The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-12-23
The Notorious star Mail Route Service
4 Curious Exposure.

There Il & suit 10 thu Supreme Court OF
the District Of Columbia, entitled
Charles c. Huutley against Sfas c.
Huntley-No. csJ-5,n the record Of which
develops scrc interesting DETAILS ~ TO
the conduct OF the notorious STAR Route
service. The Hnntisys wzre PsriH.rs In
securing postal contracts in GJe far west.
and they hEye quarrtled aboui their ae-
counts. s. 6. Euntlsy gives in the oIf:.fal
ecord some curious information ne 20 the
manner In which the business OF letting
these routes and securing cO1trsets &
conducted. -
Iu regard 10 his expenditures no tcsti-
des that he kept no detailed book account,
but their nature be in=euiOusly described
rs follows: " At times bad 10 pay large
amounts of money-from s609 10 S2oO0 or
S300-to get certain things done that will
appear on the book Out of iae>c large
amounts comes all the iuci6cntais which
represent four years business, and the
four years business represents my colloc-
tioDs In the departments of about $780,
90. u Is Necessary, IN getting These &C
counts through the departments, and IL has
been the custom, To lie friendly mot only
with the heads of the departments, but.
even with the clerks and meSsen gers, and
we always treated them very kindly in
presenting them Will some Iri1e. or In
prescnIin s them Will a cigar, opera tfck-i
ct or dinner or something of that Kind.
To get anything done ia tho departments
IL requires the assistance Of great many
members of Congress, whom we hAEe e.
treat in the same manner, and TO whom !
occasionally send theater tickets; aud al
ways when | ask favors l generally send
carriages for them and ask them to do GER
tain things IN the departmentV L
Then after the beads OF .departID euts !;
clerks and messengers, Mr.. HUI aey went
on to say, came "the press to whom he
gave dinners costing From ten TO ffty
dollars Il head "then, as far as the press
in Washington is cGDcernnd, daringIthe
Investigations, which are generally oYerYi
year, To keep them friendly so Ear as am
concerned. have always been very
friendly ward them in the ZANE mani
ner. and very often lgifing than In the
same manner, and very often giving them
dinners eostipg from ten toriftY dollars
each.
It is pity Mr.. Hunter was not pei
suaded to give the namesof The persons
whom he so kindly diEed a "thoi pI'GEs;"
but more remains. lie paid tbn hotei bills
OF govern Ors., for instance. EiJi Say5-r.-. 1
l found our governor from Aoiitana
came on to Washington and staIj at the !
Arlington for about week, aud ltreated,
him rs nice US possible, and when LIE \
went away paid his bill; The governor
or wyoming territory. epine on and i
treated him the same way. Besides all of
these small presents paid to pretty nearly
everybody in Washington, guess, sretT-
cluded all OF my hotel expenses, travelling
and sleeping cars. etc, aud, altogether, I
think II must have cost mo out OF money
charged to me about $4,000. I can only
arrive at about what Z cost, becaJlse I
know what l received for the fo6r years,
and know what have left, and subj
tracing from what have left know l i
must have spent for thiS business $780,