Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-22

A0Ss>O9Ik( ESSlIlSI4IlQIIS
FRIDAY EVENING. APRIL "a, 1881.
The Star Route Service.
The public have heard for many years
of the frauds of the Star postal route
service, and Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral Brady has heen Well-known as the
authority responsible for them. 6ev-
eral years ago a congressional inquiry
fully exposed his rascalities, but he
nevertheless retained his place and con-
tinued his profitable manipulation dur
ing the whole of Mr.. Hayes's term under
the authority OF Postmaster General
Key, who seems to have been chief of his
department only In name. 1t has not
been understood that the ypostmas-
ter general Shinself was a sharer
in the profits of the iniquitous
transactions Of his second assistant. 1t
appears that this assistant postmaster
general is permitted to administer his
Office without interference from the
head OF the department, the reason
being that he is held in his place by au-
thority superior to his chiefs and by the
influence OF politicians who are partners
in the stealings. The second assistants
place is the rich prize of the department,
and Brady, who has long held it, has
acquired great wealth and influence, and
is the owner of the National REPUBLICAN,
party organ published at the capital. 1t
isnot to be supposed that he would SO long
have been continued in post which
he has administered nefariously, to the
knowledge of all men, if he had not
been sustained by powerful ring of
partners. He alone would not have been
permitted to pocket what has been stolen
so brazenly. Who have been his assO-
ciates may never be publicly known; for
no doubt they stand high in the Repub-
lican councils, and Mr.. Garfield is not
the man to cause their exposure. His
virtue has suiliced to induce him to cut
down Brady and abate the scandalous
practices Of the postal administration.
For this let us he thankful to him and to
the present postmaster general, whose
efficient administration of the New York
postoffice gave assurance of his ability
and disposition to abate the abuses of
the higher post which fortunately was
placed in his charge.
Ever since the era of Postmaster
General Cresswell, the postoffice de-
partment has been a stencil. That official
is generally believed to have enriched
himself by his connivance in straw bid
ding. The science of peculation has
advanced since his day, and under Brady
the chief source of profit has been found
in changing the terms of contracts, after
they had been let at ruinous rates to ring
contractors, under the prete,lse of ne
cessity for an increased number of trips.
and for greater speed; these require
ments beng accompanied with greatly
disprOpOrtiOnate increase of the contract
price. Notwithstanding the notOriety
of this abuse especially in certain routes
in the West, known rs the Star routes,
Congress has never found a way to put a
stop to it. No law could be passed which
dishonest official would not find a way
tOevade. 1t was not possible for the as
sistant postmaster general to permit the
government to he robbed without expos
ing himself to criminal Indictment for
coIlusiOn in the act and Brady has had
to risk the penitentiary in doing his
work. Doubtless he thought the risk
slight in view Of the good company that
he had with him in his boat !; and prob
ably he was right. We do not expect
that he will be punished or even made to
disgorge. He goes out of Office dis.
graced but as he has staid in it under
the same opprobrium, propably the only
additional pang he now suffers is in the
loss of the revenue than he no longer can
filch.
The New York Times makes state
ment of one of his operations, which
shows how his work was done. There
is mail route in an uninhabited coun-
try between Mineral Park, Arizona,
and Phoebe, Nevada, for which con-
tract was made, the conveyance being
weekly and the mail matter amounting
to about three letters week. The con-
tract was taken at $1,000 for the year.
The contractors employed another party
to do the work for $1,000, deliberately
suffering a loss of 81 800. Then they
had the service made tri-weekly and the
compensation increased to 22,30O, CIV
ing ST., 900 of this to their sub-contract-
or and turning their 81, 800 loss into
5000 profit. Then they had the service
made daily, at a cost of $4,000, giving
the man who did the work SIS, 900 and
increasing their profit to $4,000. These
changes of service were made without
the sub-contractor's knowledge and of
course without necessity. This man,
Jennings, found himself subject
ed to heavy fines for not carry
ing the expedited mail, which seems
to have been his first knowledge that the
change had been made. He went to
Washington with protest signed by the
citizens served by the mail, declaring
that the increased service was unneces-
sary, but of course he made no progress
towards convincing of that fact the pos
tai officials who had made the arrange
ment to serve not the citizens but them
selves. Such bold stealing would mani