Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-08
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. The Star Routers' A Further Plea for Their
 Conduct. The Jury With the Defense. Events That Cast Their Shadows
 Before. A DEFENSE OF THE NAVY.
A DEFENSE OF THE NAVY
Congressman RObesOn Proud of His
 Plant.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

court this morning Mir. Wilson continued his opening argument for the defense in the Star route cases. He said: The large number of hour for every working day of the year precluded the possibility of 8 close personal examination by General Brady of every one of the enormous number of petitions and affi- davits presented in connection with the 1 routes, and this was also true as to Turner. How could he know when the alleged inser- tion of thirty six hours was made in 8 peti- tion, whether it was done during or after it's preparation His labors were shared by an- other genteman-Mr. Brewer-against whom no breath of suspicion had ever been heard. He was as responsible as Turner for the en- | dorsements on jackets, yet he had not been indicted. Mr. Wilson reminded the jury of how earnestly Mir. Bliss had dwslt upon that part of the statute governing increase of ser vice, which states that it must be allowed with ''due regard to productiveness" and Of how tenderly he had passed over the words l s'and other circumstances immediately fol l lowing That was an important qualif- cation, and he explained to the jury how other circumstances s- for instance, the necessity of making connections with through mails - became of as much weight in determining the regulation of mail service the productiveness of 8 section. Some of the other sections of the statutes were read, and Mir. Wilson called at tention to the uniform provisions for the ex- tension of the postal service contained in them He reviewed the early history of the service saying that it had never been self supporting and asserted that 1t was not the intention of the people to have it so, at the expense of fast and frequent mails. No one expected the War department, or the Navy department, or any other executive depart ment to be self sustaining. and why should they expect the Postofdce de- partment, which was a greater source of benefit than all of the others combined, to pay its way? Yet the prosecution talked of running that department Ion business principles" ''Let me see" said Mir. Wilson. 'swhat the past policy of the government has heen. When the gold fever of '49 broke out in California the mails were at first carried around by sea; but the government estab- lished Ian overland mail service over the all kali deserts, over sage-brush plains, where nothing!larger than 8 jackrabbit could be met l with in hundreds of miles, over enormous mountains, and it's maintenance had cost over SGOO, 900 year, and the returns from postage \ had been but $27, ,OOO" The government was not satisfied with even this, but pushed out another route through the south | west, starting from St. Louis, passing | through many miles of morass, over scorch- 1 ing prairies, where the thermometer regis l tered degrees far above 8 hundred, down l through the desolate staked plains of Texas, 1 and through to the coast, and this route cost | SGOO, ,OOO every year and it had returned 0 | revenue of $2, 900. Had complaint ever been made against the operations of these routes l because of their cost ? Had any doubt been entertained of their ultimate value? And l did not Montana have the same right to the same service as that granted California The l letter carrier system, the fast mails recently l established, were other examples. They cost money and did not return it in revenue; nor was it expected that they should Mir. Mer- l rick interrupted the speaker to ask the court | to have his remarks confined within the proper limits of an opening argument, and after lively passage between counsel MT. l Wilson resumed his argument, and, after | reading from the records of the Postoffce l department, showed that the cost of the {! Star route service under General Brady had been reduced from 90-100 cents per l mile to 9 24-100 cents, and this, MT. Wilson 1 asserted was greater reduction than that made by any previous administration. Maps l of the country would show that railroads l almost invariably followed the routes orig inally followed by the mail carriers, and
 nothing indicated more strongly the wisdom l of Congress in establishing this route than this fact. Nobody lad more lively appre- citation of the wants and possibilities of sec ton than the railroad companies. There
 was no fairness in instituting a comparison between the cost of service in 1878 and the present time; after railroads had spread out all over this country; after the Indians had been placed under restraint, and carrier could now go in safety over route, when he
 formerly carried his life in his hands. MT.
 Wilson concluded with prediction of the
 total collapse of the prosecution. MT. Nc
 Sweeney began the closing speech of the opening of the defense, and will conclude tomorrow. It is hardly expected that any
 testimony will be taken before next week.
 Considerable comment has been caused by
 the published story of irregularities 1n the
 selection of the jury. Marshal Henry says
 he intrusted the selection of the talesmen to
 his deputy. The deputy says he took the
 first men that he could find It is not likely
 that any point will be made in the premises,
 though it is pretty well understood that the
 prosecution begin to think that the defense
 have the jury with them.
 Mir. Lowe, of Alabama the Independent
 Greenbacker who successfully contested the
 seat of Mir. Wheeler, makes some extraordl
 nary charges against the Democratic mana |
 day of the flibustering struggle Mir. Spring
 CT produced in the debate in the House wha
 he claimed were tissue ballots voted by tht Republicans in that election. These ballots
 were not presented before the Elections com
 mittee Mir. Lowe says that no tissue bal , lots were used on either side in his district that he has investigated the matter, and il
 confident that these pretended tissue ballot , were printed in this city for the purpose O being sprung in the debate, and that for tha
 reason they were not submitted to tho Elec tions committee.
 Following are the nominations as member
 of the tariff commission William A , Wheeler of New York, chairman John A l Hayes, of Massachusetts; Henry w. Oliver @ of Pennsylvania; Austin M. Garland, o T Illinois; Jacob Amber, of Ohio John s ,' Phelps, of Missouri Robert F. Porter, o . the District of Columbia John W. H t Underwood of Georgia Duncan F. Kenne1
 of Louisiana.
 Notwithstanding the continuous i'll success
 of Mir. Reed, Guiteau's counsel in endeavol
 ing to rescue the assassin, he says to da
 that he is still confident of success. Ther
 really seems to be serious intention on tn
 part of Mir. Reed to apply to the Preslder
 for pardon if the attempt to obtain 8 WI 3 of habeas corpus from the United States St
 preme Court fails. Nothing in Guiteau c present condition, however, indicates an 8 increase or the symptoms Whlch are SUI
 posed to show insanity, and it is upon h
 mental condition that the application for pardon would be based. Efforts have bee , made here for some days to obtain signature
 to petitions to consign Guiteau to the insal
 asylum, but very few out of the hundred
 approached have signed. Mrs. Scoville h.
 written Guiteau to trust in God and to CO s tinue to appeal for respite and commut
 ton of sentence.
 Prescott will be examined before the Cor
 mttee on Foreign Affairs tomorrow.
 $. The Republican caucus this evening W
 fully attended. Nearly three hours were d
 voted to the discussion of Kelly's revenl til bill, first whole, then by sections
 few favored action at the present sessit
 of Congress- and Messrs Page and Hazelt'
 made speeches in favor of non-action.
 general feeling prevailed in favor of the abt
 ition of the tax on bank checks, matches al , proprietary medicines. AS to the removal P the tax on bank deposits, the minority W
 much larger. The reduction of the tax
 cigars found considerable favor and ewhisk
 had few friends, No action WAS taken