The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-06-02
miscellaneous.
"STAR ROUTES"
Condensed History of the Great SwIndle.-"Addi
tlOn, Division and Silence"

condensed History or the Great SWindle.-"Addi.
tlOn, Division and Silence"
The last report of the Postmaster Gen
eral, made November l9, 1880, gives re
ceipts and expenses for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1880: Expenditures,
$36. 542 803 6S; receipts $33 3l5, ,479 "a; ex.
cess of expenses, 1927 324 "a. This
shows what the dead loss for the y ar
was. The estimates for the following
year (tf year not ended) were submit
ted in the same report, as follows: Ex.
penditures, $4S. .472992; receipts, $685.,
845, la 10; deficiency, So $50 757 80.
More than one.half of the money ex
pended in the year ending June &c. 1880,
was paid in Brady's department for in
land transportation, the total cost OF
which in that yeal was $780,, ,7O5, dis
tributed as follows: Railroad routes, Ills
$40 498. .9S6; steamboats, routes. l3l-
$685., ,221; star routes, 8763-$7. 32l 400.
In 1878 the star routes had cost only
S5714, ,943, and in 1879 they hal cost $6..
49l7 100. In 1880 the cost was So .92l. 400,
which far exceeded the appropriations
Brady's estimate of the cost for the year
ending June 80, 1881, was 81. 975, 900, and
for the year ending June 80, 1882, it was
no less than $0 100000. The evinedCe
which the department officers are now
collecting shows what has become of this
50 .5OO,O increase over the cost of the
"star routes" in 1878.
The nature of the rail road and steam.
boat routes is clear. The star routes
are so named because they have been
designated ii the records Of the depart
ment by three stars, which represented
the words, 'celerity, certainty and secu'
rity.' Attention is directed to the re.
semblenCe between this combination Of
words and the other, addition, division
and silence These star routes are
those which cannot be supplied by
steamboats, or railroads, but the mail
must be carried by horses and men; they
are the stage and horseback lines. The
majority of the western and south west.
ern star routes, which have attracted 30
much attention, were advertised for bids
in November 1877, and the contractors
were to begin service July l, 1878, and
continue for term Of four years;sureties
for fulfllment of the contract were re-
quired with ee Ch bid. Combinations of
men had been formed to secure the most
responsible routes, or the routes that
could be made profitable by manipula.
ton or Collusion. The number of bid.
ders for the contracts which were let
July l, 1878, averaged from 10 to 2l for
each route.
One of the most prominent Combina-
ton was composed of ex-senator S. W.
Dorsey, his brother, j. W. Dorsey,
brother.in.law ]. M, Peck, and j. r. Mi.
ner. The Price combination is another,
with headquarters in Missouri, with ]. B
Price at its head and the Packers, Tay.
lors and others as members. In another
whose original headquarters were at
East st. Louis, were H G Dunbar, A B
Pope, George White, and others. The
Tisdale party hailed from Lawrence, ,KasD
The Barlow and Sanderson party, led by
Bradley Barlow Of Vermont, contained
Foster, Huntly and others. Several per-
SONS have acted alone, but have been
supported by good baCker Among
these is II B Jefferson, who controlled
important routes in Louisiana, and who
began work under Creswell. ] 7 Child
lister and his son, who have got good
Congress ional backing, and A H Brown,
who got his experience as clerk in the
Ex-Congressman McKib-
ben is one of the most prominent attor-
nay5 representing these combinations.
Most of the notorious routes are ad-
vertised for less service than has been in
existence the preceding term. A con.
tractor has been making three trips per
week upon his route. When the time
comes for advertising it, bidders are in
vited to give the price for which they
will make only one trip per week over it,
A ring favorite puts in the lowest bid,
and very soon the service is raised to the
old figures or to higher ones. If an out
slider chances to put in the correct bid,
thinking that an increase will soon be
made, he finds that his confidence has
been misplaced. The service, which is
not profitable unless increased, remains
at the advertised figures, and in the
course of time he is frozen out. Then
the ring man steps in with his bid, lit.
tie higher, and in short time the serv-
ice is increased. In some cases it seems
plain that collusion with persons in the
department has shown these bidders just |
how low to bid. Service has been put |
by Brady upon routes through regions |
where mails could not be carried at all |
and favorites have been paid thousands |
Of dollars for work which could not be
performed. Honest bidders in some sec.
lions of the country long ago discovered |
hat they could get no government work
except through some Of these favored |
who EARNED the revenues"
ss the Romans d d of old in the Provin
,es. Each ring had its Washington
agent, it's congressional influence and it's
representative near the boss.
Washington was where the official work
vas done, but the inside plans were laid
n New York, where house was hired