The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-20
TIE POST OFFICE FRAUDS.
THE omar COST or WHTTEWASHING
CRESWEIL IN 1879.
The King Of tho straw Bid Contractors
Swearing that he Paid $4,000 to stop
Invcstigat!on-Bribes to Post Onco Men.

CNfiFluu tnht ut fatu DfVsuUU 10 Rtou
Invcstigat.on-Bribes to Post OHco Men.
WAsHrNGTos, March 10.-The Post ONCE
Committee yesterday evening examined Bradley
barlow, the king Of the straw bid contractors.
This man and his associates during the corrupt
and pronigato administration Of the Post OGce
Department by Crcswe robbed the Government
Of several millions Of dollars. He has always
attended to his own business here in
the department. and whenever he is In
Washington he IA certain TO be seen
some time during the day. sauntering about the
Post Orco building. He is quiet looking man,
and has the reputation OF doing his business IN
very silent manner II is said that he never
kept bank account here. but that, being Presi-
dent OF a bank In st. Adams, VT, he has always
done all his banking business through his own
bank. This was doubtless tdone for fear that
there might some day he an ovcrhauling OF bis
transactions by a Congressional committee or
! ganized to ind out and not cover up frauds.
The nrst nterrog tories addressed to Barlow
yesterday were intended to draw from hi m q
statement IS to the amount OF money he annu-
uly expended hero In looking after aud attend
ing to the business OF Barlow s. Snndcrson In
| the Post once Department. 1t will be remem-
hered that Mr.. Daiforth testified on Fri
day last that Sanderaon frequently told him
that ut took a great deal Of money to
grease them critters In the Post once Depar Z
ments that they had to pay ono man 5000
quarter, and had given another pair OF horses
and buggy, aud stiil other a fne diane nd pin.
! The former bookkeepsr OF Barlow and Sander
| son testified that no never heard Sandefson
make any such remarks. and that the account OF
| Barlow for expenses was invariably $500
quarter for travelling expenses only that aud
Yesterday Barlow admitted that his account
lsrly for the frm OF Barlow & sanderson, were
much more than $500 a quarter. He DID not
| q aR a n flnngapd
lars. The books OF the firm would
snow what they amounted TO. He was next
asked for wnat purpose this money was
expended here, and he replied generally that no
had to pay great many people for services rem
expended by him on account of Barlow, Huntly
& Co., for the routes In the Far West and North
west. These accounts. he said. he did not rem
der to the general once at Boise CITY, but no
settled with his partners here, and arranged AL
these matters. lie did not know what amount
he discussed here, but one year II was quite
heavy.
II was in 1872 when the Committee on Post
on res and Post Roads wa. nyesugatlns the
straw bid system. Joseph Mckibben ard Col.
they knew all about the business; aud could
have made II very interesting lie did not want
II to go too far, because II II did he Knew Il
would do him serious damage, and so be paid
Farrar large sum of money to have the
lnvestgation STOPPED. lie, would not state
that It was In the nelgbborhood OF
$4,000. He did not know what became Of the
money-to what use Farrar PUT II, but he evi-
IDENTITY put It where It did the most good, be-
cause tue Investigation never amounted to any
thing afterward. He did not ask Farrar to whom
the money was to 20, who he WAS soing to di-
vide with. lie did not want to know ANYTHING
the trouble Of forgetting II. Farrar is dead,
having died not long afterward.
The majority of the Committee on Post Onices
: and Post ROADS mad already been rlaced In pos
session Of sufficient information to have en-
abied 1t to go on and make complete and THOR
ough exposition OF the straw bid systom aud
the enormous frauds which were beiDg perpe-
trstei on the Government by II, and they could
has FaannnAibiltfx rhAIRfOr
to Postmaster-Genersl Creswell. OF course
they did not want TO do this. Their bus
Iness was not to nnd out, and TO give Cres-
well "A fine coat Of whitew ash. In their
report they explained what straw bidding was
rccltcd the attempts to lerslate against the evil
: | showed that Gre well followed the olc-ostab
, | lshed practice IN the letting of contracts. and
finally shifted the responsibility from his shoul'
a | man, who had given Cr,swell an opinion on tbs
act OF 1876, which suited straw King. There
1 Ia not one word IN the report, from be
I ginning to end, about the eyeidence befor,
q the committee In regard to the faudulent con
. tracts awarded after the failure OF the straw
, biaders, but the mu1 1Ority conclude by eNOne
rating Mr.. CresweI and throw the responsible
q ny for his acticn IN making contracts for TEN
y porary service, ON rates stTawed by the yer!
Z men to whom no let the service, on the ex
- | Attorney General
! The minority, however, goes into the whole
+. system In their report aud shows how Cfes
= well had played into the hands Of the Ring. TIT
, very same fiauds which were afterwarIs 50 FULL
and clearly exposed Ia lHE sun, and whlcl
: facts therein set out have now been shown D
q q tine testimony OF Special Agent Underwood L
. have been before CIeswell and his SEQ
9 ond assistant in AN official form. Thes
frauds touched upon by the minor
ity, ana they conclude that there was
deliberate concralment OF these abuses by th
Postmaster General, tut no attention whatevo
was paid by the Republican majority In tb
II House to the able and convincing report O
Mcssrs. Van Trump, Randall, and D1rroll, tb
minority Of the committee. bradley Barlo'
@ swears that he paid $4,000 to stop the invest "a
= ton. Was It for the majority TO report ald /
secure its adoption IN the House