West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-11-15

! 80 49, VI lNe l'iONihlpNs.
We presume Gen Mohone will be
elected TO the United States Senate,
instead of Hon j. Randolph Tucker
~ would have been the case had Tie
other patty won. Gen. II. is a
starnch Democrat, and a man of un-
bounded energy and perseverance,.
The Postofioe os q Political En-
CINE.
Il costs in round fgures about
thirty million dollars a year 10
wo.k the Pest Office Department,
leaving out Of view entirely the ex-
penditure for buildings and the like
which is INSTANTLY iocreasiog by the
demands for larger facilities in all
the growing cities. At the close OF
tire last fiscal year, June 80, 1879,
there were 1885 Postmasters oper-
ating n the whole country. OF this
number only III were appointed
directly by the Executive and con
irmed by the Senate. The remain
ing 30,l44 are supposed TO have been
appointed by the Postmaster Gen
eral, but, in fact, they were mainly
chosen by the Fret Assistant, James
N. Tyner, Chief OF the Appointment
Division. Tyner is really the De-
partment.
Tyner is best known as one of the
active lieutenants Of the late Senator
Morton, and az an interruptions par
tisan who has never failed to make
the Office he holde subservient to po-
iitical purposes. He has been as
audacious In the use Of patronage az
he has been reckless in the expendi-
ture OF public money for personal
qualification. la such hands, and
without the least restraint beng i'm
posed by his ostenaibie chief, who is
only tenant by euGerance, 1t is easy
to understand how these tLirty-rine
thousand Post Offices have, in the
main, been utilized for tLo Ropubi-
can machine.
There is no preteuce Of Disguise
about Tyner's operations. He re-.
CARDS this patronage as belonging to
the party, and not to the public, and
be uses it for partisan ends. These
Postmastors form a sort ol standing
partisan army who either get their
orders directly from Washington or
indirectly through the loca. Repub-
lican leaders. ia this way, at the
late election in Maine, Mr.. Blaine
turned the assessment screw on The
service, down even to little Poatmas.
ters with less than fifty dollars a
year oil income.
The Second Assistant Postmasfsr-
General, Thomas J. Brady, another
lieutenant Of the late Sen.tor Nor
ton, and, like Tyner, hailng from To-
diana, has charge of the immense
contracts for carrying the mails by
railway, by steamboats,. by coaches.
and On horseback. More adroit than
his associate, he has less ambition for
social display, is cunning, and knows
all about the methods o! straw bid
ding and other devices Of pet con
tractors. Because Of his peculiar ft
ness for the service to be performed
Gen. Grant sent him to Florida 10
ace that the Returning board made
an honest count against Mr.. Til
den.
Starting with nearly ioriy-oue
thousand Postmasters, it is estima-
ted that, including the C erks Iu the
Post OAioes, the messengers, the Ia
borers, the letter carriers, the route
agents, Che railway messengers, The
agents for st-Dps and for postal
cards. the contractors and their
Thousands Of employees, the chiefs
and clerks and messengers and Is
borors in tie department proper, and
multitude Of other persons not die
.incily named By law. th-r9 arc
more than a hundred tbouani pso-
I fls connected with the postal serv-
zee. All This enormous patronage is
virtually controlled by Tyner and
Brady, who employ 10 in the interest
I of The Republican party and Of them.
soiyes.-N Z. Sun.