The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-05-18
GETTING AT THE BOTTOM.
The Doings of the star Route windiers-
OhiciaI Papers Missing.

NEw YORK, ,Mayl5.-The Times this morning
prints long story from Washington, about
the Star Routes. 1t says:
Postmaster General James has before hm 10
easy task, but he has undertaken the wOEE %
,Saig yhe H1gse al H
pursue 70 the end. BY his side stands AttJney
! General MeNeagh, thoroughly aroused by The
and determined tos punish the guilty wherever
they may be found. These gentleman are sup
| ported by instructions of the President, wao s
deeply interested 81 their labors and who te
\ sires that the ulcer shall be :
| the bottom with firm hand. The
evidence which is accumulating in the hand, OF
Mr.. James subOrdinates is submitted - the
Attorney General, who already possesses some
| very interesting material Tor use In the C1N-ls.
The evidence is preserved for use hereafter
The Postmaster General has discoverej since
taking charge Of the Department, that many vllu-
able papers whlch oueht 10 20 oe ON me IN me ONE
of the Second assistant Postmaster General are
missing. Among those which can not be found are
reports made by some of the Special Agents Ia re-
| laIOn TO some OF the routes held by the -;lgs
and manipulated for their benefit. Manyoi ,hes
/ reports severely criticised the routes. The IL
| creased and expedited service upon them and
| throw much light upon the rings methOd> In
most cases the Agents retained copies OF the
ports, and some Oi these copies nave recently Deen
| secured by the Department.
| Brady completely controlled his division. No
one can tell how many interesting documents
| here were regarded as unnecessary ior the niss.
| II is believed the rings are relying upOn the
| expected indignation of the people who have been
| served or partly served by their routes. They
| hone this indignation will he manifested wheT-
| ever the Service may be reduced or cut OF. aad
| manifested strongly, 70 produce sentiment in
| their fayo-. They are indications. Some con
tractors are hard AT work trying 10 prejudice lle
people in their vicinity against the Postmaster
| General and his undertakings. The ring may
discover the inhabitants OF the frontie-. le
| they desire mail facilities, are unHllnng 80 oe
swindled or aid other persons in rObbing the DeO-
| pies common Treasury. The rings are ai,D IN
| doubtedly expecting that an exposure OF tleir
| tran
story when the next session OF Congress i acid.
| In this they mistaken. The frauds which
/ were committed in the Postal Service uader
Brady not confined to the overland stage
routes frontier and sparsely settled lOct-.,-es.
| According 10 the actual report oi the second
]. Assistant Postmaster General, there were on No
vember TO- 1850, in the United States 9. .sf3 ,.aT'
| Routes, on which service was performed by men
and horses or mules The annual cost o. .-iese
boat routes. the cost OF which was SSS7,22l Many
of these steamboat routes were absolutely worth
less A large part OF the money paid Out mere
was thrown away 20 benefit the contractors md
those with whom the contractors are suppssei 10
have divided.
since the beginning OF the new admin
istration. Special Commissioner mas
been sent 20 the South for the purpose g.. in
specting the Steamboat Service there and making
reDors in relation to il. In accordance with .his
the Committees report the Service has been CIT on
on several routes, but there were already IA he
possession of the Department reports concerning
this Service. These reports were made Oy r.
Reside Special Agent, and certified copies Of
them furnished 10 the COEgreSSiOn0l ttlfQ-
? mittee. Reeside was the expert employed during
the investigation made IN the spring OF = D. the
House Committee on POStOfice and Post Roads.
He had been contractor ana thOrOughly uluer-
stood the ways OF contractors. His reports cI-sted
! great anxiety among the steamboat contractors,
and they came TO Washington. His frst report
was made on October Is. 1877. Seven days later
| Senator Dorsey wrote the Postmaster General. de-
nylng Reside and his recommendations. = be
. lieye he wrote lit is the duty OF the Depart
| ment to discontinue Reside instead OF the mail
routes alluded to- John ID; Adams had informed
Dorsey by letter that Reeslde was dead-oes; ana
blackmailer, and On November II, lolI Doisey
wrote a long person. let er to Judge Key. again
denouncing Re eside, saying he had well es-ai =
lished reputation as a professional blackmS1leT-
On the same day Dorsey directed p letter 20
I Brady, requesting Reside be forthwith reca.ied
: from Memphis If any further inye: tigati.,n OF
| the steamboat mail service in the southwest
:, especially in Arkansas is desired, Gentril W 7.
