The Portland daily press., 1881-11-24
THE STAR ROUTES.
Report of special Attorney Gibson.

Report OF Special Attorney Gibson.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-Mr. Gibson, Special
Attorney of the United States IN the Star Ser
vice Investigation, has submitted his report.
He says at the outset that "For manifest reas-
ons it would not be prudent to disclose all the
facts discovered by the investigation pursued
by the representatives OF two departments or
to indicate a 1.-THE OF the evidence which must
be reserved for the courts of justic.n The
document is, nevertheless, of great length
and would fill about twenty newspaper col
umns, exclusive of its accompanying "exhib-
its !" dealing chiefly with the administration OF
the contract office during the term of Brady.
After reviewing the history OF the expedited
Star routes, the report concluds:-The follow
ing propositions are sustained by overwhelm-
ing and ,unimpeachable evidence: First, that
in advertising for proposals to transport mails
on Star routes on the fourth or Pacific contract
section il was the rule to ask for number OF
trims less than it was pretended the needs OF
the coantry required Immediately after the
service began. Second. that the schedule time
on the Star routes was systematically MADE
longer on advertisement than it was pretended
Immediately after the service began than the
needs of the country demanded. Third, that
the Star routes were advertised longer than
thew were at previous lettings, and longer than
the distance circulars and other record EVIL
dence known to the contract Office proved them
TO be- Fourth, that the Star routes have been
advertised TO be shorter than they were known
of Star routes in the manner described were
steps precedent taken in accordance with a
pre-arranged plan whereby a few contractors
obtained control of more than 400 routes at
very low pay and then by means of extra al
lowances got the pay increased until three,
four, five, six and seven times the original
price was price was paid. Sixth that by adj
vertising the Star routes longer than they. ac-
tualy were on the expedition of schedule
thereon required less expenditure by contrac--
Ia ham RI ha Increased
service. Seventh, that Star routes being adj
yertised shorter than they actually were en-
abled contractors, after getting their pay enor-
mously increased, to obtain on this pretext pro
rata pay for increased distance. Eighth, that
this system required contractors who obtain
rout on small pay to give proportionately less
bonds, that this opened the door TO straw bid
ding, and men who were VIGOROUSLY dummies
habitually appeared as bidders and as circum-
stancessrequired bee anne failing bidders, failing
contractors, or remained and sub-let to their
principals just as they failed or succeeded IN
getting pay of routes increased; that the bonds
men of these dummies were always WORTH
less, and no effort was ever made tu furnish.
the men behind them, Ninth, that in giving
out temporary service few contractors receiv-
ed all the rich plums at high rates of pay, and
in some instances these temporary contracts
have been extended from time to time greatly
to the detriment of the government aud great
ly to the advantage OF the favored contractors,
l6ubl, tfldt Ildit IustduCop Couei oCtoAc 10 .
been suffered on portions Of their routes to per-
form service, and to omit service in violation
of their contracts whereby they profited largely
and the government suffered, Eleventh. that
contracts have been awarded on proposals man
ifestly and confessedly illegal on plea that a
great saving thereby was made and within q
few DAYS after the service began pay on routes
thus let was increased many fold. Twelfth,
that contracts have been awarded to certain
contractors on illegal proposals and at the same
letting contracts were 9not awarded on pro-
posale having precisely the SINH
lar defects, the Department holding
that proposals were illegal when In fact iden-
tical defects We're in other cases held not to be
sufficient to justify their rejection. Thirteenth,
that hundreds of contracts have been awarded
on proposals with guarantees notorious ~
worthless and contracts executed with sureties
known to be frauds Fourteenth, that in
making extra allowance Brady
reversed the practice of the department
which had rarely, If ever, been departed from
during more than fifty years and v1o-
lated the letter and spirit of the law
by accepting as sufficient statement OF
contractors as to the cost of performing
additional service when these statements.
tested by common sense and ordinary
Judgment were not only manifestly false but
altogether insufficient as data upon which to
base even approximate estimates. Fifteenth,
that there has been inefficiency, dereliction OF
duty and still graver official shortcomings in
the administration of the Sixth Auditors
office; that gross abuses and manifest corrup-
tions In the conduct OF the contract office OF
the Post Office Department in the past
would have been impossible had the Auditor
OF the Treasury for the Post Office Department
vigorously executed the law with honest pur
pose to correct the glariDg wrongs and bring
to justice notorious wrong-doers.