Morning journal and courier., 1881-04-23
Saturday Morning, April 2s, 1881.
THE STAR ROUTE BUSINESS.

The dismissal of Second Assistant Post
 master General Brady indicates that the
 President and Postmaster General James have
 taken hold of the Star route swindle in
 earnest. When MT. James took his office it
 was predicted that there would be trouble
 for the Star route ring, and it is now stated
 that he has made thorough investigation of
 the matter. He did not go over the ground
 covered by the House Committee on Appro-
 priations, but accepted the evidence given
 before the committee as accurate so far as it
 went, and began where it left off. At the congressional investigation it was shown by General Brady's own testimony that he de- liberately violated the law in involving the government in pecuniary liability largely in excess of the specific amount appropriated, thereby threatening deficiency of near two million dollars. It was also shown that this threatened deficit was mainly caused by the increased compensation awarded favorite contractors, one route having been increased within sixty days after it was let from $134.- 900 to $299. 900. Postmaster General James has, it is stated, succeeded in obtaining evi- dence that will establish beyond question the fraudulent and corrupt character of the Star route management during the past four years, and which will at the same time confirm the suspicion that certain prominent officers had not only guilty knowledge of the methods practised but were benefciaries of the cor ruption fund freely used to further them. It has been ascertained that of the $5 9OO,- 900 regularly appropriated for z, ,225 Star routes for the next fiscal year nearly $3, OOO, 900 were awarded for service on 93 routes controlled by favored contractors, leaving less than $3, ,OOO. .OOO for the remaining 9,132 routes It is believed that at least $2, ,OOO, 900 during the last fiscal year, the government receiving little or no service for this amount It is declared that the investigation of the river service about Memphis has disclosed greater frauds than any heretofore charged and that upon one Star route the service had been ''expedited'' from $7O,OOO to $2S0,OOO
 Whether all that the Star route ring is now charged with is true or not enough has al- ready been proven to show the character of it's operations. A specimen case is the man. ipulation of route No 40, 104, between Mine ral Park, Arizona, and Pioche, Nevada. A contract was made for the weekly conveyance of the mails over this route. The original contractors sublet the contract, which they accepted at $2,9OO, to a person whom they agreed to pay $4,70o, or 1,sOO more than the government allowed them. The reason of this iberality became apparent when the Star route ring in Washington succeeded in having the service made tri-weekly and in getting the compensation increased to $22, 300. Of this latter sum the sub-contractor got only S12, ,6O0. Not satisfied with their share of 80, 700 year, the eonspirators suc- ceeded in establishing a daily mail service be- tween Mineral Park and Pische at an annual sum of $52, 900, of which the sub-contractor received but $2s, ,OOO.
 It is to be hoped that thorough work will be made with the ring. Removal from office is hardly enough. As the New York Tunes pen tinently says: '.It is possible that the ring within the department, with it's probable allies in the Treasury, may have steered clear of any offense of which cognizance could be taken by criminal court. But if nobody can be sent to the penitentiary; there should at least be no difficulty in prosecuting to 8 successful issue suits for restitution of money secured by obvious collision and con- spiracy"