National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-10-27

mado snort speech DeioTO lhc NOIk-
ingmon's National Blaine and Logan
club on Saturday night, in which he
brought out somo interesting and
forgotten facts in reply to the OK.
ultant boast of Senator Bayard. of Della
ware, In his Brooklyn speech, that tho
democratic party when in power had
been scrupulously economical OF the pco.
pies money and rogardful OF the public
interest. Mr.. Mcpherson said that under
Mr.. Buchanan's administration wastoful-
ness was the rule In every department.
aud especially in the postotlicc depart
mont, in which, by star route and other
transportation contracts and excessive
allowance to contractors, nearly six
millions Of dollars were squandcred in
tho last two years Of its term. lie pro
duced the report Of the postmaster gen.
eral of that administration, made mt the
first session of tho thirty-sixth congress,
in December, 1852 from which IL appears
that on certain specified contracts then
existing tho expenditures wero SO, 157, 700
beyond the receipts. On one of these
routes, which cost $250,0O0, the receipts
were $5,276. On another, which cost
SlgG,iis, the receipts were $60l. On an-
other, which cost $4,000, the receipts
were $5,4l2. Senator Bayard waxed in.
dignant over the small receipts on some
of the recent 'star-route" contracts. Mr..
Mcpherson commended to him as seda
tive the study of these fragrant demo
cratic contracts of ante-bellum days.
Be it also remembered that every ono
Of these contracts was forced upon the
department by the democratic majoritiGs
in the congress of that day, and in spite
Of the protests of the department. The
contract for the overland mail for six
years, at 100000 n year, involved loss
of moro than $30O0OOO for the period, as
stated in 1859 by the postmaster general.
who was powerless under the law to
change service or prices, SO skillfully had
the lobby drawn the act. Under such
legislation four-horse coaches were run
upon border and unrrequontod routes,
and steamboat lines were subsidized ut au
outlay which would have afforded postal
facilities to entire states, morely that the
owners Of these lines might be enriched at
the cost Of the treasury.
Nor was this all. The postmaster gen
eral, in the same report, complains that
in the previous six years congress had
made extra allowances TO contractors
amounting to $6i9, 9,lGl beyond what the
| department regarded them as entitled to
receive under their contracts, and beyond
what it was believed the postal service
demanded or justified, so that the waste
of 1859 may be fairly stated at nearly
| SO, 100000. Tho waste of the following
year was about 100000, making total
in two years of about S5,5OO,oOO, or one.
quarter more than the highest estimate
put upon the recent Star route" contracts.
Senator Bayard must be presumed not
to be aware of the record of his party when
in power or he could not have been be-
trayed into misstatements SO astonishing.
Mr. Mcpherson said he had thus shown,
by the highest official authority, that tho
thirty-ifth congress had been grossly ex-
travagaut and reckless, lad that it WAS
under the control of tho transportation
lobby, which in turn had literally sup.
piled the "sinews of war" for tho demo-
cratic campaigns of 1853 and 1860 This
is the congress which became notoriou
for the passage of the Lecompton bill-a
device for forcing slavery into Kansas.
1t is equally entitled to be remembered for
its recklessness in wasting public money
on postofiice transportation contracts.
1t is worthy Of remark that not one cent
of the money thus fraudulently waste
has ever been recovered to the treasury,
or that tho democracy made any attempt
to recover it.
Senator Bayard need not have gone fai
from Brooklyn to find one conspicuous
democratic official who was not in the
ancient days scrupulously faithful to his
trust. Had he recalled the name Of Isaac
V. Fowler, Buchanan's defaulting post
master of New York city, who 'got away
with $l70,9i7, and whose bondsmen es
capped OH technicality, and who was
never punished for his crime, Senator
Bayard would have been able to rest his
mind upon at least one prominent leader
who sacrificed his integrity to personal
greed.
The facts above given sufficiently show
the nature of the administration so fal
as transportation and other contracts wer,
concerned. What are the facts respecting
the transaction Of the ordinary business
Of the edepartments-the receipts and pay
ments of public moneys-during the las
two democratic administrations? Bad o
Buchanan's was, it was praiseworthy com
pared with Pierce's. Under Pierce the
losses in ordinary disbursements were
they foil to $3l6 on every $1,000. Under
Grant they fell still further to $l.27 on
every $1,000 disbursed. Under Arthur
they have fallen still further to mill:
on every $1,000 disbursed. This is tn,
result Of tho adoption of improved
methods based OIL business principles and
applied by business men. In former days
there were few existing checks. In 1881
tho senior assistant postmaster general
received and disbursed all its funds
Moneys paid into the department at
Washington were paid to him, and the
payments in bank throughout the union
was subject to his entire control. He
kept his own account of the money,
drawn by his checks from the banks, o.
paid out of the chest in his Office, without
the intervention of a clerk; and of tn,
moneys found in his chest no account
could ever be discovered in the depart
mont. This is the confession of the post
master general OF that day-W. T. Barry
See Amer. State Papers, 1884, p. 1903
Now every guard is thrown around boil
the receipt and payment, and loss is re,
duCed to a minimum.