Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-02-12
T L EGG r A PHO
LATER FROM THE ATLANTIC SIDE.
Postal Service inyes,,ra,to..

Postal Service Investigations.
CHICAGO, Feb. 3.--The Chicago TIM.
Washington special says II the fnc,s
brought out by the postal committee are nm
indication of the general conduct of the
postoffice department., the failure of The
postal service TO pay for itself will not be 90
much of a mystery. Trivial error in the
construction of the law and illegal practices
in the payment of claims accumulate until
the committee are overwhelmed. Estimat.
ing the amount of the robbery practiced nuder
Creswell, one day one Of the committee ex.
aiming the department finds Sc 600 600 are
dropped from the books without the least
sign of explanation, and next day the req.
ular committee on postofiices and post roads
brought to light additional facts of the great
source of robbery, the straw bid contracts.
John A. Scudder, president Of the st. Louis
and Memphis Packet Co. was before the
committee yesterday. In 1871 his company
made bid for the contract to carry the mail
from White River, Ark, to Vicksburg, pro.
posing to do the same for $1,000 q year. A
straw bid of SO, $40 was placed in the depart.
ment, and the notorious DIR. B. H. Peterson
was awarded the contract at $4,000; Scud>
ders bid being entirely ignored. Peterson
did not even own dug out, but when 1t was
stated he was surgeon of Giles A. Smiths
regiment, and was boon companion of that
famous general, who at the time of the
letting of this contract was second assistant
postmaster general, and was at the head of
the contract bureau, the matter becomes very
transparent. Peterson went to Scudder and
sublet the contract to him at $40, 900 a year,
or SO, 600 more than Scudder offered to do
the work. for. This left Peterson $4,000
clear the first year, and for the next three
years by some means he managed to get SER.
900 q year for work he was subletting for
$40 900 a year. Thus in about four years he
made 100000 and the government paid out
about $7O, 900 more than It would have done
had the contract been let 10 Scudders com.
pany.
Meeting of she National Republican
Congressional Committee.
WASHINGTON, Feb 3.--The National Re-
publican Congressional Committee met to.
night for the purpose Of completing organi.
ZatiOn for the campaign. The committee
was called to order by Senator Cragin. On
motion of Senator Logan Senator Cameron
OF Pennsylvania. was unanimously elected
chairman. Senator West, in Senator Came
ron's absence, accepted the position for the
latter In few remarks. Hon. l. NJ. Ed
munds was unanimously elected secretary, T..
p. Brooks Withdrawing his candidacy for
that Office. Jacob Tome was elected treas.
urer. The committee proceeded 10 ballot
for an executive committee and resident
member of the District OF Columbia. The
following Is the executive committee: Sem
ator Cameron of Pennsylvania, Craign.
West Logan and Dorsey, and Represents
tives Rust, Hubbell, Snnickson and Plat
Letter From HI. @. Bowen.
NEW YORK, Feb. 4.--To-night Mr., Henry
c. Bowen presented letter to the examining
committee of plymouth Church in answer to
the grievances of Mr.. S. V. White. member
of said committee. He commences by saying
the church once unanimously acquitted him
Of slandcring the pastor At that time he
was charged with talking too much, now
they charge that he is talking too little-too
much silence upon the Triparte Agreement
to bury the past and keep silent in the future
He relates the substance of interviews with
Mr.. White. He says felt at first as do
now, that Mr.. White the examining com
mittee and Plymouth Church, could be better
employed in investigating the direct charge
against their pastor made In the plainest
language, of the crimes of adultery and per.
jury rather than In skirmishing about in
new fields to see IL few more persons could
not be scared, or In some way, drawn or
driven, into the difficulty. l was long ago
told 1t was the secret intention of Plymouth
Church to destroy me II possible. That |
was, In any event, TO be driven from its com
munion. was long ago told II was the
secret intention of Plymouth Church TO
event, to be driven from its communion. |
could not then believe this; but now 1t ap.
pears that others were better Informed than
myself. For more than year past it has
been evident to me and others that this scri.
Gus threat will be soon or later put into exc
cution. have been wickedly, indignantly
assailed in my business affairs. All sorts of
crimes and misdemeanors are charged or
limited at. / have been held up TO- the world
as nlan totally unworthy Of respect or pub.
lie confidence. Every one OF these charges
| or insinuations, pronounce totally false and
their authors slanderers, and hereby chal.
lenge Plymouth church to appoint its own
committee to investigate, openly and yigor-
ously, my words and my deeds either In or
out of the church from the day OF my birth
to the present hour l am ready for the
trial do not propose to give In detail the
facts which have come to my knowledge, or
incidents, disclosures and confidential com.
munications, which, from time TO time, have
been presented or communicated In regard
to the character Of II. w. Beecher.--to his
dishonorable conduct In business affairs. to
his treacherous treatment of friends, to his
breaking of written covenants, to his un.
truthful statements In courts, to his dodging
all through Investigations into his conduct
and character, his stold indifference when
unjust charges and malicious ISLANDERS were
made against particular members OF his
church, his recent contradictory utterances
with regard to what he characterized as the
hodgepodge council composed of wolves and
foxes like DR.. Storrs and Buddington. / will
now tell you frankly my conclusions with
regard to the Plymouth pastor: have
known Beecher quite infinitely since the
day Of his arrival in Brooklyn; / have been
acquainted with him socially and privately
In the church and in his family, in business
and religious matters; / have heard attent:
lively, but with profound grief, what was said
to me confidentially against him; have felt
my heart stirred to It's depths for dear
friends, who, years before the present scan
dial was published sorrowfully begged my
counsel as they assured me their pastor and
mine had carefully betrayed the sanctlty OF
their home; have listened to every charge
long after presented to me by Theodore Til
ton In regard to his own home, and am now
ready to testify to essential facts before any
proper tribunal. have seen him with all
Liza