Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-30
WILL WE HAVE AN INvEsTIGA
TON?

VIII we have full investigation OF
the Star Route Swindle? That's the
question.
Can BRADY & Co. brow.beat and bull
doze this Administration into a passive
acquiescence, as he did HAYES?
That he is going to try it is already
apparent. lie. has notified GARFIELD
that his own conduct as Chairman OF
the Congressional Committee on Appro-
priations must be part OF the inyesti-
CATION il it is begun.
Is GARFIELD afraid? Is there anoth-
err De GoLYER ghost in the record OF his
Appropriations Committee which will
scare him of? BRADY seems to think
so. BRADY makes the threat as though
he knew what and where TO strike.
IfGARFIgLD weakens will JAMES have
sufficient support in Congress to make
the investigation thorough? Can the
guilty parties command enough OF hush
money to keep the thing quiet?
When the investigation was mooted a
year or two ago it doomed up then as
now like the monumental swindle Of the
age, and then there was sudden change
of front on the part Of the aggressive
men, and the matter dropped quietly
out OF sight. Congressman were prompt
ly seen and fixed, and the newspapers
were left to speculate about the extent
Of the fraud without the data that an
investigation should have brought out.
1t is one of the darkest of the black
spots on the HAYES administration that
this sea OF corruption was allowed to flow
placidly on without interruption
through four years.
1t could not be carried on for a day
without the guilty knowledge of eff.
Gals. 1t is fortified by all sorts of alii-
ances at Washington, but only has the
thinnest show OF business form and pre-
tense TO cover it up.
A contractor OF a mail route sends
word to the department at Washington
that there is need OF increased service
on his route, and upon making or pro.
curing a simple affidavit OF the neces.
ssry cost, be is awarded that amount,
less the consideration for the favor at |
headquarters. We herewith append a
paragraph from the sworn testimony OF
a contractor, HUSTLY, who described
how a contract was raised from s, 900 to
$1,000 No further comment is neces.
sary:
l will give one route, No. Al, l32, as an
illustration. There were twenty-six
bids on this route, the highest $1,000,
and awarded to the lowest at 81 900. We
carried this low man and took the mail
pay at 81 800 per anpum and it cost us
5000 10 run il. He at the end OF a few
months failed, and the route was then
offered TO the next bidder for 8, 900 and
the next at 81, 299and the next at 1883,
the next at s, 1913, and the next one,
which was myself, s. s. Hurtley, at
-, 446; the next at s., 500, the next at
s., 200, the next at $4,000, the next at
=, $40, the next at 5000 and the next
at s., 2S5.
/ interviewed all these differe Mt men,
received from each his acceptance and
his declination, also his power OF at
torney, and in some instances their
names on blank paper, and had control |
OF them myself in Washington, and at |
the proper time declined every offer.
1t then had to be marked up still further |
towards the s. 900 or be readyertised. / |
took the chances OF having il marked |
stillfurther up, which did. The first |
one was G. c. Huntley, $3.50, which / |
accepted for him. / then sublet the |
route; then had it extended, and then
had II increased and the mail pay raised |
to about $4,000 per annum, giving us a |
profit of about 81, 900 per annum.
NOT ALL RoszwArER,
A profit OF 5000 a year on what be-
gan as miserable 81 COO a year is not
bad. But poor Huntley went on TO ex- |
plain that II was not all rosewstcr for
him. He had, he SAYS, to be 'yery
friendly with heads OF deparatmentsb
and Others, and he swears that this
friendship was so expensive an affair |
that covering all the routes he controll-
ed u cost him about S2i 600 to be in
sufficiently good terms with "heads of
departments, clerks, messengers" and /
others. AT times i had to pay large
amounts OF money, from 5000 TO - 900
or S,OOO, to get certain things done, and