Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-04-29

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gether loose and irregular. When he had
bargained with a contractor to carry the mails
once or twice week over given route for
specified sum, he would sometimes order the
service increased to three or six times week
and the compensation TO be increased accord
ingly. In this way the star routes, originally
let for an aggregate of 500, 900, have been
made worth over 81, 600, 600 to the contrac-
tors. The increased service, in many in
stances, was ordered in the face of reports of
special agents of the department that no such
increase was needed, and in numerous cases
the contractors went on performing only the
old service while drawing She additional pay.
A ring of powerful contractors held posses
sion of the most profitable star routes-those
covering long distances in the western terri
tories-kept out all rivals by the system of
straw bids so often exposed, and virtually fix
ed their own compensation by the friendly
aid of the contract Office. The demand upon
Mr. Brady for his resignation, if we may
judge from such things as have already be.
come public, is not so much the end of Mr.
James inquiries as the beginning of the end.
There are undoubtedly more developments to
come, and the general huttering in certain
circles in Washington is not without cause.
The facts which have thus far been developed
we condense as follows from q comprehensive
statement by Washington correspondent:
For the fiscal year ending June 80, 1850, S5,OCOOOO
was appropriated for the star route service. -Four
months before the end OF the year, Brady informed
Congress that he had made contracts in excess OF his
appropriation by S2ooO, 0o0 After an angry discus
siop Congress concluded to do nothing than to
forbid Increased compensation on any routes in
cess Of so per cent Of the original contract price
Gen Brady was able, under President Hayes to keep
ms place, and to bate the efforts of all honest men in
Congress to sift the scandal to the bottom Under
President Garfield, Gen. Brady has expected 70 be
equally successful in breaking the force OF any inyes-
ugauon into his management OF this star service that
might be ordered; but he has not measured correctly
the character OF the new posmaster-general or the
James, on his assumption Of the ONCE, was ordered
by President GARFIELD to sift this scandal TO the bot
tom. The facts unearthed by this new Investigation
prove that Gen. Brady has been at least guilty Of u
cial extravaganza, neglect and acknowledgement that
has cost the department very dear and his resignation
was demanded and obtained by the president the
ment that he apprised Of the result Of the inyes
dgation by Postmaster-General James. The original
deficiency Of 900 600 in Gen Bradys APPROXIMATION
produced in direct violation Of the statute which
provides that no department Of the government shall
involve the government for the payment Of larger
sum OF money than that appropriated for the current
fiscal year.
Gen. james, in his investigation found that In 1850
$1,000 900 had been Appropriated tabuated state
ment has been published, which shows that, Of this
number, % routes had been let for s727,llS. They
had been increased from this sum TO S. 2Il leay
ing only S3,O9I,7s6 for the remaining 9132 routes
ThiTty-nine contractors held the % routes But little
inquiry was necessary to learn who composed what
had been known for long time as 1.-THE star route
ring" The department also ascertained the names
Of the Influential hackers Of the ring. Eight contrao
most profitable Of the 90 routes. The holdings OF
these contractors were as follows: J. b. Brice six
routes covering S954 miles, for which the original
pay was 81, e01; Increased to si73,l27. j. NJ Peck
nine routes, covering 1896 miles, for which the orR
nal pay was $50, 39s increased to $3.50 IA. JR Mi
ner eight routes, covering distance Of $50 miles, for
which the original pay $40 81 increased to Si35
65s J. W. Dorsey, eight routes. covering 1888 miles,
SHAFTS. o. J. Salisbury 1--WE routes covering 1000
miles for which the original pay 1925 increas
ed to s1762S2 T. A. McDevitt, five routes, covering
$50 miles, for which the original pay was $40 ST. In
creased to S1l26S2 ]. I. Chidester route covering
1900 miles for which the original pay $4,000
increased to $500 600. c. W. Foster, i've routes COW
ering distance of 7l2 miles, for which the original
pay was 67,A25; increased to Sl63, 726.
The story which is published Of the manipulation of
the mail route contract between Mineral Arizona
and Pioche New, furnishes illustration Of the ma
agement on some OF the routes. contract is made
Tor the weekly conveyance of the mails, consisting Of
about three letters week, between the two points
above named The original contractors sublet the
contract which they accepted at So 300 to person TO
whom they agree to pay A,70O, or $500 more than
the government allows them. The reason Of this
Hberality becomes apparent when the post-ofee rim
in Washington succeed in having the service made tr-
weeky-a separate trip for each letter il Were-and
in getting the compensation increased to S22 3OO or
this latter sum the subcontracnr gets only sl2 COO
Not satisfied with their share OF So 700 year the
conspiraors succeed in establishing daily mail SER
vice between Mineral Park and Phoebe at an annual
sum Of $4,000 Of which the sub-contracor receives
but s25, 900. By this time the original contractors
have made way for Mr.. J. W. Dorsey, who thus Sc
cures S24 900 year for his profit and that Of his
confederates.
The indications which these figures furnish
of the extent to which the government has
been plundered by these star route contractors
are astounding. 1t is said, and it is to be hoped
that it is true, that Bradys removal is only
the beginning of the work of roofing out
this evil. Some of the more sanguine of the
Washington correspondents are confident that
the leaders in this system of fraud will bring
up in the penitentiary. 1t is certain, at all
events, that the developments already made
have caused great commotion among the
star route contractors, some of whom are
making great deal of noise and assuming a
staggering, threatening attitude, which is
usually pretty certain evidence of guilt They
assert that the postmaster general has allied
himself with "blackmailers :" and one of
them, more bold than the rest, is foolish
enough to say that 'the postmaster generals
reform movement is going to play the mis-
chief with the bosses, and if the president
continues in this mad policy he will ruin the
prospects of the party in the next campaign. 4"
To such talk as this the reply of every lead
ing Republican paper, and of the masses of
the Republican party, Isl If the party can be
ruined by the exposure of frauds, let it be
ruined. The Republican party's strong hold
with the people has always been that it was
strong enough and honest enough to expose
and clean out abuses and corruption in its
own ranks. Nothing ever helped the Repub-
lican party more than Secretary Bristow's up
roofing of the whiskey ring frauds So far
as the Republican party is concerned, there
is but one thing for the Republican admins
tration to do, and that is to go on vigorously
and relentlessly with the investigation, no
matter with whom it plays the mischief