The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-14
TELEGRAPHIC
WASHINGTON.
More of the ster Route Frauds.

More OF the Star Route Frauds.
New York, IA Washington cor
respondent Of the Times furnishes for
this mornings paper another batch OF
star route frauds. He says: The dis
honest star route contractors and their
confederates seem 10 have at last reached
the conclusion that government. Is really
| in earnest and intends to prosecute them
and punish them if possible. After the
election of President Garfield, they used
ell their political influence to affect his
choice Of postmaster-genersl. Then they
exerted their combined strength through
ex-senator Dorsey and others to secure
in Brsdy's place person who would be
salts actory to them, but there was an
honest man st the head of the depart
ment, and he was determined there
should be good men around
him, and the jobbers rallied
didates in Brady's place. There seems
trict which is not under Brady's control,
entirely dependent upon outside papers
for information concerning the startling
discoveries which have been made. Per-
|
wickedness, quietly and persistently pur-
sue their way, supported by high author
tiles who employ and who approve their
selection. In the chair formerly dis
grAced by Brady sits an upright gentle
maR of rare business ability, who is rap
idly becoming acquainted with all the
details of the contract bureau and who
looks with establishment upon system
in which true business methods seem to
be completely ignored. postmaster
general is finding on every hand evil
dence of corruption and reckless
extravaganza and looks, through
the reforms of the present, to the reHliza-
ton Of dream of q self-sustaining
department and cheaper postage in the
near future. Energetic subordinates
gather evidence which will overwheln
the guilty. 1t is hard for one who gains
an insight into these records and who
studies the history of the previous inves-
tigation, to escape the belief that the
postoffice department has been sink of
iniquity for years, and it will be no easy
task to compute the amount Of the
peoples money stolen or thrown away.
The correspondent notes some remark
able increases Of pay by the familiar
method of increase and expedition"
ON one route the pay was raised from
$3.50 10 $3,264, and on another from
81 $50 to $1,000. He then devotes him
self te an exposition of the Texas
temporary service, g newly-discoverd
ramifcation Uf the frauds. The
favorites who hold Temporary service"
in Texas are Gener 81 Frank c. Arm
strong, of Texas, and Major John D.
Adams, of Arkansas, who in this matter
are practically one and the same person,
and A. q. Brown, James B. Colegrave,
r. o. Kerns and J. P. Harbach. Arm
strong was q general in the confederate
army. Adams was q friend and sup
porter of ex-senator Dorsey. A. IL
Brown was once a clerk in the depart
partment IN Chicago. in charge OF terri
torial routes, by which the government
has been robbed of many millions. Il
appears, says the correspondent, to have
been Brady's custom TO keep select
: circle of favorites informed as to his de-
cisions in regard to temporary contracts
go they could put in their proposals with
out delay. These proposals wen
at once accepted, without ques
ton and without competition No
opportunity was given to loca
stage men or others to compete for work
which was usually given to a favorite fo1
one year at price which was three times
as much as the work was really worth
The favorites sublet the route to loca
men and pocketed or divided the differ
ence. When one Of these favorites be-
came possessed of little ready money
he could very easily get temporary con
tracts on three or four or half dozeI
routes in bunch, at his own figures. l
is known that q woman secured twelv
such contracts in one day. The rout
bill passed in 1879, established sbou
1000 routes. Brady put temporary
service very soon sfterward upon ], 300 o
5 them. At the investigation of 1880, h
presented q statement of temporary scr
= vice put on from July 1st, 1879 to Octo
Der LIST, 1879. Most Of the jobs given +
favorites did not appear in this statement
but were bestowed st later dates. Of tn
sum of $l7s, 1863, representing the toIa
annual pay on temporary contracts Il
: Texas, Sl63, 42O was given to A:mstr ong
Adams, Brown, Duxbury, ColegT ave
= HarbRch and Kerns. Colegrsve was
. friend of ex-chief clerk French; Hsr
bach is agent of the Louisiana Letter
Co. and a friend of ex-Cougressma
Morey and Kerns and head of tn
Kerns combination, st. Louis.