The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-12-02
DORsEY's STATEMENT.

IL
with three column card in his
own de1ense.. He says he has been
buzZed persistentlyEfOr a year and
half without replying, thinking it
best to wait judicial test. He con-
tinues: When these charges were
first made, in March, 81, / came TO
this city, and laid all the
facts before President Garfield
and requested him to select a
commission composed entirely of
democrats, to investigate each and
every charge MaeYeagh and James
caused to spread abroad, l told him
| would not have counsel appear:
that | wanted the naked facts put
before the commission and would
abide by any decision arrived at bv
my most bitter political enemies.
Thereupon General Garfield wrote a
mandatory letter to Mr.. James.
directing him to select such com.
mission, with directions to make
the most searching investigation SO
far as / was concerned. Dorsey
says he took this letter to James.
who approved the course of Gar
field, and promised to have a COM
mission ready next May. He did
not do SO, however, but parted the
persistent attempts to force him
there, till finally Dorsey called, in
company with Col. IngeTsoI. He
proceeds Col. Ingersoll and I
waited at the postof1ee department.
for several hours, and finally James
and Wayne MeVeagh made their
appearance. McVeagh spoke for
himself and all the rest Of the gov
eminent. He said they had deter
mined not to allow me to have an
investigation of the charges pub
lished against me in the neWsps-
Ipers. Col. Ingersou asked him
why such investigation should
not be- given, especially in view of
the fact that the President
had ordered it. He asked Mac Y EACH
what reasons could be given the
Ipublic why the investigations of
these alleged crimes was denied
when asked for9 MacYeagh re-
piled by saying there were aany
reasons !; that SO far as lie knew, and
as far as the records of government
departments show, nothing what.
ever of wrong-doing could beShoWn
against 5. W. Dorsey, and that rea-
son alone was sufficient why they
would decline allowing an inYesti-
cation when there was nothing tC
investigate, so far as he knew and
turning toward the writer he said
the President had asked him tt
ask me TO present the whole
story Of my relations and e0nnec
ton with the star route contracts
| told him General Garfield had 1
statement in his possession, writer
December 80, which explained the
whole story. There was nothing
: | could add or take from it. [ said
further, that while the letter re
ferred to was entirely confidential
: and related to confidential subject
! | will take pleasure in saying to The
! President, as [ now say to you, thai
!. ! anything written may be given tt
you for examination, and you viii
lind a complete statement of all tn,
connection [ ever had with the stal
, routes. The nature Of the lette
gives the reason why I made the
statement to General Garfield
and you will see, att once, the pro
pretty of my having made such /
statement and at that time Whe1
| you read the letter the matter tt
: which the letter refers is purel,
: personal, and ali that | shall say t.
g you on this subject is as personal a
t the letter-referring purely to my
self. He says James and Mac edgl
promised whatever he should sa,
would lie held as private
and they would ask hin
]. for an explanation of the apparen
: contradictions. On this pledge h
r wrote a full statement of what h
b knew of the star route contracts
e 1t was read to Garfield, Arthur
q Conkling, James and MacVeagh
i. and left with Garfield, and that Gan
field denounced his fDorsey's) ira
ducers. James and Mac Yeagh, h
alleges. violated faith and sen
printed copies of the statement t
e every government detective in thei
e employ. Not one deviation from
= the facts had been discovered.
e He continues that statement wa
s. never offered is evidence by til
e prosecution; never referred TO an
e never contradicted. l challenged tn
'e encouragement, or any person VIII
Y is the real attorney-gener an
n master in that Office, to give TIL
statement to the public, OF to sho'
that any evidence given on the trii
has controHerted or disproved on
single point. One charge again'
y me is that 1, with Brady, tried
ie defraud the United States. Al
IL other. that / employed, as my tool
l. Col. John NJ. Peck, John w. DorSe
y and John r. Miner. 1t is furth
al charged that each one of these gel
>, tlemen was absolutely under n
IS control, and none of them had al
le experience in mail contracts
II knew about them. My answer j
Sc Col. Peck had been for years int
le ested in mail contracts, and at ii
g time of the mail letting, in 1873,
Ut was a large contractor, as the reco.
c of the post-office department. sho'
t. Col. Peck determined to make bi
d. for large number of contracts
ns fered in 1878, if he could furni;
er bonds and certified checks. He ]
QueSted j. w DOrSaV t0 iOin him