Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-11-24
nefectsI in PostalI.,..
Cor. New York Tlm...

The exposure of the enormous troud.
perpetrated in the conduct ~ tba 800 ,,cSt
al service under Gen. Brady's manage.
ment will doubtless induce CONGRESS 10
enact such laws as viii protect the
treasury in the future AGAINST sncb
fraudulent combinations as have CON
trolled the star-route service for so
many years. There is need NOT only ~
remedial legislation REGARDING tbe
transportation of the mails lint tbe
present system Of discussing money
for the postal service, as we'll ne the
system Of settling the accounts of that
service, should be revised and radicaIIv
changed. The law requires that ali
moneys, received from whatever source
for the use of the United States. shall
be paid into the treasury by the OFFICERS
or agents receiving the same. at as
early day as practicable, without any
abatement on account of salaries. fees
or expenses. The postofice depart.
ment is specifically excepted from the
provisions of this law, and II IL also
provided that the salaries of postmas-
ters and other expenses of the nostal
service authorized by law. which NAV
be incurred by postmasters, may be de.
Quoted from the receipts of the post
Office under the direction of the post-
master general. Late experience in
the pOstoflice department shows that
il is necessary to good policy to con-
tinue to pOstmasters this authority to
use the public money that come into
their possession at their discretion. In
all other departments of the govern
ment officers are required to pay into
the treasury all moneys that come into
their possession, and disbursements
can be made only upon warrants pre-.
viOusly issued, under a strict system of
checks and examinations.
Another defect in the postal system
is in connection with the deposit of the
revenues of the postonlce department
with the treasury. These revenues are
deposited as special fund, and over
this the treasurer Of the United States
has no control. The postal revenues
are drawn from the treasury on the
warrant of the postmaster general.
countersigned by the auditor of the
treasury for the pOstofIice department.
while all other public funds are drawn
by the warrant of the secretary of the
treasury, countersigned by the first
comptroller. Treasurer Gilhllan, in his
annual report, directs attention to this
loose method of discussing the postal
revenues, and expresses the belief that
to secure efficient control and uniform
accountability, these revenues should
be deposited without abatement, like
all other revenues, to the credit of the
treasurer's general account, and be
drawn out only on the warrant of the
secretary of the treasury, based upon
the requisition of the postmaster gen.
eral.
The present method of stating and
settling postofiice accounts should also
be corrected. This work is now per.
formed exclusively by the sixth audi
tor, who is auditor of the postoffice de.
partment, upon whom there is no check
whatever. If all accounts stated by
the sixth auditor were required to pass
the scrutiny of the first comptroller,
as is required in the case of other de-
partments, the appropriations made to
cover the period of one year could MOI
be expended in six months, as was
done by Gen. Brady in his peculiar
management of the star-rOute service.
1t is probable that the forthcoming an
nual report of the postmaster general
will recommend legislation to correct
these defects in the laws relating to
the pOstOfiice department.