Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-05

other daily papers here added together.
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sdyzree
The star route thieves came to grief yesterday
with another Of their witnesses. This witness
(Faile) All not break down so completely as the
demOral.zed Buell. did under Mr.. Merrick's search
ing cross-examination, but the inn ressfon made
by his testimony scarcely less damaging 10
the defence than that OF Bradys willing but blum
dertng professional hireling libeer" How Wales
testimony strikes the dsp IsSOnate observer IS set
forth In the following editorial remarks in the
New Y0ra HeJ-cJd to-day:
"The seIf-asserted Innocence and Ignorance dis
played bJ Vale one OF tine star route jDbbers who
was put on the witness stand yesterday, are rather
Tefreshing. According to his own story, although
ne has ben mall contractor for twenty years,
and has HILL perhaps, thousand contracts with
IN that period. his regular business is farming He
entered into combination with the DOrseys and
other JObbHr>, but ne had scarcely any knowledge
OF his wi,ked partners, and knew little OF the
routes on which he held contracts. He had bid so
low on some routes that he was liable To be de-
clared falling contractor at any time, but why
Brady di1 not declare hiin falling contractor was
something n dill not understand A number OF
his routes h'd been raised enormously-ln one
dollarS-ani YET he lost money On them. He was
anxious TO Sir:' ndeT his contacts, bat was not
aware that he -culd do u1jit informed by Mr..
MerTfc& ye5terd y that an OK sr-.5s provision for
That very puTpOS was In the contract Itself. Ger
tain routes on viii n he held tte sb-cOntract had
been originally let FOR tVeaty-tnTee thousand dol
lars and aftnrwdrd Increased tn two hundred and
1ye tbOUS AMI, but he remembered nothing OF The
circumstances OF { - Increase or expaIitiO1 He
knew nothing Of the preparation % the mass OF
petitions that got up AMI first learned OF the
expeditions through the official ORDERS or course
he nFr IN IN fT.Fr
In fine, this plain, UnSOphiStclted farmer seems
10 nave known very little or the star route matters
In which he figured 50 cOnspiCuOG 5.y; bat he con-
Iessed that he hac learned good deaf since the
beginning OF the trial.
It is understood that the District Commissioners
are looking the vital statistic service see IL
some mode OF making the returns more complete
cannot be adopted. From the unwIIIingnes5 OF
the clergymen and physicians u do their duty
under the law In reporting marriages, births and
deaths, the records in the first two departments
are incomplete. The discrepancies between the
reports made by the physicians and the rnidwiyes
In regard TO births and still births show how de-
feetiye these statistics are. In regard to mar
riageS the whole number reported during the last
nseal Year was S13-thOught 10 be only about half
the real number. The total for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1880, was 1.G37, and so on. The
reports OF deaths are believed to b. absolutely
correct, as no burials are allowed within the Dis
trict without permit from the Health Office.
There are no reports Of marriage licenses made
by the clerk OF the Supreme Court to the Health
Onicer, for the reason that the law does not re-
Quire them 10 be so returned. This IS evidently
an oversight on the part Of those VINO made the
law, and should be remedied. This could be done
by Transferring the duty OF Issuing marriage
licenses from the clerk of the court to the Health
Onie9f, thus giving him control OF the whole mar
rage records, or by making 1t duty OF the clerk
Of the court TO make daily returns OF licenses to
the Health Office.
The penalty for neglect to report deaths or mar
rageS Is SIS minimum and 500 maximum in each
case, and for neglect TO report births st births
not less than So nor more than SO in each case.
The Commissioners doubtless recognize the fact
that accuracy SHOULD be secured in these statistics
70 make them of any value whatever; hence their
action in the matter.