Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-04-14
CLEARFIELD Pa, WEDNESDAY, APRIL IA, 1880

t
stances il is clear that the rate thai
was reasonable for service once ol
twice q week, through a sparsely
settled region, becomes exorbitant
when multiplied by three or six tC
cover daily service, ! would there
fore recommend that section 1860 bC
so amended as TO permit the Post
master.General to advertise for new
proposals for the increased service
the contract to be awarded TO the low.
est responsible bidder as usual. Sec
tion 1861 should be so amended that
when the cost of increased speed
would amount to more than fifty pei
cent. of the cost Of the original service
the Postmaster General should read.
vertise for service at the increased
speed
Thus il will be seen that the Post
master General himself recognizes the
fact that too much discretion is be-
slowed on his Department and recon,
mends change OF the law. Your com.
mittee have added TO the second section
of this bill the following proviso
Prouidsd. That the Postmaster General shall
not hereafter have the power to expedite any
contract either now existing hereafter given to
a rate Of pay exceeding so per cent. upon the
contract as originally let.
If that proviso had been IN force be-
fore 1879 we should have had no com.
plant on this subject ofinereased expe.
dition. The large increase could not
have been made the contracts could
not have been changed so enormously
tney would have had to be surrendered
and new ones made.
Another objection to this practice is
that, under the law as il now stands,
there sno competition for increased
expedition or for the increased number
of trips, The ost.OAice Department
is compelled to give the increased ex,
pedition and the increased number Of
trips to the contractor who has the
route. The Department has no dlscre-
tion unless it fOrielts the contract and
reIets the whole.
The House bill strikes at all Of these
routes, l07 in number without dis.
elimination, and does not conduct the
service to the end of the fiscal year
upon its existing basis The bill, as
amended by your committee, conducts
the service now in existence to the end
of the fiscal year, but allows these ques
tons Of wrong or fraud or increase to
DO settled and adjusted in the bill for
the coming fiscal year, when we shall
have carefully examined all the facts
and are able dispassonately and Judi
cially to apply the knife If il be the
remedy. Contractors and officials are
equally within our reach, but we must
act on facts and not upon suspicion.
The evil effect of the House provisc
which strikes without discrimination
would be found in the case of the
routes to Deadwood or to Leadville
where within the last eighteen months
has grown up enormous communities
which required moro rapid transporta
ton OF the mails, and an increased
number of trips per week. The powel
to do what has been done existed, ant
in those cases the Postmaster. Genera
exercised proper and wise discretion
and no Senator surely will say tina
because tho increase is over 81 500 upor
these routes we should strike dowr
the service from the railway to Dead
wood from fast mail to q slow on,
and give them a freight wagon IN room
of a passenger coach The effect o
that would be felt at once in the Eas
as well as in the West, and so it woulC
be with the route to Leadville, You
committee have differed with tn,
House upon this subject and hav,
} eliminated from the bill the provist
which struck down all these rontes
because there was no discrimination
J among them. 1t is q sweep at tn,
whole and has cut them all up by Tn,
root. The effect would be to chang
fast routes 20 slow ones. IL would hav,
} deprived whole communities Of tn
rapid interchange of business inter
course between them, so much char
acteristic of our people 1t would, a
have already said, prevent the rapi'
transportation Of mail matter iron
New York, the heart now of the min
ing interests, TO Leadville or Deadwoot
aud to all the mining camps in tht
: West.
, Besides that, 1t would have given 4
the express companies the opportunit!
tor carrying that is now possessed By
the Government and where q ias
team is given by us slow one wouI,
have been put in its place, while tn
. express companies would have reapct
, the profit We had serious complaint
, before the committee from contractor
} who alleged that they had taken thei
, contracts in good faith, had their allow
, ance for increased speed made in goot
faith, put upon their contract route
, large expenditures of money in goo,
. faith, and that the effect OF the Hous'
bill was to financially ruin them. BE
, fore the subcommittee one Of thes
contractors presented n memoria
, which | will ask the Clerk to read a
showing the effect Of the House bill
! proviso upon existing contracts. Thi
{ complaint has reference to one Of tn
routes have already named.
The Chief Clerk read as follows
wasnxeroS, D. c., March let, 1880
10 he Chai man Of he subeomn nitee Of The Sea
ate Commiiiee on appropriations harfag in charS
Hou" bR making an appropriation for ihe po'
fel star service
respectfully submit the following fa,ts In re
. gard 70 star route No. 81 10, W yomins, whio
| am contractor.
This route runs from Rock Creek 90 the Unlo
Pacific Railroad by Fort fcttertnan and Poi
Mckinney to Fort Custer, Mcntana--a5s milei
II was advertised by the Post 0iico Department
May ~, 1878, service to commence OJtober
! 1873, for three trips per week. bad that par
Of Il between Rock Creek aud Fort fetterina
stocked, and carried the nail during the Summe
Of 1873. ] was bidder for the through servic
Z at Sls,770 per nnnum. TWAS awarded to 0eorg
( L. MtDonough Lowest biddcr) for sli,T71 pc
, annum was afterward ourtailed forty miles, an
81 ,26975 deducted, leaving Sl0.507 20, 1 sol
Z my stock 10 McDonough. lie was declared fai
, ing contractSr by the Post othce Departmsn
about April !, 1879, ana the sutelies on bis cor
tract we're offered the service.
being aware that good and fast servic
4 would be needed and had already heon asked io
by the military Of Forts f,tterman, MoKinne,
and Clusters, also by the large cattle and minin
interests ofthat country, took this route from th
0 sureties and went immediately to work I
!. stock the route and build stations. omnenset
the service April IA, 1879, tri- weekly, with eigh
; days time each way, pay, l0,5o7.25. The Ion
i time was objecti6uAble. wus, howevever, CON
PEELED to use Il 10 order to keep within the rna
lpay.
Petitions and requests from all parties inter
| estsd were seat 70 the Department praying 70
daily service and shorter time june II, 1915
:, the Department ordered four additional trips pc
4 week at a cost Of sl4,oog66, and an expedite
Of time from eight days to three days and ,hrs