New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-24

states and Territories were Obtained Dy lon ill.,
tractors and their dummies Shrewd business men IA
old and experienced mail contractors, do not puu
engage in what ordinarily would nave Deen heFore
hand that they could make IT, at very eail1 ,S .vas
mensey profitable Temporary service whiCr xcess
Of the average pay for such service, did not
find its way to the thirteen favored eo tsicer
was for no ordinary reason that an eAeSi'i. 10000
| Of acknowledged ability knowingly teEoLseu
rying usage of more than half cntury Known 70 %
accordance with the declared intention OIL the autnor
could doubt the prudence and propriety OF IT,
and the abolishment of which must necessarily tnrow
wide open the door to unbushns fraud and unoounueo
| peculaton."
WHERE THE THE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS.
After describing great detail the systems Of straw
bidding and of furnishing worthless bonds by which the
Government has been frequently and largely been de-
rauded the report charges the responsibility for
| the OF these systems mainly upon the Sec
ond-Assistant PosmaterGeneral and the Audi
tor of the Department, of both OF whom
i is said that although put on ., tne t6
punish guilty postmasters they did not reject the
illegal proposals; they did not their faces against
Various of the frauds generally described
are peGed with mi OF aTe submitted
and the report concludes asi follows; - a., ..od
81 submit that have demonstrated tnat tne IetTous
which have prevailed in the contract office or the fos
Office Department promoted waselulness, tscntaieu
of high officers and subordnates to wrongruDy ODD
tain sums OF money from the Treasury and gener
putc throughout the land. The following propositions
are sustained by overwhelming and unmpeachable evil
rsThat in advertising for proposals 70 transport
the mail routes in the fourth, Pachc contract
section 1t the rule ask for number of trips less
than il pretended the needs OF the country required
Second-1hat the schedule time star routes was sys
tematically made longer in the advertisements than II
pretended Immediately after service began tnat the
needs OF the country demanded.
Ihird-That Routes advertised longer than
they were let at lettings ana longer han Tue
distance circular and other record evidence known 10
the contract office proved them to be- ..,.o, % 80
FOurD-TDat Star Routes nave been advertised 10 DO
shorter than they known to DO from the recOrd
evidence in the possession OF the department roo.
Ftfh-That the systematic advertising OF star routes
in the manner described III propositions hrs second
third and fourth Of the steps precedent takeD
in accordance with prearranged plan OF te existence
of which all the attendant and sequent circumstances
FAMED control OF more than 400 rOntes
at very low pay, ana TN, tnen n, i, y and means at us
rance with the long established practice OF the Depart
ment, got the of the same increased by addition OF
until three four, five aud seven times the original
price was paid.
they actually were, expedition OF schedule thereon
required less expenditure by the contractors to enable
seventh, That the Star Routes being advertised
shorter than they actually were enabled contract
after getting the pay for these routes enormously
increased by trips added and schedules expedited, 20 OBJ
tain, one pretext or another, pro rata pay for in
Eiyht-That this system required contractors who
Obtain routes at small pay to gave Proporl3natey less
ton Their pay is increased by extra allowances LOT
additional trips expedited, schedules ana increased
distance that this opened the door TO straw bidding aud
men who were VIGOROUSLY dummies haDltuaHy APP
pearcd bidders, and as circumstances required be-
came failing bidders, falling contractors, or remained
anu ,i -, t,i, ~, ,a ~ ia routes creased. thar
the bQudsmen OF these dummies always Worthless
and effort was ever made 10 punish the men behind
them.
Ainh-Tat in giving out Of temporary service, few
contractors received ali the rich pums at high rates OF
have extended from time time, greatly to the
deriment OF the Government and greatly to the adVan
OF the favored contractors.
Tcnh-That many instances contractors have been
suffered portions OF their routes TO perform service
and to omit service ID violation OF t1e cOhraCt WeIe
toy they protcd largely, aud the Government suffered
to a corresponding degree. -, -, - -.
pOsas muncsty and confessedly irregular and Illegal
And within o few days or months after service began
the pay the ruutcs thus let increased many fold
Trelth-That contracts have been awarded TO certain
contractors Illegal proposals., and at the same letting
contracts awarded proposals having pre-
proposals were Illegal wher in fact identical de-
ecs acre in other held not to be sufficient to JUS
fhirieenti-That hundreds OF contracts have been
| awarded on proposals with guarantees notoronsy
worthless and executed with surctles known
be frauds that this has grown To be an eVl OF sch
magnltnde ~ TO shpaI 6osS " tbe conrct ~
fee faithful officers Of the department have vainy
atteptcd to check this evil practices that postmasters
Who have been ncccssory to these frauds had time and
again the law and the regulations OF the depart
ent have been rebuked and some OF them to-
Fourteenth That in making extra allowances Second
Assistant General Brady the practice
OF the Department which has rarely, II ever, been de-
parted from during than fifty years aud violated
the letter and spirit OF the law py accepting as sum
cient the statements of the contractors a.
To the cost OF performing the additional
service when these statements tested by common
and ordinary Judgment we're not only maniesty false
but altogether insufficient data upon which to base
| even approximate estimates. go
Fifteenth That there has been neiciency, dcrtlia-
ton OF duty and sim grayer official shortcomings III the
administrator OF the sixth AUDITORS once
that tho gross abuses and manifest corruptiOns
i'm the conduct OF the Contract Otice Of the
Postore Department in the past would have been I'M
posibe had the Auditor the Treasury for the Post
office Department vigorously executed the law with
honest purpose correct glaring wrongs aud bring To
Justice notorious wrOngdOers