The daily gazette., 1881-06-08
STAR ROUTE pIuNDERs.-The New

STAR ROUTE PLuNDRRs.-The New
Ytrk Times does not deny that its
party leaders have been gr'ty of
pluudei.ng the govel lment. On the
contrary 1t says that this plundel.n
has bs On going on in one a1mlnistre
ton after another for ten years. 1t
charges the corr lption upon Congless,
Notwithstanding the Democratic Con-
gressmen, at the lest session denounced
the estimates of the Pos office De-.
partment for the Star Route sci rice
as excessive. Yet the Hayes Cabinet,
with John Sherman and VIM. II.
Evarts at its head justified the Post
oflce Department in its demands, and
Republican Congressman voted the
appropriations in spite Of Democratic
exposures. What the Times says is
sufficient to convince all fair men of
the corruption Of the men who have
had control of the Departments of
the government in the time specified.
1t is Republican paper, and is re-
garded by that party as reliable.
1t says:
"This plundering of the Ire ury.h"s
gone on for years. One Administration
tss followed another; the Postmaster
General b been changed time and
again, there have been revolutions ald
Cons ess; Democratic committees have
replaced Republ can committees, and
the work of ono hr been revised by the
other, but through fll the stealing has
gone on, the me.hods have been devel-
oped, the limits have been steadily ex.
tended. Organized bands of plunderers,
with their agents AMI attorneys in
Washington and their too's in the Post
Office Department, have year after year
carried out their plans without serious
interruption, Congress bss voted the
money, the department h distributed
It, and among the scores In the execu-
tive and legislative service who 10 duts
1t was to have known of the frauds and
to expose them, not one h lifted his
voice, until the inveItigasion OF i
Winter. ..-
"The most remarkable feature ot.ihe
CT 9, and the one which bealI most
directly on the carses of this long lived
and apparently impregnable system OF
fraud is the fast that ffter the investi.
CATION had shown the Dature of the
.iauds, and o. .er the respo, ibility OF
them had been definitely liked, the sup
plies for the star routes were vo.ed, prac-
tically without serious effort to pat q
stop to the swind'tng, while the head OF
the: brsiness allowed to remain in
his Official posi- on. It's ph n that a
governmental machinery under which
this could occp is somewhere We de-
fective.
"The state Of thing, existing in regard
to the star rodt and the Post Office Is
in comrletet harmony with The general
practice Where there are no iavois of
a direct and pecur' ary value to be given
from the department there ore appoln'.
men or patronage" to be made the
equivalent for Congressional coppla-
cency. When our Jealous forefathe,.
erected the executive into .
separate branch Of the Government aud
equipped Congress with complete con
troll over 1t, they little dreamed what a
complete perveision of their intsntiors
would be made by thespo'ls system of
mems, and how III distinct |
would become interested |
partael5 In the common trade of pat
ronage mongeiing. 1t is tine spirit .of |
this traffic that h. made the star route |
busin, . 20. sible, that h.l invested |
Brady and his g., lty subordinates with
sort Of "tenr 9 for bad behavior" thar
h, prevented the exposure % swim
dlirg by some o. the many offic,a who
were cogDlzant of 1t, and that has
sl1enced or thw: Led inves' ga on in
oongre :"