The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-12-08
TIE srAn route BUSINESS.

1t now seems doubtful if the Star
Route thieves shall be brought to JUS
tice. These operations have been going
on for years, the members of the rings
being inside and outside Of the Post
office Department. They were shielded
by both Grant and Haye5's administra-
tions, being party favOrites and contrib
uting literally to the party in power.
If full investigation is made, the
people will have another opportunity to
ObserI how corrupt practices GROW UP
in and are FOSTER D by the Republican
parry. There will also be disclosed a
part of the inside l!achinery of the late
Republican canvass, as the Star Route
contributed $4,000 of the fund that
Dorsey spent in Indiana at the October
elC ctiOn in 1880.
Some months ago Thomas j. Brady,
Second Assistant Postmaster General
under Hayes and Garfield, was COM
PEELED to resign under exposures of his
outrageous frauds in the carrying of
what is known as Star Route mails.
These developments compare with the
palmy days of Grantism in carpet-bag
rule South.
The Star Route postal service pUr-
ports to be the safe and rapid carrying
of the United States mail over routes
especially designed to accommodate
new and distant regions as well as
those nearer not reached by great trunk
! lines of rail or water. In PRACTICES il
is a combination to swindle tie Govern
ment Under Grant and Hayes gigan-
tic and colossal corruption was plainly
apparent, and Democrats in Congress
made Intellectual and repeated attempts
to stop the prOhigacy that reigned in
this department, but every impediment
was thrown in their way by officials,
and the old cry raised in every Repub-
lcan newspaper, you are crippling
the public service"
ThOs. L. James, installed last spring
as Postmaster General, having access to
all the records and methods, appointed
committees to look up these steals and
they struck "pay-dirt" in large quanti-
ties. The details, involving the honor
of the government and its high officials,
are almost sickening-
1t has been found that compensation
in one mail route which was expedited
was increased from 100000 to $780,
0OOand that numerous other routes were
equally well managed by the cOrrup-
tionists. AS an illustration of how this
scheme worked in like cases we cite the
following instance, mentioned by the
| Cincinnati Commercial as only one out
of thousands, and occurring in Ohio. AT
the beginning of the Hayes administra-
tion the route between Athens and
POmerOy was let, there being several
bidders ranging from $500 to 5000.
The $500 fellow was in the ring and his
bid was far below what the necessary
cost of the service would be. He got the
contract, as a matter of course. The
Commercial gives the sequel:
The 5000 fellow got it, and turned out
to be one Mcdonald who is a hanger-On
around the office of the Postmaster
General. He hired a man to carry the
mail, agreeing to pay $1,4O0 year, or
to make a loss of $500 year. Then at a
time that must have been duly under
stood by others interested, he threw it
downfall is, abandoned the contract.
Here was a vacancy, and that was what
was wanted. That was what the 5000
bid was put in for.
The law required that the next high
est bidder, Mr.. Foster, of Athens, whose
| bid was 81 1,900shOuld be notified. 1t was
the duty of Mr.. Brady, Second Assistant
Postmaster General, to have him notified.
Nothing of the kind was done. The
matter was attended to in stealthy
manner, and the first thing known about
it Colonel A. E. Boone had the contract
at $4,5OO a year-or $1,000 more than
Zimri Mcdonald bid for it.
This steal, for it was a plain, palpa-
BILE flagrant steal, was only one Of a
multitude perpetrated by these officials
of Mr.. Hayes's boasted administration
of immaculate purity. AS result
there was deficiency in the Star Route
service when the last Congress met OF
$919,619. This represented the steal fol
one year, and Congress was asked to
make it up, and did so, although under
protest, in order that the people might
not suffer from the abandonment of the
country mail service. L4g.-i
Under Grant and the Hayes admins
tratiOn these jobs seem to have -four
ished more than ever luxuriantly, ant
the facts now being brought to iigh
reveal depth of villainy that is absO
lutely astounding. There is no shadow
of doubt that these precious rascals
leaders of the Republican party anC
some of them foremost in its councils
,, while prating about the superlativ
honesty of the party and crying Ou
against change, were under the yer.
nose of the respectable Mr.. Hayes
plundering the people AMI filling thei
pockets with the proceeds of the steal.
, One of the principal swindlers is ex
Senator Dorsey, Secretary of the Repub
, Iican National Executive Committee il
? the last Presidential campaign, and tn
! man who took charge Of the corruption
J fund by which Indiana was carried fO
: | Garfald Tho frauda haOan when n