The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-03

ants they were found. Had the negroes
been the thieves they would doubtless have
taken volumes that we're # less re al worth
and OF more apparent value as Judged from
their biGcings or the number Of their blank
pages II the government had only sppre-
clated ths fact that these books were among
the property turned over to the United
States representative by the confederates at
Chester it might have occurred TO them
that persons who thus mad government
chattels in their possession were more sub
jects for arrest than for reward, or at least
that there was no need of paying Sl2, 600 for
what It was the governments right 10 take
without paying.
There is an especial reason Just now why
this register Of the records of the confsder-
ate postoifice department is OF value. The
provisional government of the cOnfeder6teS
was formed at Montgomery, Ala, in Feb
ruary, 1861. 1t was in full hourishing shape
before March 81 when the first quarter Of
the year for all contracts for carving the
mails in the seeding states ended just
previous to this Postmaster General Blair at
Washington had issued an order for the
arrest Of the United States postal service
in states wherever there was a rebellion,
aud following on the heels of this came an
order from the confederate postmaster gen.
eral assuming charge of the DOS
tai route and offices aud directing
the postmasters to retain in their pos
| service. The question Of paying the mail
carrying contractors for the frat quarter of
| the year came up in the confederate con-
Rress soon after its organization, at Rich
mond, and large amount was appropriated
for this purpose. The question came up in
Arkansas soon after the seizure of the gov
eminent arsenal and sub-treasury at Little
Rock, and as the mail contractors claimed
TO be the only United States employees in the
state to whom money was due the gold and
| silver from the sub~treasury there was de-
voted to paying the accounts Of the con-
tractors in that state.
According to Col. Ofutt, divided among
these contractors, the specie paid within
20 per cent. Of all that was owing them.
10 the other states the money due for mail
carrying during this first quarter OF 1861,
was paid in the confederate currency.
Within the last year or two many bill have
been presented to the United States govern
ment for the carrying of mails in the south
during these three months, and what is
moro interesting, very many Of these bills
have been paid. Not many months ago an
officer OF the auditing bureau of the post
otfica department in Washington, wrote to
Col. Offutt and stated that large batch of
those bills were awaiting action, naming
some of the applicants, and asked him IL
the confederate government had ever
made payments of any accounts covering
this period and if so. ii any records
of the payments were extant. The regis
ter Of reports found in the negro cabin and
now in the hand of Mr.. Wanamaker's
department contains records of all pay
meLts to mail contractors made by the
confederate government from the time of
the formation of the postoffice department
to April 2, 1865, the day of the flight from
Richmond. The contractors name is given,
his route and the amount claimed By him
aud the amount paid to him. II the &C
count was for a contract that had been
made by the Uni ed States government and
assumed by tile confe1erGcy it was 50 stated
in the record. The book shows that about
100000 was paid to the contractors
for carrying mails during the quarter
for which there is now an attempt
TO press claims against Uncle Sam.
The fact that some of these con-
tractors have secured by presenting
their bills to the postoffice deprrtment,a sec.
ond payment for their services during the
three months that just preceded the HOSTILE
ties between the north and the south
bids fair to open a grand raid on the treas
ury by the contractors of this early period
or their descendants, who might be I'M
scrupulou5 enough to take advantage of
the careless action Of the Washington
authorities in paying these claims without
| proper examlnauDn into their past history.
| The book now in the hands of the postoffice
department will not only stop the further
payment of these old bills, but may not un-
| likely figure in suits for perjury against
those who have presented their bills and
sworn that they had not before received
money for the claims.