National Republican., 1881-07-21
The Postal Scrvicc---Business Princi-
pIcs

Inc IOStal SCrviCc---lSusineSS princi-
pies.
Postmaster.General James is credited
by the newspapers with having made
wonderful reductions in the cost of the
mail service, and the business princi-
pies" under which he is alleged to be
performing these prodigies are, say his
retinue of obliged, grateful, and expect
ant eulogists, rapidly bringing the postal
service to self-sustaining basis. Mr..
James gives out to the public that he has
already saved n million and quarter of
dollars by cutting down the service.
Now, upon the principle that the service
ought TO be esclf-sustaining, the new broom
has not swept clean at all. The cutting
down Of expenses million and quarter
because the people residing on the routes
over which the service was performed do
not send ohd receive enough mail matter
Mt present rates to pay the contractors is
all very well rs far as it goes But why
continue the service anywhere where
it does not pay expenses? If the
Post-Office Department under Postmas-
ter-Generals Key and Maynard was
corrupt because il persisted in contracting
for rapid mail service in sparsely settled
regions South and West at great cost to
the Treasury, what saves the Department
under Mr.. James from the same charge
Of corruption when it is known that he
has only cut down a few of the routes and
left the others in full operation? If the
Postmaster-General has any policy be-
yond getting himself pufed in the papers
whose correspondents he has captured
by petty favors in the way of appoint
ments, what is it? Is it to cut off all SER
vice which does not pay? Then why is
that not done? Upon what plan is it
that determinations are made, one route
being left to a semi-weelily service,
while others of the same class are
favored with q continuance of daily
mails? There has been no want of
time. For four months the figures of al
legged star-route extravaganza have
danced up and down the columns of the
New York Times and other papers. The
Postmaster-General has given the CORE
spondents full access to all the records.
General Bradys complete statement to
Congress of all expedited star-routes,
printed at the time, has been paraded
over and over as proof that because there
had been a legal and authorized increase
therefore it must have been corruptly OBJ
tanned. The increase of service, with its
increase of cost, has been assigned rs the
sole reason why the resignation of Second
Assistant Postmaster-General Brady was
requested He had recommended the in
crease upon evidence Of its necessity pre-
sented TO him, and which, in the dscre-
tion vested in the Department, had been
adiudged sufficient His resignation,
which had been preceded by concerted
attacks in certain of the press, was fol-
lowed by general display Of blue lights
and other scenic effects, carefully prepared
and exploited by the gang of detectives
employed to give a criminal flavor to the
show. An Acknowledgement, thirsting
for public applause and apparently as
willing to convict the innocent as the
guilty, if he can thereby be glorifed,
leaves the atmosphere of the Cabinet
Chamber TO riot in the more congenial
society of blackguards, desperadoes, and
jail-birds, and hires the detective Gibson,
who is best known as a suboner of wit
nesses, and Billy Cook, who has been
successful in what is known in New York
as Tombs practice, and whose efforts
have hitherto been made for the defense
and crowned with the doubtful success of
hung juries-hires these and kindred
spirits TO procure testimony upon which
TO indict respectable and well-behaved
citizens.
We suggest TO the yigilant Attorney
General that if his gang of hirelings
have, as is pretended from day to day,
suborned sufficient testimony on which
TO base indictments against Mr. James's
two immediate predecessors or their sub
ordinates, if they are not advertising to
be bought of, after the manner of the
fash papers, then the indictment of the
Postmaster-General himself inevitably
follows He has for four months had
guilty knowledge Of all these alleged
crimes of increased star-route service,
and has authorized the continuance Of
the most of them. His cutting down of
some is the best proof Of his guilt in not
cutting down the others. Indeed, his
criminality is loudly confessed, for while
his predecessors. acting upon General
Brady's opinion, claim 10 have expedited