The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-12-07
THE STAR-R0UTE FRAUDS.
THE STARTLING FACTS DISCLOSED IN THE
REPORT OF ATTORNEY GIBSON.

! THE STAR-R0UTE FRAUDS.
THE STARTLING FACTS DISCLOSED IN THE
REPORT OF ATTORNEY GIBSON.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-The Acting
Attvrney-General makes public tht
report submitted by a Mr.. Gibson
special attorney for the United States
in the Star-route service investigations
who says: For manifest reasons, il
would not be prudent to disclose all the
facts discovered by the investigation
pursued by the representatives of the
two departments, or indicate tithe OF
the evidence which must be reserved
for the courts of justice. The document,
nevertheless, would fill about twenty
ordinary newspaper columns, exclusive
of the accompanying Exhibits" dealing
chiefly with the administration of the
Contract Office during the term of Gen.
Brady. Gibson, in his report, says:
In one of the most profigate years OF
Buchanan's Administration, when the
administration of the Post-ofice Depart
ment became almost a synonymous
term for public robbery, [ find one case
of expedition, the allowance made to
George Chorpenning. Coming down to
recent times, it is asserted that there
were only six cases of expedition,
involving total of $2l ,736, in the
fiscal year 1872, and only seven amount
ing to some Sol 900, during the fiscal
year 1876, when Gen. Tyner was
in charge of the office, and in each of
these cases the orders making the allow
ances state that they are less than the
pro rata, i. e., the ancient custom, in
accordance with the true construction of
| the law, was observed.
| The report continues: Twenty-three
days after the beginning of the fiscal
year 1877, Thomas Brady qualified as
Second Assistant Postmaster General.
During that fiscal year | find in his
orders sixteen allowances for expedition
of mail service over sixteen routes.
The contract price of these sixteen
routes aggregated s1S4, 544 per annum.
The allowances for expedition increased
the annual pay on these routes S197 ,946,
and made the total pay 1882, 400 year,
and in each one of these cases the law
was stretched to its utmost in favor of
| the contracts and instructions that the
/ law be disregarded, as likewise the time
honored custom of the department re-
quiring contractors to furnish verified
| detailed data, whereby the exact pro
portion between the original pay and
compensation for the additional service
required could be accurately determined.
| During this same fiscal year, 1877,
Brady made orders granting additional
allowances to contractors for the trips
added and speed increased on 250routes,
amounting to 1904, 1856. The original
pay on these routes was 81, 900, $40, so
that the increase was about fifty-eight
and one-sixteenth per cent, while the
additional duties required of the con-
tractors were in the aggregate only
about thirty-three and one-third per
cent.
Gibson charges that Gen. Brady
thereafter deliberately advertised for
Star service on such schedules as to
leave room for premeditated increase of
pay by means of allowances for expedi-
ton, etc, and said that, III almost every
instance, he violated the letter and
spirit of the law in making orders for
additional allowances, by which few
contractors had been receiving more
than 81, ,250,0 900 year. It is still fur
ther charged that during the fiscal years
1879-80 there were forty-four orders on
which allowances were made and money
paid which were retroactive and in di-
rect violation of law. In all, according
to this report, there were during Gen.
Brady's incumbeney, seventy four orders
made in violation of law.
Gibson says: An inspection of every
case of expedition by experienced and
impartial men, whose instructions were
to ascertain the truth and report it, was
ordered. Nearly all their reports have
been received. A number of men have
been employed in this work since May
last. They have examined hundreds of
witnesses who had personal knowledge
of the facts. The statements of these
witnesses were written down and verified
by their oaths; sub-contractors, super
| iintendents, drivers, agents and other
emnloyees of contractors have been in
terrogated and their depositions taken.
The result is mass of evidence, accom-
panied by explanatory reports of the
| fnsnectors. which fill several thousand
pages of legal-cap paper. Inaddition to
aIl 9 this. the record of evidence in the
nanartment has been minutely and
critically examined, digested and COLA
ted. To do this great work has required
.,a-ths of most arduous work on the
nart of Inspector P. II. Woodward,
pFyself and officers and clerks OF the
Post-ofIice Department assigned TO TINS
dstv T have examined all this evi-
danee and weighed it carefully, and IN
man, Taany instances heard and read oral and
written statements of contractors or
their attorneys, and I cannot resist the
conviction that in almost every case
allowance for expedition was fraudulent, !,
r. +, eoIlusiyely 5 and eorruptly obtained
ifs;bson finished as follows nat
tbare has been ineffciency, derelaetlon
- duty and still graver oflcial snort
eor,;nss ii the administration oa tne
c:~tI 4 Auditors Office that gross abuses
- s.as,, ,,anifsst corruptions ID the conduct
-. s. .6s contract Office Of the Post-ofilce
nanertrnent IN the past, would naye
~, - S I;mnossible had the Auditor q tne
rrsss,,rr -. for the Post-ofIice Department
r;,seses.sly .se.,s,.s executed the law with an
hossst mes purpose to correct glarlng wrongs
and and bring to justice notorious wrong
doers.