The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
SENATOR DORSEY AND THE STAR ROUTES

SENATOR DORSEY AND THE STAR ROUTES
The Ottawa FREE TRADER never undertakes
to expose u political scandal without connect
ing it with the names Of all republicans who
ever mad even an acquaintance with the real
rascal. In the Star Route scandal that the al
mlnlst-ation Is now investigating the F. T.
uses the names OF Senator Dorsey, and finally
not to be so specific, says "llayes knew all
about it-congrcss knew all about It," Post.
master General James has eYoncrated Dorsey
fully and the charge that Hayes and congress
were implicated is such an unwarranied state.
ment that refutatlon is unnecessary. Stredtor
Free Press.
The FIRE. Press of May 2, from which the
above is clipped, was not issued so early but
that the editor ought first to have seen the iol.
lowing Associated Press dispatch:
WASHINGTON, April Box Senator Dorsey
himself was the authority to the associated
press reporter for the statement that the post
master general exonorated Dorsey from all
completely with the star service affairs and
that he promised to write letter to the presi.
dent declaring that nothing against Dorsey
had been discovered This is denied at the
postoffice department by the best authority.
This denial that any promise was made or that
any such letter will be written places Dorsey
in an unenviable light 1t can be stated that
the president since the threats of the alleged
star route ring 10 attack him, has reiterated
his determination 10 go to the bottom Of the
matter.
lie might also if he had kept his eyes open,
have seen copied over week ago in several
Chicago and other papers, and seen telegraphlc
references to an article IN that staunch repub.
iican organ, the New York Times, the sub.
stance Of which was square charge that j.
W. Dorsey, the member of the Star Route ring,
was but the representative and cats paw of his
brother, Senator Stephen w, Dorsey, fully CIV.
idenced, among other things, by the fact that
he had borrowed in his own name $50 900
from Mr.. Barber of Pennsylvania and had Civ
en- as collateral security his interest in the star
routes cloaked under the names of his brother
J. w. Dorsey, his brother-in.law J. NJ. Peck,
and his particular friend" j. r. Miner.
The papers have also, for nearly two weeks,
abOunded in choice extracts from the printed
evidence taken nearly two years ago by con.
gressional committee that investigated this
star route business. Some of 1t Viii be found
in Mondays Chicago Times from which we
scissor choice excerpt:
NJ. G.. Rcredell, being sworn, said that he
was stcnographer and attorney, and was the
agent of Messrs. Dorsey & Co. in their mail.
contract business, a position he had filled, at a
salary OF $4,000 year, since April, 1879. The
firm had thirty star route contracts.
q. Who constitute the firm that you repre-.
senty A. y. w. Dorsey and J. w. Boser.
q. S. w. Dorsey is the ex-senator of that
namey A. He IS.
q. Your taking the route fromJ. w. Dorsey
was a matter of form-you really took 1t from
s. w. Dorsey A. Yes; 1t was matter of
torn; but that was the only way in which 1t
could have been legally done, so that the de.
partmcnt would recognize the contractor
z. Why did not the department recognize
). W. Dorsey when he became the purchaser
A. They could no. unless he took a sub con.
tract
q. Why didn't he take a sub-contrac; as
you didY A. don't know.
=. That was about month after he ceased
to be member of the United States senate 7
A. think 1t was about the 9th of AprilY
z. Ills term as senator expired on March 10,
and then he came in as the purchaser of the
route, and subet 1t to you, and you took it rs
a subcontractor under tho other mani. w.
Dorsey,-irom whom s. w. Dorsey bought;
and S. w. Dorsey did not appear in the trans.
action, so far as the department was concern.
ed, at ally A. Not at all.
q. Mr.. s. W. Dorsey after May, 1870, when
you took this contract, has had no further In.
terest III the route, has hey A. Yes, sir
q. Is he a party in Interest now? A. He is.
q. How did he let you in-as a partnerY A.
No, sir; it was simply done so "a to control
the pay. While L am the subcontractor on
the route, do not have any dollars and cents
interest in 1t at all--not cent of interest be.
You'd my salary. This was done merely to
control the pay.
If tins don't connect the name of "the sub,
lime" Senator s. w. Dorsey with the star
route scandal to the satisfaction of the Free
Press, we should like 10 know what amour,
of evidence will.
And as TINS investigation took place nearly
two years ago, and covered the history of nine
,y-,hrce star routes upon which the contrac,
price Of S727, 10 had been illegally raised by
second assistant postmaster general Brady &c
S2,S02,2l4, and the facts were given IN detail
showing that on route 40, l0i for instance, up
on which the pay had been raised to So, 900
but 5000 were paid to the mail carrier, $24,
900 being pocketed by Mr.. Dorsey or 9TH,
ring" that the Fort Worth and Yuma rout,
was raised from $4,000 to 100000, without
any addition to the service, aud apparently fol
the sole purpose Of enabling the ring" tc
pocket $4,000 year above what they paiC
the mail carrier, aud so on, through the Who'll,
93 routes,--ls it creditable to President Hayes
t. say that in spite of such an exposure, with
oil the angry debates in congress to which i
gave rise and all the newspaper noise it made
he knew nothing about 1t. Veal know how
congress was defeated In every attempt to re
form the abuse. Brady had spent the sppro
priation of 5000 900 for the star routes and