The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-03-23
The Vindication Of Postmaster General
Wa a7qlI) Jewell. 3a ffita -

The Washington special correspondent oil
tire Baltimore american Of the 10th, has the
following statement
It may be safely asserted that the investiga-
ton of the Postofice Department has thus far
disappointed the expectations of the chief in
vestigators. Save ia very few instances the
testimony has not afforded even the loosest
foundation for a sensational report. and in
these exceptional cases it was necessary to re-
sort to the grossest perversnmof the evidence
and the facts. The story has been set afoat
that when he appeared before the House Com
mittee on Postoeiccs and Post Roads a few
Gays ago the Postmaster General fairly con-
fessed the existence Of startling frauds in the
Department, but declared his inability to pre-
vent them. This is accompanied by an insn-
uation that as the Postmaster General saw that
the committee was sure to unearth the frauds
he thought it best to take the advantage of an
early confession. The trnthis that Coy. jew
ell, finding that bids for carrying mails have
been put iii by parties known to be guilty of
frauds-Kettle and Hines for exampleHunder
the names of other persons, and that as some
of these, parties, are the lowest bidders, he
must, under the existing law, award the con-
tracts to them, he went to the committee, and,
laying the facts before them, asked for legisla-
ton to enable him to reject such bids This is
all there is Of it. The system devised by Sec
ond Assistant Postmaster. General Tyner to
prevent the abstraction of bids has been en-
tire!y successful. The Department now finds
the need of one, more way to thwart the straw
bidders, and ask for legislation to that entl.--
The Postofice Committee has placed the mat
ter before the Attorney General. -
The facts of another of these cases present
certain parties in, very queer POSITIONS An
attempt is made to place Testers iniqulties on
the shoulders Of the Postmaster, General and
Hester himself is put forward to do the work
The truth about this is that about the time
Goy. Jewell came into Office there was much
excitement over the assassination of Ivey, the
mail agent, in Alabama, and Senator Spencer
and Representative Hayes of that State warmly
urged upon him the necessity for sending some-
body there to ferret out the lmurderers. The
Postmaster General agreed that same thing
ought to be done, and the Alabama Congress
man recommended Hester as 4 suitable man to
send. Gov. Jewell asked at the Department
OF Justice as to Hester's qualifications, and res
ceiving highly favorable answer, commission
ed and sent him to Alabama. Hester's extern
sive arrests antssingtlar failure to convict any
body excited suspicion in the Department, and
it was soon discovered that he was using his
power solely to further the political ends of
Spencer, Hayes and their friends He was in
stantly recalled and dismissed from.the service
0CopttC tiie cdIHtSI pIeetuIHS ttIu OppOSllOn OF
Spencer and Hayes. And now we have the
spectacle Of a Democratic committee being used
by the very men w.'o are responsible for the
Hester scandal for the purpose of placing the
onra on the man who put an end to it. One
more baseless SANDER on the Postmaster Gen
eral completes the list for the present. 1t has
been said that through the influence Of his sol,-
ill-law, Mr.. Dodge, Of New York, he awarded
the contract for postoffiee and Registered pack
age enyol0pes for the sertice sfaiti1e Posteffise
Department for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1876, to Geo. f. Nesbtt 4 Co., who were not
the lowest bidders. The records OF the De-
partmentshow that the Postmaster General lac.
nothing whatever to do with the matter, the
bids in question being opened and the contract
awarded by First Assistant Postmaster Gener-
al Marshall, and Third Assistant Postmaster
General Barber, Nesbitt Il Co.'S bid was
about seven thousand less than the next lowest