The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-05-06

farming.
! The Pikeyille bridge is rebuilt.
| There is going to be considerable
activity in building this summer.
John Taylor has returned from Ne.
braska. and is going to work at the car
penter trade with Mr.. Hale. 5a'
THE MAIL ROUTE. ROBBERfEs.
The mail contractors who have flock
ed to Washington to shield Gen. Brady
and themselves are stirred to enthusi-
asm over the vigorous denunciation of
the persons making the charges against
the gang, in Gen. Brady's denial. Yet
if it were fact, as this late official al.
leges, that the charges are made by
disappointed contractors, sensational
correspondents, and black-mailers,
who have necessarily made oyertures
to contractors who were supposed by
them to have fat contracts and large
profits lift were true that the source
of information as to the corruption is
not free from suspicion of disappoint-
ment, the facts which have been dis
covered remain. These facts condemn
Gen. Brady and the Star route ring.
That they may implicate senator's and
representatives also, simply enlarges
the field of investigation without les
sening the offense of the ring. a..l4 .4
The revelations already made settle
the question of corruption. And as
imbecllity or rascality on the part of
Gen. Brady was essential to this cor
ruption, the public will, choose to con-
slider that he has been implicated as a
rascal. Of the cro0kedness of the Star
route gang proper there is no doubt,
and very little doubt of Dorseys inter.
est in the sWag. The sort of corrup.
ton just developed in the case of this
gang is not new. In 1867 ]. +. Kinds.
a striker for George E. Spencer, who
disgraced a; senatorial position, secured
contracts from the post office depart-
ment for mail service on forty-seyen
routes In Alabama. On one of these,
within two months from the time Of
letting the contract the service was in
creased and the price doubled. r. That
this was acOrrupt arrangement was
shown in letter written by Spencer to
Kinds. The Star route schemes have
been of the same character, with the
dealings greatly enlarged. Contractors
have bid for slow routes at figures far
below whatthe service would actually
cost them, thus securing contracts
which no honest contractor could
afford to take at such figures. Soon
after, faster service has been ordered
on these routes and the pay enormous
ly increased-in one typical case from
$4,000 q year to $4,000 a yelr. The
pay for this increased service has been
vastly greater than if bids had been Sc
cured for the service which the con
tractor evidently knew would be order
ed. The practice has been to advertise
for contracts to carry an infrequent
mail, say weekly, between two points.
Soon after the contract has been made, |
the mail has been ordered daily and
the compensation increased. Thus a |
contract which called for few dol
lars a year has been, without competi-
ton, exalted into acontract calling for
thousands. ss39lh 17Aatl 2" stsiS
It appears to have been the business
of the Star route gang either to bid in
the contracts for slow mails and then
to corruptly secure from the post office
department an enlargement Of the SER
vice, or to act as the agent Of contract |
ors in securing such engagements, di- |
viding the plumber, with the contract
ors. 1t is not possible to say as Yeti
how much plumber has gone to the |
gang. 1t was the business of Gen. |
Brady to decide what service was re-
CURED and to advertise for bids on the
theory that the growth of population
might demand increased mail facili- |
ties. Gen. Brady had authority to re-
commend, II. not to establish, increased
service. 1t is not to be supposed that
he was so ignorant of the needs of a
route as to advertise for bids for a |
weekly transmission of mails where a
seml-dally mail was demanded. Yet
contracts have been let for weekly
transmission and Immediately a daily
or semi-daily transmission has been
ordered. Gen. Brady can,only choose
between imbecility and corruption as
describing his course-and no one will
believe that the Star route gang has
used him well. 4
No doubt senators and representa-
tives did urge Gen. Brady to increase
the service in many instances. They
may have done so in ignorance of. the
necessities of the. route or of the ex-
tent OF increase to be ordered; they
may have done so in Difference to, the
political influence Of the contractors;
or5they may have done so, though this
is altogether improbable, for direct
share in the plumber. However that
| may be, the fact remains that the gov
eminent has paid thousands Of dollars
for unnecessary services in order to
enrich corrupt ring. The most
strenuous eXerti0ns to put the post
office department on self-sustaining
basis and to reduce the rates of postage
were in vain while this drain for the
benefit of a corrupt ring was made on
its funds. The public service has been
used for jobbery, and public sentiment
and public morality demand not only
the fullest investigation, but also the
Severest possible punishment of all
who were directly engaged in it, or
closed their eyes to it for party or any
other reasons. The first step of the
President will undoubtedly be to
Echange the system of enlarging mail
| facilities by directing the Postmaster
General to personally investigate the
merits of every demand for an in.
crease of mail facilities. There is nc
| fear that the President will not push
the investigation to its end, no matter
whose reputation it threatens Re
publican and NeacS. t1R
One Of the provisions Of bill prepared
for introduction into the Massachusetts Lsgis
lature makes it the duty of every hotel OF
restaurant using oleomargarine on its table