Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-17

WASHINGTON, March 16.-After some de-
lay caused by the difficulty experienced in
filing the panel of the grand jury in the
criminal court This morning, Gen. Brady
again took the witness stand, and was fur
ther cross examined by Bliss. He did not
remember that any in, ongruity in Miners
affidavit on the Tongue river route had at
tracted his attention. Witness described
the method of preparing advertisements
for letting miscellaneous service. The
temporary contracts originally ran for six
months. but the term was afterwards ex-
tended to one year. The contract might
have been discontinued in order to
put it on better service, and for other
reasons. The power of the second
assistant in that respect was broad, but in
all cases where the service was discontin-
ued for cause, such as failure to perform
the service, it was a requirement of law
that the contractor be allowed months
extra pay. Witness could not remember
whether or not the practice as to posting
bulletins of temporary service to be let
followed the congressional investigation.
Bliss instanced the Tongue river route,
and asked how the contract couldbe II ade
profitable by expedition when it was los
ing contract at the old schedule.
Witness duly answered: ''You will have
to ask the contractors about that"
Question-You stated you expedited it
to make it profitable to the contractor.
How?
7 10
service. I said we preferred to help the
contractors rather than oppose them.
Whether it did or not is la matter for them.
Bliss pressed the question in a different
form.
Witness answering he would not take the
weekly service without expedition, when
he was losing money on one trip per week.
Where the expedition was added, however,
it seemed to benefit the contractors. How,
witness did not know. That was a ques-
ton for the contractors.
Bliss inquired why the witness did not
let the service under temporary con-
tract instead of expediting it.
He answered that he did not now re-
member the consideration that then af-
fected his mind, but as a matter of fact,
no one in the wide world would take such
service under six months contract.
He was asked how he proposed to get
rid of the stumbling block of increasing
the ridiculously low figure at which the
original service had been taken to a
profitable figure:
The witness answered-We kicked the
stumbling block out of our way in order
to get just what we did, good service.
In answer to q question why the route
had not been relet under a miscellaneous
letting, the witness called attention to the
fact that the letting did not take place until
the fall OF 1873, when the lowest bid would
in all probability have exceeded the figures
to which the route had been expedited.
When it was considered that it was new
route through a rough country, some such
result might have been reached under cover
of the law in a roundabout fashion, per-
haps.
Bliss asked why the witness had length
ened the schedule time.
He answered, it was only just where the
schedule had been fixed and the contract
taken on a misstatement of distance.
Question-Why did you tell Judge Kid
der that you could not do it On the YER
million, Sioux Falls route?
Answer-Because I do not remember
there was any such misstatement of dis
lance.
Bliss asked if the service was ever put
for an individual.
Witness said he sometimes accommo-
dated his friends that way. The contrac-
tors were very well treated when l was
postmaster general.
Bliss. 81 should say they WERE"
Witness added, he thought it had resulted
in a better SeSviCe.
Bliss. "Do\ you!know that the post
Office departme&t is now self supporting?''
Answer 10, but that is not through
any curtailment of the star service. 1t
only results from an increased sale CT
stamps.
Bliss-Did you always get expedited
service at the lowest possible rate?
Answer say that l did. Having re-
ceived the affidavit of the contractor, and
having a general rule Of my own that the
western service should not exceed $50 per
mile, tried to get it at that rate and not
to exceed, and these nineteen routes show
we were getting it much less.
Witness was asked why he allowed the
contractor so much more for expediting
than it actually cost, as shown by a filed
sub-contract such as upon the Eugene City
bridge creek route.
He answered he was not dealing with the
sub contractor. The contractor was held
for service in summer and winter. The
sub-contractor was not bound to the de.
partment, and could throw up the service
at any time in the middle of the winter
when the contractor was bound to imme
diately restore the service. He thought
the service on the Eugene City bridge
creek route was cheaply let. 1t was moi
the practice to increase and expedite 6
route where the service was being already
inadequately performed. He sawVaile very
infrequently while in the postoffice de-
partment, and could not remember how ht
learned that Vale was going to assume
the service for Miner, PECK
q Co. He had probably
been informed by the chief clerk. The
congressional investigation in 1873 wal
the reason for not insisting upon the i'm
mediate establishment of the service at the
beginning of the contract term upon the
Canon City, Fort McDermott and othe
routes. 1t was always better to grant
small allowance of time than to declare
the contractor failing contractor. Their
was abundant reason for this. Postmaste
General Key had Investigated the charg