Lord Stanley, Postmaster General, concluded as follows: "But he would ask the House just to consider what was going to be the end of all these demands. This was really a question worthy of consideration on both sides of the House. What were the demands on the public purse for this particular office? It would be within the recollection of the Committee of Supply that at a deputation to his Right Honorable Friend and himself, one of the men stated that he thought the whole of the $20,000,000 profit, as he regarded it, made by the Post Office employees, ought to be devoted to the payment of those employees ... that man made a deliberate statement, not on his own account, but as representing a particular section or organization in the Department. It was repudiated by others present".... Lord Stanley next stated that the demands made by the Post Office employees before the Bradford Committee would have called for $12,500,000 a year. He continued: "Honorable Members knew better than he how they were being bombarded with applications from Post Office employees and other classes of Civil Servants for increases of wages. This had taken a form which was not illegal, but which he could not help thinking was an abuse of their rights, to wit, the form of a political threat. They had circulated an appeal in which they expressed very clearly and very frankly their intention, and it was one of which the Committee would have to take note now, or it would be much worse in the future. They said: 'Two-thirds at least of one political party are in great fear of losing their seats. The swing of the pendulum is against them, and any Member who receives 40 or 50 such letters will under present circumstances have to consider very seriously whether on this question he can afford to go into the wrong lobby. This is taking advantage of the political situation.' It was indeed, but it was abusing, as it seemed to him, their rights as voters. It was nothing more nor less than blackmail. It was nothing more nor less than asking Members to purchase votes for themselves at the General Election[233] at the expense of the Public Exchequer. Both sides would have to make up their minds that some means should be devised by which there should not be this continual blood-sucking on the part of the public servants." [Sidenote: _A permanent non-political Tribunal suggested_]