Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-05-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
fFrom our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Nav 9, 1881

WASHINGTON, May 2, 1881.
So great has been the pressure for exc
cutive sessions of the Senate, to confirm
some of the important nominations. that
evidences of break have gathered dur
ing the last few days. 1t is plain that a
majority of the Republican Senators de-
sire to give way. They are tired of the
contest and well satisfied that it is not do
ing them any good before the country,
but the question is how to change front
without yielding to the Democrats. Over
this problem they have lately been eau
cusing twice day, and finally a COM
mittee of seven was appointed to devise
a way out of the dilemma. If it is finally
decided to permit executive sessions for
confirming the more urgent nominations
over which there is no special contest,
there will then be great difficulty in con-
tinuing the Malone -Riddleberger strug-
gle. The bottom would fall out of it in
a hurry and the hot weather, such as we
have had this week, for instance. would
soon cause an adjournment. Senator
Conkling, who opposes going into execu-
tive session, played it pretty sharp on the
Administration Senators by pretending
to be ready to take up the Robertson fight
and warning them that they must take
the responsibility of his defeat. This
rather disconnected the Presidents friends
who were working for executive sessions
Conking intimated that he had counted
noses and knew where he stood. But out
of all this division in the camp will final.
ly come to a small Democratic victory.
1t will be new sensation to witness a
Republican back down, but it is coming.
Our side has, there in Congress, generally
done the backing down, though the
Democratic position has often been as
it is in this contest. Perhaps we fight
better when we are in the minority.
The Star route" scandal is still the
sensation here, and from all that can be
learned concerning future developments
it promises to be second only to the whis-
key ring exposures of eight years ago.
Brady and the contractors so far lmpll-
Gated only meet the accusations against
them with bold general denials. The
Whiskey ring scamps did the same; SO,
also, did Tweed in his time. But there is
ample evidence that what has been
charged is not all falsehood and slander.
One faughable feature of Brady's defense
is his attempt to make Samuel j. Tilden
responsible for his downfall 1t has been
admitted that Mr. Tilden stole Charley
Ross and that, very likely, he wrote the
Morey letter, all OF which was pretty bad,
but here is still another crime for him to
expiate. Brady's Washington newspa-
per, edited by George G. Mahone.G Gorham,
says that the ex-assistant Postmaster
General was asinstru6ieataf In causing the
publication Of certain cipher dispatches
and that the ''star route" scandal has
been invented by Tilden for revenge. In
the language of the street, this is rather
gauzy."
The method by which so much plunder
has been secured is such that actual fraud
is difficult to prove though it may be very
apparant. 1t consists in raising the COM
pensations after contracts are let, upon
the ground of increased or expedited
service. For instance, A and b are COM
petitors for contract worth about $l5,-
900. over route requiring three trips
week. A is an honest bidder and files
his estimate in good faith. B is a jobber,
and by an understanding with the au-
thorities in charge of the letting, makes
his bid below the actual cost of perform
ing the service. He gets the job and
straightway sets about getting signatures
along the route petitioning for daily trips
and expedited" service. In accordance
with this petition, his compensation is
increased to $75, 900 or perhaps 100000.
| This sort of thing being done on about W
routes. makes good thing for not only
the contractors but for their confederates
in the Department with whom they are
supposed to divide. In most of these
cases the increase in compensation is
nearly all profit, as the extra expense IL
but slight. Yet it is all done within the
letter of the law and the records OF the
contract Office arc in perfect order.
Old Simon Cameron has been here try
ing to secure harmony between Sena-
tor Conkling and the President. The ba-
sis upon which he proposed it, however,
was the withdrawal of the nomination of
Robertson for Collector Of the port OF
New York, which would amount to a
complete surrender on the part of the
President, his argument being that the
appointment was regarded by Mr.. Conk-
i'ng's friends as an act of direct hostility
to the stalwart element in New York.
But the mission was total failure. Gen.
Garfield said that others had already pre-
sented the case to him from the stand
point, but that he could not entertain the
proposition. 1t would seem that he
means fight, and it may be, if it comes tc
open hostility, that Gen. Garfield will not
reproach himself in the end as Hayes has
done. The latter now acknow ledges his
mistake in being half f-hearted about it,
He has said since he left office that he re-
grets he did not remove every Conkling
man from Office everywhere, high or low