Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-10
5o1rnal allo Courier.
Friday Morning, Dec. 10, 1880.
THE STAR ROUTE swINDLE.

THE STAR ROUTE S"INDLE.
 The Star route mail service has not been of good repute for some time, and the testimo- ny given by s. s. Huntley, 8 member of firm which secured postal contracts in the far West, will not improve its reputation. In the record of suit in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia Mr. Huntley gives some curious and interesting information concerning the manner in which the business of letting these routes is conducted by the Postofice department and by those who get contracts.
 Huntley and his partner made some bids on their own account and got others to make bids for them. They were awarded some routes and their friends got some, all at low prices, of course Then Mir. Huntley began work. It was his business, he explains, after his firm and their friends had secured routes to make them profitable by having the ser vice increased and in other ways. He provi- ded for failure to perform service on a route under his control when he saw fit, and when failure occurred would secure the good vii and the acceptance and the withdrawal and power of attorney of each one of the bidders above the failing bidder, and then watch in the department and accept or decline the route as he saw fit on any one of these names. Then, having recorded the route by repre- senting it with power of attorney, he would 'tget it worked up" by increase of service or extension of route.
 He illustrates his mode of operating by telling how he worked up" one route. There were twenty-six bids on this route, the highest $7, ,OOO and the lowest $1, ,99O, which bid was accepted. Huntley and his partner s'carried' the low bidder and took the $1 ,99O. It cost them, however, $3,000 to run the route. At the end of few months they had their agent fail and the route was then offer ed to the next bidder for $2,000, and the next at $2 199, and the next at $2, 236 the next at $2, 333, and the next one, which was Huntley himself, at g., ,44O; the next at $2,- 5oO the next at $2, 700, the next at $29OO, the next at $2 1910, the next at $3, ,Oo0 and the next at $3, ,285. Huntley interviewed all these bidders and re- ceived from each his acceptance and declina- tion, also his power of attorney, and in some instances their names on blank pa per, and at the proper time he declined every offer. It then had to be marked up still further toward S700O, the highest bid. The next highest bid. S, ,50O was that of Huntleys partner, and Huntley accepted for him. He then sub-let the route, had it ex- tended, had the service increased and the mail pay raised to about $13, ,O0O per annum, which. gave his firm profit of about $6, 900.
 All this cost the firm something, and Hunt ley frankly explains how he spent part of the money. He considered it necessary, in getting such accounts through the Postofice department, to be very friendly, not only with the heads of the departments, but even with the clerks and messengers, and he al- ways treated them very kindly lin present ing them with some trife, or in presenting them with cigar, opera ticket or dinner, or something of that kind' He says ''To get anything done in the departments it requires assistance of great many members of Con- gress, whom we have to treat in the same manner and to whom I occasionally send theatre tickets; and always when I ask favors I generally send carriages for them and ask them to do certain things in the department" During four years he spent $30,0 ''for everybody's good will, from the messenger in the depart ment to United States Senator and Gover- nor of a Territory"
 This is not pleasing story, but there is no reason to doubt its truth. Moreover, many more such could undoubtedly be told