The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-05-07
Foreman Grand Jury.
WARRINGTON LETTER.
The Old Programme Varied by
GsaHcusses. Star HkOuae statis-
tics. Prospects OF Al ESrcailE in
lEnc DeasI-E10ck.

lFrom our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 30, 1881.
The week has been undistingnished
except for partizan debate in the Sen
ate, Republican eaucnsses, and further
exposure of the star route frauds in
the postal department. The Senate
deadlock has lasted so long that il has
almost ceased to excite comment, and
the star quite exposures are the chief
topic discussed in political circles. The
star route service is a name given to
all the mails that are transported by
other than railroad and steamboat con-
veyance, and it includes stagc-coach,
horseback, and pedestrian transporta-
ton in the South and Far West. Over
some of the lines in the Far West not
more than three letters per week ave
passed. There are more than 5000
star route lines in all, for which the
annual appropriation is about S6,O0o,-
900. Between the wears 1873 and
1880 Assistant Postmaster General
Brady, an appoihtee of Senator Nor
ton, of Indiana, deceased, appears to
have furnished reasons in the shape of
so-called petitions for having the ser
vice On ninety-threc of these routes
expedited" which means increased
from weekly to a daily, or at least,
more frequent, carriage of mails. They
succeeded SO far that they raised the
cost of these routes from 1927, 900 to
g., 500, 600, so that there were only
about $3,097,0o0 left for the Other
5000 routes. There have been for q
long time suggestions and suspicious
of fraud instbe 'tstar route " service,
but the deficit which Congress was
called upon to meet at its last session
first brought the matter prominently
to public notice. Mr.. Brady seems tc
have been successful in postponine
public exposure and in securing biz
money. The appointment of the pres
ent Postmaster General, however, was
crisis in the affairs of those who were
implicated in this astar route bust
ness, andsit is believed by many that
Mr.. Brady, and many Others in bigl
official position in both political par
ties, wiil have to answer through Grim
inal proceedings for their transgres
sions.
1t seems that Ex-senator Dorsey, o.
Arkansas, is considerably smirched b,
this star route" steal. Amongth'
contractors in the star route servicl
are his brother, brother-in-law, and !
former partner The contracts awardet
lthese three individuals were eypedites
from SCI, 0OOtto 100000, 50 that i
appears that the Dorsey ring must hag'
made a handsome haul Of nearly hal
a million dollars.
/ The warm weather Of the pastlweek
1 it is thoughi, will soon thaw out th
deadlock in the Senate. In the recen
| Republican caucus there was an agree
inent TO se far relax its rigidity As |,
l.eonsider the moro important of th
liPresidcpt's nominations in executiv
session. The Chinese treaty must D
considered before leng, Or theltim
agreed upon for it, ratification vii
haye lapsed, and taking onething witt
another, it improbable thattthe dead
leck viii continue longer than till III
Il first of June.
1 ~ am just throwing out i felIer,'
lfeBafken fhe kaI00ntlseeper as lie psl