US Senate discussed failure to pay Plimpton Manufacturing

01/24/1888 |

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The US Senate held a discussion on the fact that Plimpton Manufacturing Company had not been paid for items produced during May and June of 1887 for the US Post Office Department.

More details

Joseph Hawley stated that the post office department had “begged” Plimpton Manufacturing to go forward with the production of these items and to have confidence that the government would cover the cost.
According to Hawley, Plimpton Manufacturing had had to borrow $85,000 at 6% from banks in Hartford to cover this cost.
Apparently, the House Appropriations Committee failed to take up consideration of this overdue payment.
Eugene Hale objected to Hawley’s effort because he thought it “best to accept the house bill without change, in order to let such creditors as were thus provided for obtain their relief at once.”
The Senate adopted Hawley’s amendment to the House appropriations bill.

And then there's this

Items produced for and delivered to the post office department were

Stamped envelopes
Newspaper wrappers
Letter sheets
Registered package envelopes
Official envelopes

Trust but verify

This article is an editorial – while the general facts reported might not be questionable, the Courant, a Republican newspaper, was putting their spin on the presentation of the facts.

The pas

The oversight, which was due to “a shortage in the appropriate for the manufacture” of postal supplies, had been discovered by the post office department “before congress adjourned” in March 1887.
The department took steps to cover the shortage in the deficiency bill.
The deficiency bill did not pass.
By the end of April 1887, the department was out of money, and “unless some arrangement could be made with the manufacturers the business of the whole country would be greatly inconvenienced.”

Caught my eye

From Joseph Hawley’s speech on the Senate floor: “Having done the government a favor in furnishing a large number of envelopes, the government having sold the envelopes and having the cash in its own drawers, they are now asked to wait for a second deficiency bill against the advice of the postmaster-general, who says the prompt payment of this item is a matter of honor.”
From the Courant’s article: “The remarkable action in omitting this account from the bill looks as if they regarded the Plimpton firm as ‘offensive partisans.’”

For the record

Joseph Hawley was US Senator from Connecticut.
Eugene Hale was US Senator from Maine.
In the House of Representatives in 1887, which was the 50^th Congress, the Democratic Party held the majority.

Source

Unattributed. “Small business,” Hartford Daily Courant, January 27, 1888, page 4.

Linus B. Plimpton

History

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