Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-11-28

was with his assistant Parker, dellb-
erately impugned by two post
Office inspectors in their re-
port, as TO the certifcation of
bogus bonds in the Star Route cases.
It was only question of gross care
lessness or bad faith, as there was no
doubt that both of them did the acts
alleged. Mr.. Anger is proprietor of
a newspaper in Michigan, and his
name appears as such proprietor.
During the last trial he wrote to his
paper over his signature, denouncing
the officers who had insti-
tuted the prosecution, and de-
claring that the government
had no case One Helm has been
recently appointed by the new Public
Printer head of one of the departs
ments In the government printing
office. It was sworn to at the trial
by the editor of the Critic that Helm
was the person who controlled its
columns, and on trial there were
produced and proved q series of ar
ticles, grossly abusive of the court,
the government counsel and the gen
eral management of the case, which
was represented as persecution,
without foundation. Your atten-
ton was called some months
ago to the case of Geo. E.
Spencer, government director of the
Pacific Railroad. The police force
of the District of Columbia was un-
doubtedly in the interest of the de-,
| PENDANTS, and the detectives unblush-
ingly did their work. One of them
| has admitted that, under oath, in
court. Now, I am quite aware that
it is very difficult for you to act as
to some of the matters to which |
have called your attention, but
as to some of them you can act. L.
seems to me the facts ought to be
brought to your knowledge. You
have much to occupy your attention
just now, and much to trouble you,
and 1 would not willingly add un-
necessarily to it just now, but
| circumstances are such that delay
seems impossible.
Your obedient servant,
GEO. BLISS.
To the President.
The following is Attorny General
Brewster report to the President
upon Attorney Bliss letter
WASHINGTON, D. c., November "a.
To the President of the United States:
SRA letter of Geo. Bliss, counsel for
the United States, In the Star Route trials,
addressed to you, dated Nov. IL, 1882,
| and referred to me by your order, has been
| carefully considered. The facts set forth
/ in it are not new to me. From the considera-
tlcn of legal as well as for official policy,
L have thus for abstalned from cali
| ing your attention to these matters.
| | am much better satisfied that MIR. Bliss,
acung as counsel in the case, of his own
motion, has submitted to you The subjects
therein dealt with. Since l received the
letter, Mr.. Merrick and MIR. Ker, colleagues
of Mr.. Bliss, called upon me and invited
my attention to the subject in the same
manner tnat MIR. Bliss has in the letter
written by him to you. 1t is my opinion
that the ends of justice have been 1nterfered
with by all of the persons complained of by
| BLISS, Merrlck and ker. The marshal OF
| the district Is responsible for much
of the opposing sentiment to the case
| of the government that was exhibited In
court and out of court during the trial of
| the Star Route cases; his Negligent and
irregular conduct ID selecting tallsmen, /
| strongly objected to at the time, and so IN
formed him III public interview that the
act he was guilty of and referred to by
| Colonel Bliss, Is one that must subject
hlm to the severest censure as an officer
of the court and an officer of the govern
ment. He was guilty in this of an
otfense which has been punished by
| courts as a gross act of 'ntempt
l recommend his Immediate removal He
is an unsuitable person, and has lnjuriousiy
interfered with the proper conduct of the
Star Route case and mas given his personal
sympathy and the sympathy of his office to
the indicted defendants.
Second, ID. b. Anger, postmaster of
| this city, and his assistant, NJ M. Parker,
are justly subject to all the charges presented
| by MIR. Bliss, and | think they should be
removed. No men holding public appoint
ments should be permitted to use the inhu-
ence and power of their positions as they
have used theirs, or be permitted to inter
fere with such prosecutions or any prosecu-
ton urged by the government in vindication
of the law. A
| Third, The man Helm, recently appointed
to the head of one of the departments ID
the public printing office, is by law
| (sec. 1859 incapable of holding
that office, inasmuch as he con-
trolls a public newspaper, but I will
further add that the paper he controls, as to
which control positive evidence was given
upon the trial of the cause, is the paper mo-
toriously and confessedly owned by one of
| the defendants. The defendant must be
| culpable of all, since it was by his official
| criminal malefcence, corrupt orders were
made and frauds successfully per
| petrated. His paper has been en-
gagged from the beginning of these
prosecutions down to the discharge of the
jury, in the most violent abuse of all who
were supposed to be interested in bringing
the defendants to justice. The judge was
not even spared, the counsel were persist
entity slandered, and the witnesses were
openly assaulted, denounced and terrorized
by one continuous current of personal abuse
and calumny.
I am of the opinion that this man should
be forthwith removed, and am astonished
that those who have charge of the govern
| ment printing once. Wlth puolic knoWl-
edge of these facts, should have ventured to
appoint him. He is not man to be trusted
in the responsible position he holds.
Fourth, In conjunction with Bliss | re-
spectfully call your attention to the conduct
of Geo. e. Spencer. Upon the day of your
departure from this city, Immediately after
the adjournment of Congress, a communi-
cation by Mr.. Bliss and other counsel In the
case was, sent through me lodging with your
complaint against Geo. E. Spencer. Those
papers did not reach you at that time. This
was during the latter weeks of the trial. In
fact the evidence had closed, and the coun-
sci were addressing the jury. Those papers
are now before you. Mr.. Bliss, by his let
ter which you have referred to me,
called your attention to them. By them
it appears tl.at Spencer is delinquent and
an absconding witness, and that he can tes-
tify to material and important facts, and
that he left this city and has ever since
sJ~1