Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-15
TIE Mall Service in the West.

on the resolution offered recently in the
House ut Representatives. asking Tor m
vesti-a-iuu INTO alleged frauds and abuses
In the letting OF mail contracts 10 the est,
the Hon. } X Luitrell, of California. ap-
peared before the committee on postothoe>
and 1ost-r0ads. and submitted the following
direct charges.
iloUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
NAsuNcroN, u. C., April 20, le14.)
lion JOHN Z Packer. Chairman Of Com
n.v.. o4 ppVeH-ss and Posf-R70ds
>fE in aceordanct with the request Of
yoar hououbIe committee that ! prepare
and present specific charges IN relation 10
alleged irregularities and abuses believed
to exist in the matter of mail contracts and
the payment OF contractors. have the
honor to submit the following
Flrst-I charge that Bradley Barlow, C.
{. Huntlev. owen Miller j. ". Parker, ;
Huutlev. j /. sandereon, +. 7 Sawyer,
T. II Peterson. Glmer u Salisbury, aI1
Others were paid in advance Of services req
dercd and in direct violation of sections 3si
and sos Of the postal laws OF the United
>ta-es.
second l charr that the accounts aitle
above named parties were settled IN the
oiire of the Sixth Auditor of the Treasury in
an irregular manner. without proper tyl-
deuce That service had been rendered, and
upan certificates issued By the postoiice de-
;.s.rtneI- inat said parties had performed
the required service, said certificates beng
false.
Third charge that contractors have re
ceived full pay whore no service wa~ rem
de-ed. upon fraudulent certificates now on
file IN the Treasury Department. certify Ing
8 Hr| \
uuon routes hich have been rendered i'm
paesahle by heavy snow storms. and that
tie records of the post1fhce Will show that
where complaints have been made by post
masters OF the failure OF contractors 10 pro
perry carry and deliver the mail. the post
masters have in several Instances been re
moved and their offices discontinued.
Fourth charge that mai contracts are
made with Irresponsible bidders w.O cannot
give bonds for the performance of such con-
tracts. and who are the agents cd a combine
ton formed to deiraud the government, and
that said combination consists Of Bradley
Barlow, F. j. sawyer. { {. Huutley. b IL
Peterson and others, known a. the North
western Stage Company. with whom con
tracts were made and are now IN force after
the regular letting # $50 failed to obtain
service and that said parties-Bradley Bar
4
Peterson and other~-have offered ami given
consideration TO bidders on routes con
tracted hy them to withdraw their contracts
OF fail 10 execute them, IN order that their
service might fall into the hands of the par
ties above named. all Of which l. in direct
violation OF section 250 of the postal laws
of the nited States
Fifth charge that said parties control
among other routes the route from keiton.
Utah, 10 Dalles. Oregon. for which they
receive pay amounting To S229 600 per an
nun the route from Winnemucca, Nevada,
to Biose City, Idaho, for which they receive
pay amounting 10 81. 600 per annum; the
route from Oruyillo, California. to Portland,
Oregon. for which they receive pay amount
ing to---peT annum and that while
this combination controlled the whole Of
this latter route. which l. now somewhat
curtailed by the extension of the railroad,
the mail was carried by the railroad com
pany part OF distance at the expense of the
stage company, and the amount paid the
stage company was greatly in excess Of the
amount the law would have allowed the
railroad company for the same service
SIXTH charge that IN the summer ui
1872 ami In direct violation OF section sixth
of the postal laws Of the United States, 30
large sum was allowed the stage COMPANY
Tor increased speed in carrying the mai
the route from Or0ville. Cal 10 Portland
Oregon, said mail having been partly
carried by the railroad companies, thus
shortening the schedule time.
SEVENTH charge that {. c. Huntlcy,
who l. a stage contractor, was bidder on
the steamboat route No. 6,4l3 from New
Orleans. La, To Key West, Fla, on which
the pay j. $50 eco per annum and although
-.
terest in the steamboat carrying the mail
he receives eight per cent. Of the pay.
