Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-08
TELEGR APHIC.
The President s Admirable Thanks
giving Proclamation
District Attorney Corkhill Makes
A Statement,
In Which He Throws Blame on
MacVeagh
For Failure to be Ready With
Star Route Cases.
The Massachusetts Regiment Still
Being Investigated
WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON.
| News From the National Capital.
The Star publishes a statement that
| Cabinet meeting was held at the Presidents
parlor, directly after his return from York
/ town, at which all the members of the Cabi-
| net were present That the President said
he had called them together to consider the
question of the prosecution of Guiteau.
| That from facts which came to his knowl-
edge he believed the government was en-
tirely unprepared for the case. That he
| would consider it pre- eminently dlsgracefu
to the government if, in Guiteau's case, as
in the Star Route cases, the government
should confess itself unprepared to go on,
and be comre led to ask continuance.
Tie Pres mt put the question to Mac
Yea gh directly as to the preparation of the
government to proceed with the Guteau
ease
The Attorney General replied that he
did not consider it any part of his bnsi-
ness to give attention to criminal prosecu-
tions.
| The President replied that this was a
! great State trial, and that the whole coun-
-, try looked to him (MacVeagh) to see that it
| Attorney General McVeagh said there was
| no law or custom for the Attorney General
! to appear in the criminal trials, and said he
| had been told SO by Judge jeremiah Black.
/ The President then quickly, and somewhat
| angrily asked McVeagh how it had been in
! the Aaaron Burr trial.
! ooh but that was trial for treason"
| McYeagh replied.
Yes" said the Preaident, land this is
! trial for numbering the Chief Magistrate of
/ the nation, and to my mind it is q positive
! duty of the Attorney General to take charge
of the case.
Mr. MacVaegh then reiterated that the
law never contemplated that as any part of
/ his duty.
The President replied that the statutes of
the United States authorized the Attorney
! General to appear for the government at any
time in any case in which he might deem It
his duty to do so and he referred AIacVaegh
to the particular section of the law.
WASHINGTON, D. c., November T.
AT the opening of the Criminal
Court this morning, District Attorney ?
Corkhill made personal explana-
tion to the charges against him o.
want in interest in the Star Route
prosecution that he had been relax
neglectful and inattentive to his duty
in that respect. Hesaid the Attorney
General had, on the 1st of June, no
tiled him that the investigation was
in progress in,the Post-ofice Depart
ment In connection with the S1a-
Route cases, and that the persons en-
gagged in the investigation desired the
appointment Of Mr. Cook, and he
thought it proper to notify him
(CorkhiiD of Cooks appointment
I had long conversation with Nc
Veagh, in which he seid Cooks az
pointment was entirely satisfacto
to him, buth desired. to bave his oT
positionssp, operly and plainly defined
that he was ready and willing to pei
form any service required of:him,
but the delay in the appoint
ment of marshal had given him
all the business he could attend to.
The Attorny- General not only as
sented, but said no officer SO situated
could give the necessary care and at
tention demanded by the Star Route
investigation. Cook was formally
appointed. He had never given
himself out as his (Corkhills) ass,s
ant, but as SPECIAL assistant alto =
ney for the United S ates, charged
with the prosecution of the Star
Route cases. He (CorkhilD, there
fore, bad not been consulted in con-
nection with the prosecutio }.
Cooks consultations had all
been with. the Attorney-General,
whose assistant he properly claimed
to be. It would be seen that he
(CorkhilD could know nothing of the
case or be in the slightest degree re-
sponsible for it. He also defended
his action in adjourning the grand
jury from the 18th of September to
October Sd, and said on July 18th
the counsel for defense IN the Star
Route cases come into court with
the remarkable motion that the case
be presented to the grand jury, and
that Cook, who was the only man
who could speak for the Govern
ment, stated that it was his intention
ton, after summer was over, to pre-
sent some cases to the grand jury. I t
was then his intention, as the court
knew, to adjourn the grand jury till
the first Monday in October. The
assault on the President had, how
ever, occurred and heIhad a consul
tion with Judge Cox and the grand
jury was adjourned to September
18th. Then it vas called and res
manned in session till September
18th; doing no business except ex-
amining small pension case.
The grand jury was then
respited for two weeks, according
to previous understanding. At
this time he had no knowledge that
there was any immediate intention to
present the Star Route cases to this
grand jury, but had reason to
suppose that there was not. He
called upon Attorney General Mac
L