beginning
of scene of extraordinary confusion and excite
ment, which the Speaker tried to quiet by rushing
through Mr.. Stones resolution without the pre-
amble The resolution only instructed the Post
Office Committee to make general investigation of
the management of the Department, and was unob-
jectionable to the Republicans. The Democrats
were determined that the accusing preamble should
not be smothered. and demanded that it should be
printed. Mr.. Page of California objected to this
and Mr.. Butler went so far to that it should
be omitted from the journal of the proceedings and
from The Congressional Record but his motion not
entertained. Even the Speaker appeared to share
in the adherence of his party friends for the
troublesome document. Holding it at arms length
between his thumb and fingers as if 1T were poison
Gus, he tossed il back to the clerk saying that he
might have ruled out the preamble as having no
relation TO the resolution, if he had been so disposed
And yet il turned out before the discussion closed
that every charge made in the preamble was based
upon the records Of the Post Office Department.
and had already been filed before the Post-Office
Committee by representative Luttre of California.
In the course of the debate which was through
out unusually acrid and personal a fierce wordy
encounter took place between Messrs. Page and
LuItrell. The former accused the latter of having
false account of the proceedings of the Post-O
Committee on the subject telegraphed to the Cali
fornia papers. Mr.. Luttrell denied tho charge in
vigorous language, emphasized by sledge- hammer
blows upon a neighboring desk Mr.. Page asked
him, in a sneering way, what party he represented
Mr. Luttrell replied that he represented the working
men of California; did not wear the collar of
the monopolists. and no tool of the Pacific Rail
road and the Bank of California One retort
followed another until Mr.. Luttrel who had
several times intimated that his colleague took an
extraordinary interest in the subject put the ques-
tOn to him: Are you not mail contractor your
selfp Il am" replied Mr. Page" and have
right to be-" AHA thought So" said Mr..
Luttrell, and there a loud chorus of " Oh"
"Oh," mingled with derisive laughter from the
Democratic side.
From the statements made at the close of the de-
bate by Messrs. Tyner and Randall, who were men,
bers OF the Post-Ofice Committee in the last Con-
gress. 1t appears that the Committee investigated
the straw bid" frauds and came to the conclusion
that Ring existed that had been pluuderng the
| Treasury for some time. The Republican members
made a report generating the Postmaster-G General
from any blame, and shielding him from RESPONSE
biity by decision OF the Attorney General that
when the first or straw bidder failed In nerfo,m
the service he could not make contract with the
lowest responsible bidder, but must under the law
contract for temporary service until he could apain
advertise for proposals. The way this worked in
practice that the temporary contractors were
always the parties who had been performing tho
service and who had put up the straw bid lob
This was repeated at every letting that tho route