The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-28
The Star Route.
Facts Regarding the Fort Worth and
Fort Yuma Line-Enormous Increase of
Compensation to Contractors General
Brady's Defense.


for daily services, the distance being 1900 miles
and the time seventeen days. The bid orgi-
nally was irregular, but the technicalities were
waived by those having charge of the matter
in the department. These irregularities were
overlooked upon the ground that the bid was a
cheap one and was of great advantage to the
government. Only six weeks after however,
the matter of saving to the government seemed
to have passed out of sight, for General Brady
issued an order expedting the service of this
route and allowing the contractor S165, 900 ad-
ditional pay To fully appreciate the remsrka-
BILE circumstances connected with this contract
it is necessary to penetrate further into its his
tory In 1870 part OF this route was let out at
S126 900 from Messilla to San Diego for a mail
twice week. The speed was increased and
the service Was raised first to three times and
then TO seven times week, and the price was in
creased from $124,00 TO $2lS, ,46O year At
the next general competitive letting in 1874 the
department again awarded this route to the
lowest bidder for S55 900 and reduced the trips
from seven times to three times per week. A
short time afterward the trips were increased
to seven times week, the time expedited and
the price increased to $233, 1888 In july, 1878,
tho route was bid off for S134.OOO and in six
weeks was increased to its present figures,
900. The question that naturally sug-
gests itself is if an increase in the number of
trips and additional speed was necessary and in
force on this route at the time OF the general
letting of contracts in 1874, why di not the
department advertise for proposals for the SER
vice as it existed, instead of advertising for
reduced number of trips and decreased rate of
speed only to increase both aud raise the COM
pensation from S55,OOO to S233 1888 year
short time after the contract was awarded:
and why the saihe thing in 1878? If this course
was pursued for the sole purpose of enabling
the favorite contractor to realize an enormous
bonus when the trips and speed were after.
wards increased, it could not have been better
arranged. All the proofs thus far adduced
give color to the allegation that the service
upon various routes has been so fixed as to be
let out with view of subsequently doubling
the service and increasing the compensation,
The latest instances of unaccountable extrava-
gance in allowances 10 contractors for whose
benefit deficiency appropriation is asked are
the following: The contract for route 80, ,1O3,
running from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Mes.
Sila, the distance between which is alleged to
be BIG miles, but which in reality is nine miles
shorter, was awarded to the lowest bidder at
the sitting in March, 1878, for S26, 200 to j. b.
Price. Schedule time was fixed at seventy
two hours, or -four and two-tenths miles per
hour, seven trips weekly. Not long afterward
the speed was increased to five and one-tenth
miles per hour, aud $40, ,841.17 additional was
allowed, making the total cost of this route
S67 ,O41. Route No. SO, l09, from Las Vegas to
Las Cruces, 4421 miles, services three time
week, schedule $50 hours or at the rate of two
and tive-tenths miles per hour, was let in
March, 1878, to 9. Cosgrove for $l4,900. The
speed was increased soon to four miles per hour
and $21, additional allowed Later,
So, ,517. .16 was allowed for increased distance
and then So, 120.96 additional was allowed for
four additional trips per week, swelling the
cost of this from $14,9O0 to S91, Ala
Startling as these figures may appear,
the action of the department is rendered still
more remarkable when it is considered that
both the foregoing routes run parallel to each
other and terminate at The same point. Since
Las Cruces and Mesilla are two towns situated
on the Rio Grande Immediately opposite each
other. Las Vegas and Santa Fe, the two start
ing points OF the same routes, are not much
over one hundred miles distant from each 9TH
er, and this about the separating distance be-
tas% c@9ss the routes at the widest point and he
Grande. There is also a temporary route from
Las Vegas to Albuquerque, the latter being
point on the route first above named CNo &c.
l03), at cost of $23,174, while there is at the
same time daily line from Las Vegas to Santa
Fe, so that instead of running the route from
Las Vegas to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Mesilla
and Las Cruces, and having such feeders to
TINS route as are necessary, the department
runs four distinct routes at the enormous ag-
gregate cost of over 5000 900, in a country very
sparsely settled, and the grea ter part Of which
is wilderness.
GENERAL BRADY's DENIAL.
General Brady, lats second assistant post
master-general, in reference to the scandal,
makes the following statement:
Up to this time Lave satisfied myself with
general denial of the charges made by the
class OF newspaper correspondents who either
DO not care to know facts or knowing them de-
llberately misrepresent them. In saying this, 1
do not overlook the fact that a great many
newspapers misled by the statements of these
malicious correspondents, have been honestly
led to censure me and the Post Office Depart
ment III severe terms. The case against the
"Star" routes, broadly stated, amounts to this,
that upon certain ninety-three of them there
have been extraordinary increases ordered.
This number, as small as it may be in com mpari-
son with the whole number, includes all the
great national routes. A few newspaper COR
respondents, who strike the keynote for many
others, cannot conceive how this increase has
been brought about except by collusion and
fraud. These charges have been made before,
were made necessarily during the winter of
1879-SO, and when Congress was in session.
Witnesses were Subp9naed in large numbers
in consequence thereof, and an investigation
had by the House appropriations committee,
which must be conceded to have been thorough,
as it surely was far-reaching. Yet it is notOri-
oas that while the committee unanimously
recommended large increase over the appro-
priation for the previous year, Congress
granted nearly the full amount estimated by
the department., and thereby, not only JUS
titled the increase on these ninety three routes,
but continued them permanently on that basis.
1t is also fact that Congress, at its last ses-
sion, appropriated not only a sufficient amount
to conduct the service as thus increased, but
gave $780, 900 for further increases during the
next fiscal year; and it is more notori-
GUS fact that during the past four years
The entire Postal Service has grown with
wonderful growth. This is not confined to the
''Star" service alone, but covers and includes
railway, steamboat and mail messenger SER
vice. In these there has been in many cases
phenomenal growth. The country as whole
to-day enjoys better mail facilities by one-half
than it did four years ago. What the depart
ment did in such an augmentation of postal
facilities could not be done for nothing, and
Congress, which could have Terminated it by
simply failing to appropriate for it, after thor
oughly examining into all the charges that are
brought forward to-day as late discoveries
said that it was good, that it was necessary
respects it did in obedience to the demands of
the country as expressed through its represen-
tatives. Nothing was done on my own voli-
tion; nothing was done darkly 6r in corner,
and yet Lam responsible for all that was DONE
While at the head of the contract bureau, and
l am proud of the fact that was in a position
to respond to the wants of the country in its
recent and still continuing wonderful era OF
No man who comes after me-
whatever his pretensions may be, dares to set
his face against the liberal policy inaugurated
by Judge Key. 1t was and is the true policy,
and i, endorsed by the people, and any attempt
to change it will bring discontinue and con-
tempt upon those who hazard the experiment
All this talk about rings and corruption comes
from disgraced contractors and would-be black
mailers. lncessant overtures were made by
these press brigands'to contractors who were
supposed by. them to be in the enjoyment of
fat contracts and large profits, to properly
mould public sentiment, and those prop
ositions, rejected in many instances, were
followed by threats that if they
were denied participation therein,
contrary sentiment would be created. L have
in all cases where they came to my knowledge
set my face as flint against such propositions,
and would have been energetic in wiping out
any item of Star mail service that rested upon
SO base a foundation for popular support
Nothing was done, as l.have said above, that
was not done at the request of members of
Congress who were supposed to know the needs
and requirements of their constituents, aud
nothing was persisted in that failed to receive