New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-31
EFFORT TO BLACKEN GOV. RoUTT.
A DEAD MANS GOSSIP NOW CITED To PROVE Mr.
ROUTI's CORRUPTION WHILE IN WASHINGTON
s.wyER,s POSTAL CONTRACTS AND sPECULATIoNs

A
RoUTI's CORRUPTION WHILE IN WASHINGTON
sAwYERs POSTAL CONTRACTS AND sPECULATIoNs
BROUGHT Up AGAIN.
lBY TEL gGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNEl
WAeUISGTON, March 30-There was some sensa-
tional evidence in the House Post-0fice Committee
This afternoon. As usual with a certain class OF
witnesses an attempt was made to blacken the
character of men now living by tattling repetitons
of the random gossip of a man now dead. The
possibility of proving or disprovng the story Is
buried with its putative author. But the witness
has earned his mileage.
A gentleman by the name of Taylor of Texas, was
q bookkeeper of the great Texas mail contracting
firm of Sawyer d Tricklin, from 1867 to 1871.
Taylor testified that during that period Mr.. Sawyer
who resided at Washington and always drew the
mail pay for the firm sent in accounts of the aggre-
gate expenditures in Washington for the benefit of
the firm for 100000 These accounts were not
tented and were not accompanied by vouchers,
but Tricklin, the resident Texas partner directed
them TO be audited.
Later a new firm was made, In which Mr.. Sawyer
himself became partner with another man named
Sawyer. During the period from September 1871,
20 1874, Mr. Sawyer sent to the new firm similar
accounts for Washington expenditures agTegating
$4,000, likewise without vouchers, and not item
lied except as to two amounts These amounts were
for two separate sums of $4,000 each. without
any indication of the person to whom payment was
made. They were audited by the new firm with re-
luctanCe under protest Mr. Sawyer in Washington
soon declined to honor the drafts of his partners
from Texas, although drawing all the mail pay.
Mr. Taylor went to Washington to learn the rea-
son, when he discovered that Mr.. Sawyer was em-
barassed; that he had been specializing largely in
Wall-st; that his had lost large sums for him
IN unsuccessful ventures and that he was a broken
man. These latter facts were drawn from the wit
ness by inference rather than from direct statement
But from other sources they are known to be facts
At this interview, Mr.. Sawyer complained that he
paid large sums for backma and to promote the in
terests Of the general business Taylor says that he
charged Sawyer with having paid the 500, 900 item
30 Postmaster-Genera Creswell, which Sawyer
denied saying that went to Routt." Routt, who
Is from Bloomington, H., was then Second Assistant
Postmaster General. and is now Governor OF
Colorado.
This dead mans hearsay the Democrats call evil
dence. Mr.. Routt's friends Indignantly deny the
imputatiOn; insist that IL is ibelous and say that
he will Immediately demand hearing before the
Committee 1t is generally understood that Routt
was inimical to many of Mr. Sawyers schemes dur
Ing that period and frequently stood in the way of
his straw bid undertakings. 1t is also well known
that Mr.. Sawyer, at that time, was involved
In unsuccessful Wal-st. ventures, and it now ap-
pears that he used his partners money In those
transactions. The inference Is easy that to cover
these transactions he may have used to his partners
the lobbyists that the money used to cor
ppt Government officers. Mr.. Taylor swOre that
Judge Paschal of Texas was paid $4,000 yearly by
the Sawyer firm from 1867 to 1871.