The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-03-30
POSTOFFTCE FRA UDS.


Last week the Committee on Postofices
and Post Roads, of which Mcmahon, of
Ohio, is a very efficient investigator,
struck big bonanza of fraud and corrup-
ton in the Postoiiice Department, which
duplicates two ex.Cabinet officers and a
half dozen Congressman. Barlow, the
head of the firm of Barlow, Sanderson q
Co., late contractors for the West and
Northwest, was placed on the stand, and
very important information squeezed out
of him, Notwithstanding his endeavors to
cover up the rasCality and screen the
frauds. In 1872, by straw bids, his firm
got contract on an Oregon route over
several competitors, all of whom bid
lower. Defeated, the bidders felt that
fraud had been used, and employed Will
liams, afterward Attorney General, Col.
McKibben and Ferrar, lawyers, to expose
the fraud by which the contract had been
procured. McKibben published an arti-
Gle making fierce attack in the news
papers, and resolution was adopted by
the House ordering the Postal Commit
tee to investigate the charges. The com
mittee proceeded to investigate. The
majority of the committee, consisting Of
Farnsworth, of Illinois, Hill, of New Jer-
sey, Jim Tyner, of Indiana, Houghton,
Twitchell and Porter, made report, in
which no allusion was made to the ras-
Cality of Barlow's firm at all. The mi
nority, consisting of Van Trump, Of Ohio,
Randall, of Pennsylvania, and Garrall, of
New York, made report showing fraud
and corruption to exist, and using such
paragraphs as these "That the Post
master General did twice violate the law
in the letting of the route from Oreville,
California, to Portland, Oregon, at an un-
necessary expense of nearly 100000, is
distinctly proven" The minority of the
committee are compelled to state from
evidence that the system of fraudulent
or straw bidding has grown to its full
volume under the Administration. They
believe that it is the direct result of eX-
cessive and unreasonable contracts given
out by the PostoffiCe Department They
consider the refutation of the statement
of General Creswell, that he acted under
the opinion of the Attorney General, as
complete, and they believe that an opin-
ion was obtained after the Postmaster
General had determined to change the
practice of the Department, and is now
offered as an excuse and apparent justi-
fication therefor. They believe his aC-
ton was without justification in refusing
to entertain the bids of reasonable con-
tractors, which he could do under the
established usages Of the Department.
Congress took no action on the matter or
the report then made. Barlow's evil
dence yesterday developed this. Will
liams, Farrar and McKibben, who were
to show the fraud of Barlow's contract,
sold out and dropped the prosecution.
Barlow, it is alleged, gave Farrar $4,000
to prevent the committee from making
an unfavorable report to his firm, which
had two hundred thousand dollars in
vested in the Oreville route. He gave
the money in small sums until the report
was made, and then he paid the rest He
took no receipts and kept no account Of
money, because he knew the men were
a bad crowd and dangerous to deal with.
The report of the majority was written
by McKibben, and artfully avoids all al
lusion to the route which the committee
was to investigate. After the report was
made, Barlow took McKibben in his en-
ploy, and he has retained him ever since.
This is what was squeezed out of Barber,
who will be put upon the stand again.
The question now is, how much did
Farnsworth, Tyner & Co. get for their re-
port?
TYNER.
Evidence crops out all around that
Tyner is one of the most corrupt rascals
in this corrupt era. He is Morton's man
Friday. No sooner was he out of Con-
gress than he was made Assistant Post
master General, and despite the efforts
of Jewell to run the Department hon
estly, Tyner and the rings have ruled the
roost and robbed at will. Tyner is the
official who ordered Switzer, an employe
in the Indianapolis Postofice, to be dis
charged on grounds of insanity, when he
made charges of fraud against the BROTH
ers of Holloway, the indianapolis Post
master, who robbed the mails and shared
the profits with the contractors, Harry
Io1 bo;,,o, ,,oJoy ~ nov,