The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-26
MAIL SERVICE SECRETS.
UuY CONTACTS ARE NOT GIVEN To
THE Lon EST BIDDERS
hrho Testimony OF an ola Contractor Pest
p,aster-t3enerai Jcwcirs AhortiVe ~
s. ,empts nj Reform outside Influence

some interesting testimony before inc i"S' VI
nee Committee last week. When the war proho
out Mr. Reesldc was largely Interested In sta-e
routes In Arkansas and Louisiana. on the day
of the attack on Sumter he left Little Rock,
came North, and remained here until the end oi
,he war In company with one Price, former
oartner ~ his Rccslde m de application 70
Postmaster.G eneral Denuison for a man con
trnct ID nnson asked him AT what rate ho
would take the routes that he had before inc
war. Rceslds answered. " The Old pay for the
old Service" Dennlsou declined at thai time 10
let the routes, but sfterward let them to f. T.
Bawyer, Price, and Others Mt higher rates saw
yer told the witness tina. D,unison had not "h'y
riven him contracts, but had also appointed
him Special Agent, snd given him blank co'n-
missions to appoint Postmasters In Tn u section
Of country.
Afterward Reside got introduced TO POST
master-Genetal Creswell BY Mr.. Shoemaker OF
Adams Express Comp ny, Baltimore, and had
several conversations with him In relation 70 re-
forming abuses IN the mail service OF Wells
ERGO & Co., but he soon noticed "A change IN
Creswell's manner, and he did not trouble him
further In the mean time be had underoid
Wells. Fargo & Co., on a route from the end OF
the Kansas Pacific road to Denver, butths route
WAS suspended as unnecessary" although
along 1t thcre we're scverl military posts and
large numbers Of men engaged IN building the
railroad. A Mr.. Y lids, IN the Post Once De-
partrent. told the witness TIA 1t the Postm Aster-
General hid made 10 his mind not to let the
route. and 1t was useless to say ANYTHING more
about II. Soon after Reside met is the
agent OF Wells, FARGO Co.. who asked him
what be would take Tor his chance. Reside told
marsed "unnece ss4ry," hut Otis offered him
$4,000, which Reside accented, with the inaer,
standing that he should d. all he could, and
have tue suspension revoked. Creswell, how
ever. was inexorabie. but within YER he let
ran 1t until the coru pletion OF the road TO Den
yer, The witness tried no more under hr' Cres-
MR.. JEWELL DELIGHTED.
when Mr.. Jewell came In Re side called upon
him, unintroduced, and offered. as IN Old unit
contractor, to tell him how he could Improve
the mail service and at the same tune save a
great deal of money. Jewell seemed much
pleased at the prospect OF saving. and a, once
proposed conference. In which Reesde offered
20 take contract for service between Cedar
the department was then paving the New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore steamship lines
lighted. Reside called next morning. just as
Jewell was going To Cabinet meeting, and was
so and inc Postmaster, General WIS very cor
dial. and said that he had shown the propos-
ton to the members of the Cabinet, VINO werc
very much pleased indeed that this amount was
90 be saved. Reeside said he was sorry II had
been mentioned, and EXPRESSED a fear that the
opposition from the New York, Pennsy vania,
Maryland, end Louisiana sena' ors, waose con-
sttuents were Interested in the existing con-
tracts, that he would be unable to make the
new one. He also suggested that 1t would be
Jeweli's nomination should nave been CON
hrmed and with that understanding they went
on to talk Of other reforms that might ue m de
In the service along the coast, on the Mississippi,
and in tie Territories.
Jewell said he was inexperenced, and asked
heeside TO cit down with Cniei Special Agent
Woodward, who. he said, hal his iul conhd nee.
aod 20 over these matters. Accnr .insli, the
witness pointed out to Woodward several I'm.
necessary routes, among them one from Bllti-
moreto ffeuenskspurF, Va, curing the sea
son Of navigRiIpn." Woodward wondered wlv
any such route ~ that had D-cn created. and
Iee-ide sugst ste that possibly u was because
me owner of the boat ON tue route was one
jacob lome relative 81 the lte Fostm ister-
General. Nr. Cr'sweii. Reeside also called a.
ten ion to the Peterson contracts on the Nlssts-
hirpi. After time MIR. Jewell told the witness
that Nes~rs Roberts. Morgan VI Il Nry Claimed
IT cts, ana tnut he had ciDed 20 iaviie all re
parties To hid Tor the route. keeside w. tae
lowest bidder, Out the rodto was gwen 10
OVERWHELMED Win BUSINESS.
