Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-01-07
srAR ROUTE CASES.
Letters from Bliss and Postmaster Gen.
eral James.

Letters from Bliss ana H0Slm09tef 6c0s
eral James.
wAsHISsroS, Jan. s.
The President sent to the Senate the fol-
lowing letter from the late Postmaster Gen
eral with regard to the responsibility of sure
ties upon the bonds accompanying the bids
and contracts for the mail service during the
last four years.
:, PosToFfIcE DEPARTMENT.
WASHINGTON, ID. c.. Jan. Sd. 1882.
SIR
have the honor to tr insmit, herewith, the
letter from Hon. George Bliss. special coun-
sci of the United States for the prosecution
of the star route cases, and the report of the
inspectors, detailing the result of the most
careful examination into the responsibility
of the sureties upon the bonds accompanying
the bids and contracts for the mail service
during the last four years. This report
seems 10 show conclusively that there has
been imposed upon the postoffice department
not less than 1900 bonds sureties
which were, with perhaps few exceptions,
utterly worthless. and known to the parties
who presented them TO be worthless There
is reason to believe that the same parties will
present large number of proposals at the
letting of the mail service west of the Mis-
sissippi river, which takes place the seventh
of this month. and l am advised that the
Postmaster General would have no author
ity to reject such bids if regular
in form while it is impossible to properly in
vestigate the responsibility of sureties be-
awarded. Under these circumstances it
seems, to me, proper that the attention of
Congress should be called to this condition
8 tIsaI au- nd .Lap L. l.. IL
some power may be vested in the department
to debar from bidding, persons who have
hitherto been engaged in such practices, as
in order to maze the remedy effective at the
next bidning. immediate action upon the
part of Congress will be requiredI call your
attention to this matter instead CT leaving il
to my successor.
Very respectfully,
THOMAS L. JAMES,
Postmaster General.
Bliss in the letter to which reference is
made. saws:
and associates, have made Sl3. 900 for
, carrying the mails, involving Ss,0S4 ,452 OF
bonds, and have obtained 900 contracts in
yolving S202, 905 bonds. The bonds are,
with perhaps few exceptions, utterly worth
less. Now there is conclusive evidence that
Boone intends to food the department with
bids, and that indications are that he is pur-
suing some system of bogus bonds. Under
these circumstances you ask me if You have
the right to reject all Boones bids. As the
law stands do not think you have this right.
The report of inspectors Tidball and Shall
| cross. which accompanies this letter, which
sets forth that in 1877 Boone, Their clerk of
the board of health of this city, associated
with himself number of well known mail
contractors. including John w. Dorsey, John
II. Miner, j. NJ. Peck, Alvin o. Buck, Sam
| uel Cobell and others, and began making
bids for star route service, putting in as sure
ties men utterly irresponsible. The report
of the inspectors gives with great fullness OF
detail, the history of these illegal transac-
| tions and the proof of their fraudulent char
| acter.
| One of the sureties has made an answer,
in which he says the land he swore he owned
was decided to him by Boone for the consid-
| Grafton of one dollar, for the purpose of en-
| abling him to go upon bonds. He acknowl-
| edges the entire transaction to have been a
| farce.
From Nov. |, 1877 to Feb. 10, 1881,
Boone bid on 1894 routes. The aggregate
bonds amounted to S2,95SlS2 He Sc
cured l02 contracts, GALL of which are still in
operation, and most of them having two and
three years to rum, requiring in total the
sum of $50. 305. The grand result of the
operations of Boone and his combination
may be summed up as follows: Total mum.
Der of bids 1920. Aggregate of bonds &C.
companying the proposals SS,0S4,5 Total
number of contracts secured 296. Total
amount of bonds required with contracts
sop 800. With the exception of three or four
| who pOfprpu IA Pnnpo
under the advertisement OF Nov. LIST, 1877,
the sureties on all the services now in
operation under the contracts with
Boone, Buck, Cabell, Henderson and
Armstrong is utterly irresponsible. A
large number Of these worthless bonds were
certified by ID. b. Aenger, Postmaster OF
Washington, ID. c., and Myron NJ. Parker,
his assistant postmaster. With reference to
Aenger and Parker the report says: We are
unable to suppress our astonishment at the
course pursued by them. The certificates OF
responsibility given by them were in direc,
violation of the postal laws. We are con-
strained to believe they were easily imposed
upon, otherwise we should be compelled to
accept the facts as evidence of corruption,
With regard to the part taken by certain
notaries public of Washington in the
| execution of these straw bonds inspectors saw
I'VE have discovered grave violations of the
law in this respect on the part of James Mich
Callan, James Waught and George +. Ora
ham, notaries public. These officers were
mere conveniences upon whom Boone,
Miner, Brick, Cabell and others relied for
ready and needful assistance in perfecting
the schemes designed to impose upon the
postoffice department and the public The
report recommends the Institution of
criminal proceedings against all parties on
| account OF the violation Of the law, COM
mltted by them, in obtaining contracts is at
present in operation.