The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-01
During the debate on the postal

During the debate on the postal
Biz, Gen. r. B. Vance offered the fol-
lowing amendment.
Pr0rtded further, That when a con-
tract is declared void on account of its
having been sublet the contractors
Shall not be entitled TO one months
extra pay. as provided by the statute
"Mr. Vance. | wish to call the at
tention of the committee to the state
of affairs in the country in regard to
tfis Subletting Of contracts. | do not
deny that my object is to prevent the
practice of su bletting the carrying of
the United States mails. The very
thing the gentleman from New York
4 Dir. Hiscock) refers to, this bidding
Efor carrying the mails, is a speculation
which has grown up, and which | think
h 9 wrought a great deal of damage in
|the country. The fact is, Mr.. Chair
that the impression has gone all
soyer this land that a ring has grown
Eup in and around this capital and in
sotner parts of the country, who take
zthe contracts for carrying the mails OF
the United States and never themselves
EpClSOL1iIN w NdAiN II non ldl
b S been the effect slr2 | have now
le tiers from different parts of my State
and from different parts of other States,
complaining that the people have not
received their mails III some instance
f II six weeks. know in one case, sir,
t yo daily mails in my section of the
C ,untry VIE bid Of by men in the
5 ate of Iowa who never have seen ;he
co Intry where these mails have to be
carried and have no interest in it. The
routes were bid for as Il matter of spec
u%!ation. The sub contractors grew
tired and threw up the contracts and
tie mails were stopped.
think it is time that thi. State OF
aftirs should be put a stop to. What
DO gentlemen most desire? To have
the nails did off at a low price by spec
u~lator5, By a ring. then to have the
contracts relet and many times sublet,
s0mestimes four or five times over, til
d. last d man is selected to carry the
nail uho IS not able to do it, who is
not a1Ie to provide the stock, the pay
not being sufficient L think, sir, this
great Government of ours is able to
pay for carrying the United States
mails, and to pay a fair price for having
mails sent all over the land and |
think. sir, it is in the interest of the
people and it is in the main in the in
terest Of &c ,nomy to break up this source
OF corruption, the business of letting
the mails throughout the country. L
thiak it is incumbent upon the Govern
ment to encourage the citizens to carry
the mails and give them a fair opportu-
nifty. They are pot here in person they
have no opportunity of knowing what is
done in cases where clerks may be cor
rupt. | do not say that they are; still
it may be that the clerks may be cor
rupt, and may give limitations to these
sub-contractors, while people In the
country have not the opportunity OF
getting information.
say, MIR. Chairman, the main point
is 20 have the mail carried with speed,
with safety, and with efficiency, SO that
the people may have their mails and
may receive their newspapers. One
man wrote to M lately that he hardly
knew whether Congress had assembled
OF not, because the mails had been SO
Tong in reaching hi, neighborhood."
Here the hammer fell.
Gen. Vance also introduced an amend
ment to the bill granting 500, 900 to the
Department to furnish country post
offices with scales for weighing mail
matter. 1t appears that the smaller
offices are not allowed letter-scales, yet
are charged if not enough postage be
demanded. The p. 0. Dept. wrote
Gen. V. that there we're 10000 such
Offices. and that fines to the amount of
5000 per month we're charged for def
clent postage. The amendment was
adopted and the country pOstmasters
o. North Carolina should give Gen.
Vance good measure in the scales OF
a~nDrnh.tiou