The sun., 1880-02-01

It Is not expected that the investigation
Di the star service will expose all the cor
fuption in the Post Office Department. That
would be task OF long labor, and from the
personal and political interests involved on
both sides, would be apt to stop as other in
uuirics have done, when it was most i'm
portant to go on No thorough overhauling
Or reform is to be looked for without
change of Administration, or without
President possessing the inclination and the
moral courage to purge the public service
OF combinations organized for plumber.
The Post Onlce Department is practically
run by JAMES n. TYNER and THOMAS j.
BRADY, the First and Second Assistants
both of whom hail from Indiana, and were
appointed by the late Senator MORTON.
Two more unscrupulous partisans or daring
jobbers cannot be found inside the Repub-
Mcan organization, and that is saying much,
considering the character OF those who
manage the machine. One is at the head of
tho appointment Bureau, with forty thou
sand Postmasters; and the other is at the
head Of the Contract Bureau, where all the
transportation of the mails by railroads,
steamboats,, coaches, wagons, and horse
back originates.
lntSt TWO oiIlcldlS dIt llOb ClpIHtu WIFI
any authority by law to make appointments
or to complete contracts; and II the Post
mastcr-General was what he should be, they
would exercise none beyond the minor rou-
tine work. Both OF them have long been
under suspicion, and charged with iobbery
In their respective spheres Therefore the
moro reason why the legal and responsible
head Of the department should use caution
in approving their acts.
Section 800 Of the Revised Statutes de-
clares:
1T shall be the duty Of the Postmaster-General to
tupernteni generally the business OF the department
and ,Tecde al idrs reLltire to The postal 'errioe'
There is no delegation Of power to his
assistants. He is not supposed to do the
details, or TO shoulder the routine OF subor-
dinates provided for such inferior duties.
But when the postal laws come to be exc
cuted, and contracts under them to be made,
and appointments to be conferred, he alone
in the department Is to be held responsible.
1t will not do, therefore, to plead that Mr..
KEY was ignorant Of the frauds to which he
officially asscnted or that he was obliged
to rely on BRADY or TYNER, and ought not
to be held to account 1t was his duty TO
know what he was doing, and incompetency
Is no excuse for derelictions.
II has been proved, thus far, that BRADY
made large contracts in fragrant violation
of law; that he favored Ring contractors by
raising the service in many instances from
weekly to daily, after it had been secured
by Ring bidders; and that he colluded with
and protected tho most notorious of this
crew OF thieves. II these jobs are carried
out according to the terms OF the contracts
the Treasury will be bled to the extent oi
millions for the cOnspirators.
He has attempted with exceptional au'
dacity to Justify these outrages and as
Bumed their responsibility throughout. as il
he was tho real head of tho department, anC
the actual PostmAstor-Gencra was but tho
instrument Of his will to sign whatever con
tracts he might make. 1t has also beer
proved that the Sixth Auditor of the Treas
ury, ]. NJ. MCGREw, who settles all thI
Post OiIice accounts, allowed payments Il
be made in full to BRADY's contractors, whC
werc in default and with balances standing
against them on his books.
TYSER, BRADY and MCGREw belong Il
the same combination. They understand
each other perfectly, and, ms Is seen in thi
case, whatever BRADY orders MCGHEv
obeys without the least compunction, L
serve the Ring. He opens the door Of tn
Treasury TO robbery. Tho law Is no chec
upon him. His opportunities for gain ar
great, RS the bills Of all contractors pas
through his oflcH. and his mower over ther