Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-07
exercise l
THE posToFFTCE DEPARrmENT

Postmaster General James has declared
his belief that the postal service can be
made self-sustaining, and has already
commenced an effort to make it so. He
bases his belief upon the well known fact
that the English postoffice department is
the source of considerable revenue to
their government, though the rate of post
age is lower than that of this country
and upon the further fact that the growth
of our large cities, especially in the West,
affords increased chances of obtaining
revenue. The cities are the chief source
of profit to the department; the more
sparsely settled portions of the country
the chief expense. By increasing the ia
cillties in the cities and disseminating the
expensive star routes, he hopes to make
the income equal to the outlay.
The annual cost of the postoffice de-
partment of this country IS about three
million dollars. 1t has been developed
that more than half of this amount has
been deliberately pilfered from the treas
ury by the starsroute rascals-Dorsey, Bra
DIV e. Co. This leakage will no doubt he
stopped for the future. 1t has been shown
that an extension of the money order sys-
tenn and the increasing of facilities in
the cities will produce considerably
augmented revenue, and this Mr.. James
proposes to undertake. The executive
ability he displayed while at the head of
the New York postoffice inspires the hope
that he will be able to succeed in his pur-
pose. At any rate he will have the best
wishes of the whole country and can en-
force the cooperation of his subordi-
mates.
There is great wastefulness in the post
Office departme MT of this country, and
experience has proved that there has
been considerable dishonesty. Both will
have to be prevented. Mr.. James may
or may not be ablesto carry out the nee
essary reforms. If he succeeds he will
deserve and receive the thanks of the
whole people. Reform of the kind indi-
Gated is certainly greatly needed.
The following letter is being extensive
ly published as response to the inltma-
ton that Garfield knew of the star route
frauds and prodted by them while running
for President:
Private.
MENTOR, O., August %, 1sSO.-The Hon.
j. A. Hubbell, Washington, D. C.-My Dear
Hubbell: Yours of the 10th inst. received and
contents noted. Please say to Brady that l
hope he will give us all the assistance posi-.
BILE. think he can help effectively. Please
Tell me how the departments generally are do
ing. As ever yours, ]. A. GARFIELD.
The President further explains this let
ter by saying that he had understood that
Brady was immensely wealthy, owing to
investments in telephone stocks, and
that as he was an Indianian he
(Garfeld) desired him to contribute for
the life and death struggle in the State.
There is nothing in the letter to indi-
cate that Gen. Garfield knew Brady was
robbing the government and we have no
idea that he so thought. But it does
show that he desired to secure lavish
use of money in Indiana in order
to save the State. In this he was
successful and that General Garfield
knew of the appliances resorted to there
can be no question, 1t is not material
to the point whether Brady made his
money in telephone stock or from the
government. The President called for
its expenditure among the people. He
cannot claim any innocence in the mat
tar