The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-06-13
IN EARNEST.
STAR ROUTE OPERATORS sc.HEp
ny the Determined Course OF til. GOV.
ernmeat In unearthing Their Rms.
eaffty-The Department. = Seat
OF Iniquity for Years,

NEw YoRk, June 1.-THE Washington
correspondent OF the TIma furnishes an.
other batch Of Star route frauds. He says:
me dishonest Star route contractors and
fneif confedeEates seem at last 10 have
reached the conclusion that the Gov.
eminent ts really In earnest and In.
tends 20 prosecute them and punish them
u poesible. After the election OF Preai.
dent Garfield they used all their political
influence 10 affect his choice OF the
fostmaster-General, but their candi.
date received no consideration, They
then exsrted their combined strength
through ex-senator Dorsey and others
to secure in Bradys place a per.
son who would be satisfactory To
them. But there was an honeet man AZ
the head OF the Department, and he was
determined there should be good men
around him, and the jobbers failed 10 pet
any one OF their candidates in Brady's
place. There seems TO be but one dailv
newspaper Ia the District which Il moi
under Bsady's control, and the people of
washington are almost entirely depend.
ent on outside papers for inf rmation
concerning the startling dipcoyeries
which have been made. But the
war against the President and
the investigators has ended in defeat,
The persons employed to gather evidence
OF Wiekedness quietly and reieutiess.
ly pursue their way supported BY the hiph
authorities who employ them and VINO
approved OF their selection. In the chair
formerly disgraced by Brady alta an
upright gentleman Of rare business ability.
who is rapidly becoming acquainted with
oil the details Of the contract bareas. abd
who looks with astonishment on the sys Ann
which in true business methods seem 10
have been completely ignored. The Post.
master General, finding on eyery
hand evidence OF corruption and
reckless extravaganza, looks through
reforms ct present to q realization Of the
dream OF selfsustaining department and
cheaper postage In the near future. Ener.
getlc subordinates gather evidence which
will ove.whelm the guilty. II is hard Tor
one who gains insight into these records.
and who studies the history previous 10
the investigation to escape the belief
that the Postotice Department has been
the seat OF iniquity for years. 1t will be
no easy matter to compute the amount Of
the peoples money stolen or thrown
away. The Correspondent notes tome
remarkable increase and expedition. ON
one route the pay was raised from $3.50 10
So $40, and another from s. $50 to sl03,.
600. He then devotes himself to an esposi.
ton Of the Texas temporary service. n
newly discovered ramifcation OF the
frauds. Tie favorites who held temporary
seryics IN Texas are George and Frank q.
Armstrong, Of Texas, aud Major John D.
Adams, Of Little Rock. Ark, who In thie
mQttAF nFaRttNatIu
same person, A. 81. Brown, ]. B. Cole.
grave, R. @. Kerns and J. P. Hsrbaugh.
Armstrong was General in the Conied-
crate army; Adams was friend and sup
porter OF ex-senator Dorsey, and A, H.
Brown was once clerk in the department
in charge OF the territorial routes by
which the government has been robbed Of
many millions. It appears, says the cor
to keep select circle Of favorites informed
as to his decisions In regard
to temporary contracts, so that they
could put in their proposals without
delay. These proposals were at once &C.
cepted without question, and without
competition. No opportunity was given
to local stagemen or others to compete for
work, which was usually given TO favorites
hSA N4S ySAA ~ ptlSe NHlCu Whd LQTb6
times as much as the work was really
worth. The iavorite would then suhlet
the route to local men. and pocketed or
divided the difference. When one Of these
tsvoritea became possessor Of little ready
money. he could very easily get tenn
porary contracts, or three or four or
half dozen routes in bunch at his own
figures. II is now known that q woman
secured seventeen such contracts In one
day. The route bill passed in 1879 estab.
lished about 1000 routes. Brady puts
temporary service very soon afterward on
1900 OF them. At the investigation Of the
Sth he presented a statement OF the tenn.
porary service put on from July 10 to oc.
tober l, 1879. Most OF the jobs given to
favorites did not appear in this state
ment, but were bestowed at q
later date. OF the sum OF sl7s, ,4e9, repre-
senting the total annual pay on temporary
contracts in Texas, Sl63. .432 was given to
Armstrong, Adams. Brown, Buxbury,
Colegrave, Harhsugh and Kerns. Cole
grave was a friend OF ex.Chief Clerk
French. Hsrbsugh is against the
Louisiana Lottery Company and friend
Of Congressman Money, and Ksrns is the
head OF the Kerns' combination, ". Louis.