The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-12-07
a CARD FROM DORSEY
He Has q Few Words to Say in Regard
to His Connection With the
Star Routes,
And Pays His Respects to BIessrS. James
and AIaeVeaRh.

BUR ESoAbcss
And Pays His Respects to BIessrS. James
and AIaeVeaeh
WASHINGTON, Dec I.-Stephen w.
| Dorsey furnishes the following card for
publication to the public:
During the year and half OF con-
sistent and persistent abuse of me have
Carefully refrained from saying word
against me were of such character l
thought best 10 submit each and every
one Of them 10 judicial test that the
public might know their truth or faisiiy.
When these charges were first made, IN
March, 1881, | came 10 this city and
laid ali the facts before the then presi-
dent, General Garfield, and requested
him ID select Z commission entirely of
Democrats to investigate each and every
charge MacVeagh and James had caused
TO be spread abroad. ] told him would
not have counsel appear, and that l
wanted The naked facts put before the
commission and would abide by auy de-
cIsion arrived at by the most bitter enc
mics. Thereupon General Garfield
| wrote = mandatory letter To Mr.. james
directing him TO selectsuch commission,
| with directions to make the most search
| ing and far-reaching investigation SO
far as was concerned.
/ took this letter to James at the Ar
| iington hotel on Thursday. James ex-
| pressed his approval of the course OF the
| president, and thought I was xentitled
| to have a thorough investigation of all
| allegations, and he said that on the fol-
lowing day. Friday. he would have the
commission organized and be ready to
proceed. l went 10 the postotiice de-
| partment Friday at the hour appointed,
but James sent word he was not there.
l called ON him at his hotel the same
! evening when he excused himself for
not being ready 10 proceed and desig-
mated Saturday as the time he would
be.
went 10 his office Saturday accord
| ing to agreement and JamOs sent word
he was still absent. | visited him Sat
| urday night at his hotel end insisted,
as the charges against me seemed to
come from the pOstOiflce department and
the Office OF the attorney general, / had
right to ask and l demanded full,
thorough and complete examination of
them. That if were guilty of any
wrong doing / was here TO make an
sWer. James then, in the cringing and
syncophsntic manner for which he is
distinguished. said Monday of next
week everything would be in readiness
and he could proceed with the examina
ton.
went again to the postofflce depart
ment Monday, agreeable to appointment.
James had not returned, so / called on
him for the fourth time at his hotel that
evening and insisted that the directions
of the president should be carried out.
asked him to select. if they would
serve, five Democratic senators or mem
bers of the house of representatives and
submit to them every word of evidence
he had or could get against me, and
that l would leave my case to the judg-
ment of such men without the intro
ductiOn of evidence or argument on be-
half of myself. James then said he
would be ready TO proceed Tuesday, and
on that day Al the hour named l went to
the postOffice department, but there had
been SD much clubbing and falschood
that l thought it best on this occasion 10
ask Col. Robert G. Ingersoli to accom-
pany me. Col. IngersOll and | waited
at the department for several hours, and
finally james and Wayne MacYeagh
made their appearance. MacVeagh
seemed TO speak for himself, and ali the
rest OF the government. He said they
had determined not To allow HE to
have an Investigation of the charges
published against me in the newspa-
pers. Col. Ingersoll asked him why
such investigation SHOULD not be given,
and especially in view of the fact that
the president had directly ordered it.
He asked Mac Veagh what reason conld
be given the public why an investigation
of these alleged crimes was denied when
asked for. Mac Veagh replied by say
ing there were many reasons. That so
far as he knew, and so far as the records
of the governmental departments show
ed, nothing whatever of wrong doing
could be shown against Stephen w. Dor
sey, and that this reason alone was suf.
ficient one why he would decline any
investigation when there was nothing to
investigate so far as he knew, and turning
toward the writer he said the president
had requested him to ask me to'present
| in writing the whole story of my rela-
| tions and connection with the star route
contracts, that General GARFIELD had q
statement in his possession, written in
December, 1880. which explained the
| whole story, and that there was nothing
| | could add to or take from it. | said
further, that while the letter referred TO
| was entirely confidential and related TO
a confidential subject, / will take pleas
ure in saying to the president as now
say to you, that anything therein writ
| ten may be given 10 you for examination,
| and you will find complete eXplana-
| ton of all the connection / ever had
| with the star routes. The nature of the
| letter gives the reason why made the
| statement 10 Gen Garfield, and you will
see at once the propriety of having
| made such statement, and at that time
| when you read the letter that the matter
to which the letter relates is purely
personal, and all that shall say to you
on this startling subject is as personal
| as the letter, referring solely TO myself
James and MacVeagh both Joined in
saying TO C0l~Ingersoil and myself that
| if any communication was made by me
it would be regarded as confidential, aud
considered only for their own and the
presidents use, and that if they found,
| in the course of their investigation, any
thing that seemed TO contradict what
was therein set forth they would submit
the same TO Col. Ingcrsoll or myself for
such explanation as We were able to
make. On this pledge of James and
MacVeagh l wrote out and gave tn the
president, for the use of MacYeagil.
every fact within my knowledge as 10
the star route mail contracts in which l
was in any way concerned made this
statement from memory, but with all
| pOSolOIc ChIc1 anu IL COfeIS the WQOle
ground of my connection with the mail
contracts. This statement was given to
the then vice president (Gen. Arthur
and Senator COnkling by George G.
GOrham, and To President Garfield by
Col. r. G. Ingersoll, and left with him.
/ will not repeat the opinion express
ed 10y President Garfield in reference 10
| this statement nor what language was
used in denunciatlon of the cre8iu rcs
then engaged in what they called pros
ecution General Garfield Is dead and
with him are buried all his private and
friendly conversations with him But
General Arthur is now president of the
United States; Senator Conkling is in
New York city, and Gorham is editor
of an administration paper in this city
What 1 have stated will be verified by
each and every one of them.
James and MaeVeagh pledged their
word to Col. IngereOll and myself that
any statement might make would be
solely for the president and cabinet, bui
notwithstanding this pledge, within
twenty four hours after these two men
received the statement, every detective
employed in their departments was fur.
nished with printed copy of it with in,
structions to discover in 1t If possible
some variation from the facts as shown
| by the records Not one has been found
MacVeagh's pledge TO Col. Ingersoll
that the statement made by me should
be seen only by the president and cabi.
net, was the professional pledge of one
lawyer TO another, and the honor of &
high official to q citizen, and he viOlat
ed both with characteristic bad faitl
within few hours.
For year and . half after this state
ment was made every means that malig
nifty, united with power, could employ
was employed to md some discrepancy
some mistake or some suspicious omis
sion Public funds have been squandeE
ed TO attain this END, but when the tria
came that voluntary statement of mine
acknowledged and well known, was no
produced as evidence against me. /
there had been one word in that state
! ment thst malice could have twisted o.
misconstrHed into daEnaging-In truth
if there vas thing thai the army o