The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-05-06
THE STAR ROUTE SCANDAL.
1From the Mobile Register

THE STAR ROUTE SCANDAL.
eIFrom the Mobile Register.l
The recent dismissal Of Second Assis-
tapt Post master- General Brady is suf.
ficient evidence of the fact that the
charges of corruption in the Star Route
service have been we'll founded. Post
master General James has commenced
his administration of the affairs of his
department by proceeding at once to
weed the knaves out of it. In this
work he will have the hearty sympathy
of all honest men in the country with
out distinction of party.
The "Star routes are the special
routes by land and water outside TIE
regular lines of railroads and steamers.
They are ut the best costly and unre-
munerative, since they run outside the
beaten tracks of communication and in
sparsely-settled sections Ofthe country,
1t is tho branch of the postal service
which requires the most inspection
and offers the largest opportunities for
fraud. The lavish expenditure of
money upon these routes long since
attracted the attention of Congress, and
there was an investigation q year or SO
ago which developed illegal excuses in
expenditure and suspicious increase
purpose of ..eXpedition." 1t appears
that the only expedition caused was
the expediting money into the pockets
of swindlers. Nobody accuses Mr..
Hayes, nor the postmaaters- General
under him OF having any completely in
these nefarious transactions, and there
fore it is strange that no action was
taken on the report referred to. Per-
haps they We're afraid to offend Brady,
as he is IA power in the Republican
party in Indiana, and Indiana had to
be carried in the approaching October
election.
Postmaster General James is very
different sort of man, however, from
Erring Brother Key and Truly Loyal
Maynard, and the result of quiet in
vestigation made by him has been the
dismissal of Brady, and Il shaking up
of dry bones generally.
1t is charged that contracts were let
to persons specially favored, and the
compensation afterwards increased on
the pretence that the service performed
Ind been "expedited," or made more
frequent, aud that the eXigencics Of
public service required this increase of
work done.
In one case, for example, Il Star route
was let for Sl34 900 per annum, and,
within 60 days thereafter, the service
was "expedited,' and the contract
price increased to $4,000 1t is now
known that this "eNpedition" or re-
ductiou of schedule time, for which the
sum of Sl65,0G0 was paid, was never
made. In some instances, particularly
that of route No. 10, lo4, from Mineral
Park, Arizona, to Phoebe, Nevada, ii
distance of 232 miles, the service was
eXepidited by orders from Washington
without the knowledge or consent of
the contractors. This particular route
had originally been let for $1,000 per
annum, the service being weekly. 1t
was subet at u price greater than that
for which it was at first let, and the
subcontractors were told that they must
get up petitions for Il tri-weekiy ser
vice. They refused on the ground
that there was no demand for an in
creased service NeVcrthe less, the tri-
weekly service was ordered from Wash
ington, and the original contractors
were drawing from the Government
So, 300 therefor, tho difference betwiNt
this amount and that paid to The sub
contractors being SO much net gain to
the persons who procured tho uncalled-
for and needless increase of the service.
From all this it will be seen how
dlhicult it is to prevent corruption
from creeping into the departments of
the Government; an evidence of pre-
sent decentralization of politics. The
Offices are looked upon rs tho spells of
political warfare, and this idea is calcu
lated to make those who get them feel
tnat their first duty is not to the pco-
PIE, but to themselves. No other
civilized country in tho world, with the
exception perhaps OF Russia, has had
as moch Official corruption during the
past ten years as the United States
This is not pleasant thing for the
American citizen to reflect upon.
About year ago young wife pro-
cured Il divorce at New Philadelphin
Ohio. Now she Snas her f,r,,,r ~.