The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-15
TELEGRAPHIC
Star Route.

Chicago, Is. - gter-Oce07'S Little
Rock special from a correspondent re-
Rarded as thoroughly trustworth, says
The Star route frauds now attracting sc
much attention in the country, are moi
new. In 1870 Senator Clayton started an
Investigation which. however, proceeded
only far enough to find the Star route
service reeking with corruption and
fraud. II was abandoned, as would
seem now, because of some favor dis
pensed by the postoffice department to
the investigators, who controlled all the
state patronage. II is safe to say when
the present Administration came into
power three-fourths of the postofices II
the state were filled by democrat:
through Dorsey's trading with demo
cratic congressman. He placed his
friends 10 few If the most important
postoffices, snd let democrats have the
rest. In January, 1873 Dorsey sent to
Ex-Governor .. A Haley, postmaster
here, 600 blank proposals and bond:
which the ring haG printed for their OWL
use, and which were different in some re.
spects from those printed by government
with instructions 10 Hadley 10 get secur-
tiles on the bonds, have them signed 10
blank, approve them ss postmaster, and
return to him. This was done, SaC
400 or 500 bonds were fixed up so.
The number of the route, terminal
points, amount bid and name of bidder
were not inserted as the law requires, be.
fore approval By the postmaster. These
were ot even straw bonds, they were
delivered to Dorsey at his COMMITTEES
room, January 231. The blanks were
then and there all filled in, the bidders
signstures attached and A. Z. Boone "a
member of the ring took the acknowl-
edgement as notary public and false
dates were inserted. John M. Peck 5
(Dnrsey's brOther-in-law) name was at
tached to most of these bids, but it was
afterwards discovered that Peck had no,
been in Washington for over q year, and
that the signatures were forgeries. Dor
sey, himself, stated the signatures were
not Peck's, but the believed his clerk.
Joseph Il. Richards, had been authorized
to sign his name. Parties who knew
Dorsey's hand say the writing resem bled
Dorsey's more than Richards. Richards
and Peck have been here in close consul
tation, two or three days, with Postmas-
ter Hadley, presumably to cover up the
operations of the ring.
Postmaster j. FL, Cleadenning, at Fort
Smith, refused TO return Dorsey's blanks
as he requested and Dorsey has since been
his enemy. Clendenning has the cores
pondence in proof of this story. The re-
cent expose of Z. r. Wilcox, of Oregon,
Is not news to your correspondent, as the
facts are we'll known here. 1t is believed
by republicans that Postmaster-G General
James will push the matter to conclu-
zion which will be disastrous to the con-
splrstors.
Denver, 13.-The Tribune, tomorrow,
will contain the following: Immediately
after the expose of Do1sey's completely
IN the Star route ring was telegrsphed
oyer the country, attempts were begun
to quash the suit which had brought out
letters to obtain possession of the docu-
ments. Yesterday it was successful.
Letters were surrendered, and Dorsey
paid the money to Wilcox for which the
suit had been brought. This money, as
is known, is for Wileox's work in secur-
ing petitions for expediting routes and
to smaller contractors, the
same day on which papers were surren-
dered. This morning General James
telegraghed to Denver for either the let
ters, certified copies, or photographs of
them. The telegram came after the
papers had been surrendered, and the
ringSters probably concluded they were
safe, but they are mistaken, there are
certified copies in existence, and they
will be used in connection with the docu-
ments in the possession of the Associated
Press agent, PortlSnd, Oregon.