The daily gazette., 1881-11-25
$2,e0S, ,2s0, decrease by Brady 81, ,114,-
GOT. In one year the contracts in these
States had been increased by Brady ST.
99,508, and stood July 1, 1879, at a

States mad been increased by Brady $l,
99,508, and stood July /, 1879, at {
total annual pay of $3,706,997.
How was this enormous increase &C.
complished? Extra allowances on routes
controlled by thirteen men added ST.
99,S76.93. Temporary contracts given
without competition to the same thirteen
men, or their representatives, added
16S,295.66. The reletting of the exten-
ded and new service, to begin October
l, 1878, added $47, ,24S.59. The balance,
$50, ,46S. II lowing to the manner of Keep
ing the books, cannot account for.
GRANTS TO CONTRACTORS IN THE
| NEXT YEAR.
The extra allowances made during
the first half of the fiscal year 1S79-80
aggregate $761 ,535. This amount was
added to the annual pay of routes let
during 1878, in most part to thirteen
contractors or their dnmmIes, who
obtained the enormous allowances
made during the fiscal year 1879. But
this is not all during the same period
there were awarded, without competi-
tion, to the same men, 217 contracts
for temporary service, the annual pay
of which aggregated 1884, 760. By
these allowances. and ignoring the
awards for temporary service, the
cost OF the star service in the eighteen
States and Territories was Increased
till the rate per annum, January /,
1880, was 81, 46S, 532.
Four hundred and forty-nine routes,
the annual contract pay of which was
$404, 411.22, were manipulated by
Brady and the contractors until their
annual pay was Increased in thirty
months to 80. 366, 4s1.
Two hundred and ninety contracts
for temporary service on routes aggre-
eating 1894 miles in length were,
without competition, awarded to the
same favored contractors, and this
service was paid for at the rate of ST.
II, ,223 per annum, or an average cost
per mile per annum of SIT .26.
In eighteen months pinety-three
routes were manipulated, till, from an
annual cost of $762, 85S which the
original contracts called for, the pay
was increased to $2,723, ,464 per an
mum, an increase of 81, 981, 522.
The records prove that the thirteen
SoAsAaSe0hn Who DuO IlCu
bonanza of the ninety-three routes
had 217 temporary contracts, and re-
ceived therefrom at the rate of $685.
760 per annum.
SAMPLE FRAUDS.
Contractors stated the number of
horses and men higher than was need.
ed for new service; often no new force
was used, but the old decreased ; fire.
quently the new service was never
made, faithless postmasters falsely
certifying to the contrary, and in a
number of cases the expedition, or
dered for the contractors profit, actu-
ally delayed the mails by forcing a
contractor to leave before the mail
train arrived. The written evidence
in the handwriting of the contractors
is in our possession, showing that
agents were employed and paid to
manufacture, or have manufactured
to order, petitions and recommended
tions which would furnish the pretext
for ordering increased service and ex-
pedition,
OF the ninety two routes, on which
schedules were expedited at cost of
S1,21S, 115.10, not to exceed ten of them
can be shown to have required any III
crease of speed.
THE FRAUD BEGAN IN PHILADELPHIA.
After reciting the legislation against
straw bidding, which endeavored to pro-
tect the Government by requiring sure
ties certified to by Postmasters, the re-
mort ahoms that tb;a auadod l., he
case of one combination, several of
whose members live. in Philadelphia, ,and
are under indictment, by having few
lots temporarily transferred from man to
man through crowd of eight bidders
aud sureties, each worth nothing. In
this way 4S bids were submitted, aggre-
eating SPOT, ,s7l, the aggregate purported
value of the real estate given as security
being 81, ,79e, 500. The face of the bonds
alone represented 1922 500. Contracts
were awarded on twenty-three of these
bids, the bonds required being $205, 900
to be secured by real estate valued at
81, 1902 900. The aggregate contract
price of the twenty-three routes was
$127, ,435. Six of the twenty three
routes were expedited and increased,
and $82, ,339.59 added to the annual pay !.
The manipulation OF this plot was con-
tinued successfully until March 4th, but
when an investigation of few days
| only was needed to expose the whole
conspiracy, whose partial success was
possible only through collusion in the
Department.
THE CONCLUSION ESTABLISHED.
In concluding this report, submit
that have demonstrated that the meth
DDS which have prevailed in the contract
office of the Post-office Department pro-
noted wastefulness, facilitated corrup-
tion, enabled few contractors, with the
assistance OF high officers and subordi-
mates, to wrengfnlly obtain vast sums of
money from the Treasury, and generally
brought the department into dishonor
and bad retute throughout the land.
The steamer Albion founddered
off Point Barbacoas while playing
between the mouth of the SinnR
and Carthagena, Central America,
on the 5th inst, and 80 out of 40
persons on board were lost. She had
a cargo valued at $4,000. The
Albion was small vessel, built for