Evening star., 1934-07-26

considered the proceedings Illegal.
Out Of their own mouths they are
convicted
An attorney for one OF the aviation
companies who is reported by the
minutes Of the spoil" conferences
u have been In attendance thereon,
wrote a letter about the proceedings
Of the conferences 70 a banker who
vas interested In one Of the COM
psnies in which he said;
The whole plan OF having the busi-
neess divide up the Government's 8
money without competitive bidding
vill surely fail unless not only the
nying service but perhaps other ope-
rators are taken into consideration.
The P NJ @ referring TO Post
master General Brown stated plainly
that he would not welcome bidding
BY one company for lines in another
ones territory. but stated that he
would have to have such a competi-
ton unless an equitable arrangement
could be made all around ."
Col. Paul Henderson, who was also
at the 'spoils" conferences as the
representative OF the United Aircraft,
testified before the Senate Investigat-
ing Committee as follows
I find practically every one of
them referring to those present.
made the statement that they would
prefer the plan suggested rather than
competitive bidding"
Col. Henderson also testified that
he warned Mr.. W. P. McCracken. the
chairman OF the "spoils' conferences.
that he thought 1t was great mistake
10 90 on with the conferences until
those present had some more definite
information about the legality of the
plans that were proposed.
Question of Legality.
The question of the legality of one
of the old contracts came to the at
tention Of Mr.. John Lord OBrien, as
sistant to the Attorney General In the
former administration, and Mr..
OBrien wrote letter on the subject
to Mr. Arch Coleman. then First As
sistsnt Postmaster General, in which
he disapproved the letting Of the con-
tract in question. as follows:
Il have carefully considered the
question whether the Postmaster Cen
eral should award a contract for car
rying airmail from New York, N. Y,
TO Los Angeles. Calf. and return on
the basis OF bids received in response
10 the Postmaster Generals adver-
tisement of August 2. 1890. In my
opinion section of the airmail act
OF February 2, 1925. as amended by
the act OF April 20. 1880. United
States Code, title 80, section 464, does
not authorize the Postmaster General
to limit bids to those who have had
at least six months actual experience
in operating aircraft on regular night
schedules over route $50 miles or
more in length Since the require
ment of the advertisement of August
2, 1880, may have prevented the sub
mission of bids by otherwise qualified
bidders, and may to that extent have
defeated open competition in bid
ding, I think the Postmaster General
should reject all the bids received and
readvertise for bids for this route"
Assistant Attorney General O'Brien s
advice was disregarded and the con-
tract was allowed to stand
Early this year Postmaster General
James A. Farley. who succeeded Mr.
Brown. after reviewing the revela- :
tions brought out by the Black Air
mail Investigating Committee of the
Senate and investigations conducted
by post office inspectors, became con-
vinced that the airmail contracts then
in existence were contrary to law and
the result of collusion and fraud.
Thereupon he promptly annulled the
contracts.
To prevent a complete cessation of
all airmail sirvice, upon which many
business concerns throughout the
country had largely depended for
quick dispatch of important papers
and documents, the President issued
an order that the Army Air Corps
should transport the mails over nee
essary routes during the period of the
emergency. The Presife- nnG to
the Army Air Corp 10 @ "
the chief of the - a
surance that the
this service. Il
Propaganda al
Immediately afte .s>e It's
we're annulled SON. II nc
had heretofore enj 'e n hts
from the Governm fI lb-
sidy launched q vic ''lR Gus
propaganda campafT .r bst-
master General Far)'" an. PSI
dent. Numbers of lie--sIW pme
of them misled by t-9 pr lists
Joined in the CALI H. q
number of RepubliS,ta " |ers
who had been vain 80, for
something upon Whit. & q titi-
cism of the administA
These Republican lea. nd par.
tisan newspapers, seized Ls.h the un-
fortunate deaths of sewers Army All
Corps pilots, who lost their lives
while flying the mail or n prepara'
ton therefor. in an efTEt to incite
the people of the count against the
administration. In th,,r mad desire