New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-24
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.
THE STAR ROUTE FRAUDS.

IDENJE.
WASHINGTON, Nov 23.-A. NJ. Gibson,
special attorney for the United in the matter Of
the Star Service investigation, has submitted report to
the acting Attorney General which is to-day made pub
lie Mr. Gibson says at the outset For manifest
reasons would be prudent in this report to disclose
all the facts discovered by the investigation pursued by
the representatives the departments, to ind
cate 1.-THE of the evidence which must be reserved for
the courts Justice TIE document is nevertheless of
great length and would ill about twenty ordinary news
paper columns, exclusive Gifts accompanying exhbits"
Dealing chiefly with tine administration OF the
Contract Office during the term of General Brady
and cOrrelatve subjects, the report be-
gins with an outline of the laws governing
mail conracts description Of the duties Of the Second
Assistant Postmaster-Genera and the Post ONCE
auditor; sketch of the regulations and practice of the
Post Office Department, and review OF its past history
and methods evidenced by COngresso nal legislation
and departmental records regard TO the Mail Ser
vice from the earliest periods.
On the subject OF Allowances for Expedng the
Mails" the report asserts that the authors OF the law in
dcated clearly what its Interpretation should be, and
down to the year 1866 the officials who administered It
observed that construction literally.
The contractors required to furnish detailed
statement verified by Oaths and certified he correct
by at dsnerested parties showing the cost OF
the original service and the profit they had herefrom
'By long usage says Mr. Gibson, "thls became sancd-
fed ~ the unwrltten law Of the department The first
instance of departure from this ancient practice was
in $3.50 hut this violation Of the written and unwritten
law governing such did not become habtual till
Thomas ]. Brady became SecOn Assistant Postmaster
General Neither did 1t become the rule to increase
enormously public expenditures for mail service by
the questionable method OF extra allowances for add
tiona trips and expedited schedules under any Of Mr
Bradys predecessors 1t Is that there other
reprchensible. nay criminal ways OF defrauding the
Government through mail contracts, but cases OF eI-
petition TO make them the exception
rather than the rule.
4" In one of the pronlgatc years OF Buchanan's
Administration. when the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Of the
Post Onice Department became almost q synonymous
term for public robbery, find only OF
petition. and that allowance made to George
Chorpcnnlng."
Coming down to recent times is asserted that there
were only six OF expedition Involving total Of
s21 73s in the fiscal year 1872, and only amount
ing some G 900 during the fiscal years 1878 and 1876.
when General Tyner in charge OF the Office; and IN
each OF these the orders making the allowances
that they less than pro rata tho ancient
custom, accordance with the true construction Of tine
law, was observed.
ME. BRADYs CAREER.
The report continues Twenty three days after the
beginning Of the fiscal year 1877 Thomas J. Brady
qualified Second Assistant PostmastcrGeneral During
that fiscal year mud made his orders sixteen allow
ances expedition NJ mail service sixteen routes
aggregated SIsI5u 81 per annum The
allowances for expedition Increased the annual
pay on these routes Sl97,ol6 10, and made the
total pay $}S9 400 10 year And in each one Of these
the law stretched 10 tH utmost IN favor OF the
contractors, and the ancient construction 0i thai law
dsrrgaTdcd, and likewise tho timchOnOrcd custom OF
the department requiring contrst0rs To furnish Verlhed
detailed dila whereby 'the eAhri prul"iloh between
the original pay ana the compensation Tor tue al
mined. During this same fiscal year NSTO Mr.. Brady
made orders granting og 9do% and spr,G n
creased on $50 routes, amour ting IN the agTe,
routes was 81 $50 go o. that Gc increase WAS about
- per cent while the additional duties required OF
the contractors were In the aggregate only about SO Is
Mr. Gibson charges that General Brady thereafter de-
bcratcy advertised for star Service such schedules
NJ 10 leave room for prcmedatcd increases OF pay by
OF allowances for expedition etc. and thai " IN
anoat every instance he violated The letter aud spirit OF
the law making the orders for the additional allow
by when few contractors have been receiving
II Is also charged that when clerk called General
cases In whon. under tho previous practice OF
the Department, desired allowance for expedition
could not have been granted, because the application
supported only by the contractors sworn statement
a. he number Of men and horses required General
statement Of a CONTRACTED specifying simply the
Der Of horsJs and required the datum On which
allowances should be made
The SYSTEM or ALLOWANCES.
"In the case, Of allowance, for increased trips and
distance" saws Mr.. Gibson. "a still simpler method
adopted-to allow every dollar the law permitted" II
Is slnl further charged that, during the fiscal
wears 1879 aud 1850, there forty-four
orders on which allowances were made an!
money paid which retroactive and In direct viola
ton OF law In all, according to TINS report, there
wore during tcuctAl nIHl ~, 7'''9 .o "a,
orders made N violation Of Inv" NJ Hibson says An
inspccon OF every ~ expedition by experienced
ana impartial whose instructions were 10 ascertain
the truth and report IT, was ordered Neary al thclr
reports have been received number OF men nave
eyamiucd hundreds OF witnesses who had personal
knowledge Of the facts The statements OF these wit
urs-cs were written down aud verified By their
agents and other employees OF the contractors nave
been intcrroeatcd gnd ihs dePo,u0ns taG'H ihS re-
sun - ,ts ~ br nsnrctnr. which Nh several
inousaud PAGES OF legal cap paper Ia addition TO all
,u', ,mI and rrray examined digrsted aud coatcd
TO do Tins great work has required months OF the most
ar,uous work the part of Inspector y. III Woodward
mVlf and The officers aud clerks OF the Post Oice De
hi. evidence and weighed carefully ana In many IN
Of CONTRACTOR or their attorneys and cannot resist
the conviction that IN almost every case inc allowance
for expedition was frauduienty, oolisiNey ana cor
rupty obtained"
fhe report proceeds to summarize the testimony IN re-
gard the results Of most OF the orders Tor expedition
and asserts that IN some cases, Tie socaied eAprd
lion actually delayed the malls, and that Ia the major
ity Of cases 40 expedition was accohpHsneu'
SOME rIAGRANr cAsEs.
ain regard the Increasing OF trips says Mr. Gibson
the evidence Is equally yoninous and conclusive In
every case the pay allowed for trips added and schedule
expedited WAS excessive Moreover, the needs OF the
country bo supplied with mails did not demand IN
most OF tho casc the increased service or the expedition
But for reasons which manifest, would mention
some OF the most fragrant cases where the
seryice was pu. mp from weekly 10 daily
and the speed Increased from mile and half hour
10 1--WE miles hour, ut cost Of tens OF thousands OF
dollars when tine fact notorious that nobody but
the contractor asked for II.
In the case Of route Canon City TO Camp McDer
matt Fri weekly mails were carried over two hundred
miles through an unnhabited country, with only an
abandoned military camp between the terminal Offices
The lonesome rider camped at convenient points
lnriaed his mustang, and canght the fish or shot the
came ON which he lived Near the eastern terminus
~ this route there was post Office some distance of the
the path by which the solitary rider picked
bis way There lived this Office family, and once
or twice year they received letter which the carrier