The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-23
FELEGRAPHIC NEWS
STAR ROUTES.
Civil and CriEaiHal Suits to be
Vigorously Prosecuted.

OUT IOIu dQ 6XHH ildlIOn Oh LQ0 IT,
cords in this department. I have been
convinced that money had been paid out
of the funds Of government to certain
persons under circumstances which bring
such payments within Section 4057, Re-
vised statutes. In number of instances,
evidence which seems TO me sufficient to
maintain suits by the United States to
recover such moneys are on file in this
department. Copies Of much Of it are
already IN your hands. In compliance
with law, hereby request that IN less
you shall differ from me- IS 10 the weight
Of evidence, you will cause suits TO be
ins;ituted in the name Ct the United
Stat 5 for the recovery of said moneys
illegally paid from the parties who re-
ceived the same Very Respectfully,
IEos. L. JAMES, Postmaster General.
WASHINGTON. D. c., 18th.
Dear Sir The request contained H.
your letter of yesterday, that suits should
be commenced to recover !hs moneys
illegsliy paid to contractors with the
postoffice department., is received. When
l first became connected with the cases
known "a the star route cases, called
the attention OF the attorney general to
the prOpriety of commencing civil suits,
such as you suggest. He fully agreed
with me but the matter has been delayed
in consequence Of Lhe unexpected labor
in connection with the preparation Of
the criminal cases. / was, and am
unwilling that any idea should go forth
thai criminal proceedings were to be fore
borns or deayed and civil proceedings
substituted. If frauds, such as |. believe
can be- shown to have been committed in
these cages cannot be punithed by con-
victions in the criminal courts, it is most
iDp0rtsnt to show this fact to the law
makers and public, and thus secure
change In the law than to recover for the
government even the whole Of the
amount wrongfully taken from the treas
ury. l do not belle ye that the United
States statutes in all criminal matters are
so defective that crimes such 8s these are
not punish sble, Lor do | believe there
will be any hesitation on the part of iu-
ries in convicting on proper evidence such
as. l belieVe;we can present. Under this
conviction l have temporarily put aside
the questioned civil. Suits and have devott d
myself 10 the criminal csses. Even you,
familiar as you are with these cases, Can
have little idea Of the amount Of labor
which has necessarily been bestowed
upon the preparation of them and the
procuring of witnesses seyerai of whom
csme over a thousand miles, and hardly
one aof them is less than 800 miles from
this city, end N my of them are twice
that distance. Otaer witnesses have been
sought out by government ins pectors,
with every fidelity and perseverance,
re rely com bined in subordinates in either
public or private life. Thousands of
pages of testimony thus gathered, to-
gether with that furnished by the volum-
nous records of the postotice and
treasury departments, have been
examined, arranged and distracted,
first by Inspector Woodward and
then by counsel, with an amount of
personal labor far beyond anything I at
ticipated when I came into the case, and
far beyond anything I would then have
been willing to undertake. In This ex.
animation breaks and commissions in the
chain of testimony have been discovered
and supplied. The criminal cases natur-
ally divide themselves into four or FIVE
great com binations. We have this week
CON pleted to our satisfaction prepara-
tons for grand jury and for the trial
tions. Though as general rule prefer
not to say anything as to what we expec:
to do, l nsy say 1 intend to issue This
week subp9nas for about sixty witnesses
to appear before the grand jury as soon
after New Year as that body will be
ready to examine them. A good deal of
progress has been made In the prepare
ton OF the criminal cases, connected
with other great com binations, so
much, indeed. that so far as l
can perceive there is no danger that the
statute oflimitstions can bar any Of the
cases. hope they will be ready for the
grand jury, and for trial as soon as the
jury and court can attend to them. I'm
der these circumstances your request for
the commencement Of civil suits seems to
me timely. Personally, I have no
authority to commence such suits, but
you and know the senior counsel who
was yesterday confirmed as attorney
general, will not hesitate to give the
requisite auth ority, for one of the chief
reasons for his selection for that position
was his avowed determination to press
the star route cases. shall at once
transmit to him a copy Of your letter, and
ask his approval. When received l will
cause civil suits to be commenced in those
cases i'll which the evidence in the
possession OF govern ment seemed 10
justify Of such <. course. You will,
know, agree with me that these civil
suits should not in any way surerceds
scriminsl prosecutions, for Furnishing the
offenders is of infinitely more import
snce than the recovery of the money,
Civil and criminal proceedings will be
pushed as rapidly as is consistent with
justice 10 the government AMI the
defendants, though it is quite possible
you will not find the progress so rapid as
you desire. Your obedient servant,
(SInged-) GEO. BLISS,
Special counsel,