Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-12-24
THE STAR ROUTE MAIL CASES.
The Promise OF a Vigorous Prosecu-
ton Both Civil and Criminal.

lion Bolh tINIl anu Criminal.
WASHINGTON, December 21.-Cor
respondence between Postmaster
General James and George Bliss, of
counsel in the Star Route mail cases,
has been furnished for publication
Dir. James, under date of December
II, 1881, wrote:
From an examination of the re-
cords Of this department, have been
convinced that money has been paid
out of the funds of the government
to certain persons under circum-
stances which bring such payments
within section 4,057 of the revised
statutes in q number OF instances
The evidence, which seems to be
sufficient to maintain suits by the
United States to recover such moneys
is on file in this department. Copies
of much of 1t are already III your
hands In compliance with law, I
hereby request that unless you shall
differ from me rs to the weight of
the evidence, you viii cause suits to
be Instituted in the name Of the
United States for the recovery of
such money, illegally paid from the
parties who received the same.
The reply of Mr.. Bliss, which was
written on December 16, was in
part as follows:
When / first became connected
with the cases known as the Star
Route cases, ! called the attention
of the Attorney General to the pro-
pliety of commencing civil suits such
as you suggest. He fully agreed
/ with me, but the matter has been de
layed in consequence of the une1-
/ pected labor connected with the
preparation Of the criminal cases.
was and am unwilling that any
idea should go forth that criminal
proceedings were to be forborne or
delayed and civil proceedings sub
stituted. Ii frauds such as believe
can be shown to have been commit
ted in these cases cannot be puns
ished by convictions in the criminal
courts, it is more important to show
this fact to the law-making power
and the public and thus secure a
change in the law, than to recover
for the government even the whole
of the large amount wrongfully
taken from the treasury. | do not
believe that our criminal laws, de-
fective as the United States statutes
are in all criminal matters, are so
defective that crimes such as these
are not punishable.
Nor do I believe that there will be
any hesitation on the part Of the
juries in conyicting, on proper evi-
dence, such evidence as I believe we
can present. Under this conviction
I have temporarily put aside the
question of civil suits, and have de-
voted myself to the criminal cases.
Even you, familiar as you are with
these cases, can have little idea OF
the amount Of labor which has nee
essarily been bestowed upon the
preparation of them. The witnesses
are scattered over thousands OF miles.
Hardly one of them is less than
1850 miles from this city, and many
of them are twice that distance.
These witnesses have been sought
out by your inspectors with an ener-
gy, fidelity and perseverance rarely
combined in subordinates, either in
public or private life.
Ia this examination breaks and
omissions in the chain of testimony
have been discovered and supplied,
The criminal cases naturally divide
themselves into four or five great
4 combinations. This week we have
completed to our satisfaction the