Edgerton, who is thoroughly familiar with the
county ana peoPe' or or tb d0iSe 20 iI -
| rected 10 make an examination, as both arc nlea
of integrity and character, and familiar wiIh the
subject they called upon to investigate. The
| petition mill was set at work and many letters
were written TO cOunteract Reesldes Ao-O-
/ citation. Dorsey sent in many OF these geti-
each route. lie most earnestly crges
the continuance of route 29O95, which has re-
Gently been cut OFF tor cause. Milsnlne, oI A.
kansas. who had signed some nifty proposal
: bonds in blank for the Dorsey combination as
surety made an elaborate defense OF the routes
against Reside. The latter was appointed oy
Judge Key September J. 1877, and was -eGp-
I nointed one month later his commission Al
lowed 10 expire December 81, 1stl; although tae
! renewed. From 1.-The letter which fbe thea sd
dressed Judge Key, it appears The latter told him
his reports too Jealous. Brady mad tol ann
he had no objection to his reappOintmeut. and
, Reesids asked why he had been left cnt. In
reply, Judge Key said Resides work was
: finished, aud therefore there was no more work
} for him. Brady, he said had told him he needed
Reside no longer. The Postmaster General adds
this sentence, which is amusing now: The duty
, loff fba npn demands q !
, It's resources, and not to exhaust hem
with salaries which may be dispensed
} with" In the foregoing narrative ReeslGe ap-
pears as a faithful officer. Reside. during aud
after the investigation. saw the strength VI the
, rings and the weakness of Congress. X may De
remembered that Colonel Mckibben once stated
an investigation against the contractors and then
T became the contractors agent al large salary.
Reside found, IL Is SAID. that the c0utfact0rS
were his friends. The '.too Jealous Special
Agent again became contractor, and he is n con-
, tractor to-day.
The correspondent gives from the record an
official and unofficial story of how Reeside waS
! given arbitrarily sOme Star Routes. and relates
the conf nectiOn of eX Congressman J. II. Sypher
with the Louisiana Star Route operations. and
Texas upon which Joseph Blackman and Joseph
Funk offered bids. Blackman and Funk were
been straw bidders on Route Sl.5Se.
: from Fort Elliott TO Wichita Falls. Tex
: The contract was awarded TO Blaekman. whose
address is given in the books as Care OF Geo Il
GiddIngs Washington, ID. c. Giddngs Vas con-
| nected with Colonel McKidder. and the latter -as
: agent for the Gilmer 4 Salisbury Combination
Blackman failed TO fulfill The contract, and there
, upon the Department took up the list of bidders
Nine of the bidders declined to take the work At
the prices set against their names. J. 3. Price
offered to do the work on his for s, COL. Geo. H
Giddings stepped in and offered 10 take the route
for 81 less, or 81 900, and il given him. In
November. $780, the contract was transferred to
Z. w. Parker of the Parker Combination. On
Route 81 592 from Fort Griffin to Fort Elliott there
was a long list of bidders. For this route
Funk bid 81 $50 and the contracts were awarded
1 him. This address was like that of Biackman: /:
"CaTe George III. Giddings, Washington, D. G. -
Funk failed, and the bidder above him refused
TO stand by his offer. Giddings then appeared
and offered to take the route for g. .460 or 81
below the next lid. After Gliding got the Funk
route pay was increased for two additional trips
per week. ordered May 16, 1850. About five
months after his contract term began anu Z go
was ordered TO his pay. The route turned
over to E. W. Parker at FIJI price.
Talmage on Monopoly.
NEW YORK, May 16--Dr. Talmage ycster-