Jewell then asked Reeside 20 taae mold u the
Mssl,sippi river service with "o.dwald' ana
SAID to him: " II Nou Dring me steamboat man
VINO is tue owner OF master Of a boat. and VINO
will carry the mail, IS yod y, Tor les, Tia N
10000, thr G times weck, between ~, l. 'dis
and New Orean., supplying the way ON e p,
will make contract with Tim at once" Rec.
EiCe put himself in communication with scyt raj
steamboat men In the southwest, snd soon "A
Capt. bo1nger, representing responsible Ut IN
ia St Louis, a pearel In Washington. lieestie
took him to the POstmaster-Gen-fal and intro
duced him, saying: Governor have brought
the steamb lat man to contract for that M % in
side OF 10000" Mr. Jewell showed a dis.uell-
nation To close the contract at once, an Rec
side, becoming indignant, rose to leave the
room, out lrst Gale ed on the Postmaster enerdl
% state to Capt. BOhnger what tie had SAID O.
him (keeside), So that the steamboat man should
on fools Grand. Mr.. Jewell admitted II all
but said he was SO overwhelmed with business
that he really did not know what service the de.
partment needed there, and tnat IL keeside and
Bohnger would sit down with Woodward aud
go over the books and the routes ana see just
what service was required, lie would then be
ready to contract. They did so, and during the
how the bids had been made, and called atten-
fion TO case where one M had made two
distinct bids on .hs c ,eme r9Ite-2ne u - s
pas ed over and the route let NJ tue rae Of
f&,OO. Tue witness Thought this was one Of
PetersOn's contracts, but was not sure.
MYSTERIOUS POWER.
After time the route from Vicksburg 10 New
Orleans was TO be let, and the POstma Ter q n.
eral had brought Captains Iobin and feathers
owners and commanders OF steamboats, ON the
river, to Washington To take the route. but he
sfterward let u 10 a SPECULATIVE bidder named
Or who did not own a DO I, and who failed
to put the service Ia operation. Reside ked the
Postmaster General wDat penalty be had iutiict
ed on Draper, and tue reply was that his cnecl
had been forfeited, and the difference between
hts oid and the rate Of the Subsequent letiinl
charged 10 hin. Draper was subsequently ac
cepted upon a number Of routes, and mis- check
given up To him, and the witness mad he ara tina
the difference between Diapers bi1 ana the ra
subsequently PAID had been charged not az ms
Draper but To the " Trans ortatlon. account
Reside was told by Woodward that Peter on
pay was suspended soon uft-rwaid he was IL
Nillards Hotel when Peterson approached hin
anu called out rudely: Z" suppose YOU tuinl
you have played hell with nv ruutes!" keesld'
IA kcd hun What he meant. " You have oeei
trying. SAID Pc ersOn, 50 D. yet my contracts an
nulled." Yes" repled Ree,ide, 4" have | lkei
pains to expose your 'scautes, aud shall con
tinue TO do II until GO tLne Postmaster Genera
TO annul the contracts, II he mas not done I
already" "YOu Nill not succeed" sad Peter
son. II don't think you are Postmaster Gen
eral," SAID hseside. I'm snow YOU whether
amt" replied Peterson adding, You won't ge
anything; | Will take damned good caro- a
that" Peterson subsequently boosted that h
had power to prevent the anuullnent OF us con
tracts. Ree,ids asked whore his power v
Peterson ansrlly replied that he knew niinsell
bul certainly would not tell Reeside.
GRANT MIGHT INTERFERE.
=, when the + ttmaster-G en- raj spoke OF annul
nug ieletsuns contracts, the witness tod hiH
ne uld u Il tuink IL coulI be done because Pe
teIsoh hid some very Influential fiisnds, and 90
thought II prnba lie that Gen. Gram niunsel
M'kht interfere IA ms bennll, as IL was repOrte,
thdt mayor Berk WITH (Acting CummissarY Gen
ertl NJ tle umrl WAS receiving part OF Pet-rso u
pay and Mr.. Jewell found, on examining IN
accounts, that warrants hNd issued 10 B-ckwiti