Papers on file with the auditor of the treas
ury and pay drawn quarterly though the
banking house Of Lewis johnson Il Co.,
of Washington, D. c. All of which J. in
direct violation of section POI of the postal
laws of the United States.
Eighth charge that contracts were
awarded TO straw bidders on most oi the
steamboat route in Louisiana that tempo
rary contracts were made July /. ISL. with
Is. II. Peterson and since renewed on which
he receives over 500. 600 per annum. and
that he l. NOT the maker or owner OF any
steamboat, but employs parties 10 carry the
mall on routes be mas control Of, who were
paid consideration to withdraw their bids
Ninth charge that +. 7. Sawyer con-
trOls nearly all the valuable routes in the
State Of Texas, having bought of reliable
bidders on routes and given TO such bidders
drafts against his mail pay, which have
been negotiated through Washington
bankers and paid quarterly by the auditor,
and that drafts against F. =. SAVERS mail
pay given 10 c. NJ. Lockwood, bidder on
one of sawyer : largest mail routes IN Texas.
were negotiated and paid through the First
National Bank OF Washington. u. {.
lenth-l charge that most Of the routes
controlled by Bradley Barlow d CO. are
sub-let in direct violation of section 37l oi
the postal laws OF the nited States
Eleventh. charge that the records OF
the P0stothce Department and Auditor
Office of the Treasury will show that many
Of the contracts held by Bradley Barlow, c.
{. Huntlev, Owen Miller, j. W. Parker.
;. :. Huntley. F. p sawyer. B. Il. Peterson.
Gilmer and Salisbury, and Others were
made with other parties. and that the con
tracts are controlled by them as agents or
attorneys.
Twelfth charge that on post-routes
from Nalla- ala 10 Missoula, 453 miles.
supplying Steyensyille and Fort Owens by
SIDE supply. contract WIS ordered with
:. : Blake at Sl5,loO per annum that
Blake tailed 20 execute his contract, and
that a contract Wa made with L. G Hunt
ley at S22 800 per anuum, from July l.
$50. That on July - $50. an additional
imp was ordered on side supply. increasing
the pay 81 200 per annum. On August %.
$50. the service was extended on side sup
ply TO Gird : Creek, 45 miles. increasing
the pay 81 $50 per annum. On December
22i. ls7O, Two additional trips were ordered
on the whole route. increasing the nay SILL
15i per aunum, making the total paw re-
ceived per annum by {. c. Huntley. 81
4O4
Thirteenth charge that the postufhce at
Grid : Creek on side supply ordered August
%. le1O, was discontinued on December -.
ISL, and has not been re-established, and
that [. {. Huntley receives the pay 81, 500
on tins discontinued route in violation of
law and for services which be does not rem
der by reason OF such discontinuance.
The fourteenth, fifteenth. and sixteenth
counts embrace substantially the same
charges a. those contained in the preamble
70 MI. Stones resolution offered in the
House last week, and already published
Numerous routes are given. with the amount
ui the bld in each case and the price at
when the contract was ordered. The
charges under the fourteenth count are
summed a. follows:
That the bids Tor service on these several
routes amount IN the aggregate to SlOs.-
e22 VI, aud that Contracts were made for
tins serriee amounting TO the sum Of s6ss.-
100, IN direct ISOLATION of the postal laws
and regulations of the United States
The conclusion of the fifteenth charge Is
That the aggregate bids for the mail
service on the foregoing routes amount 70
S40, s.4O, and that contracts were made
for this service for the sum of SIT .O30. SO.
In direct violation OF the postal laws and
regulations of the United States.
Serepfaepsh-I abarra H..
derson & Co. received some SIS GOO N, g.
rying the mail between Callanap's rnncb
sad Shasta, in the State Of California. and
that they fail to connect with Trinity