Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-12-03

WARRINGTON, Dec. 1.-Mr. Dorsey
says that the statement was never Of
fered as evidence by the prosecutors,
never referred to, and never contradict
ed. 1 challenge the Attorney General,
or the person who Is the real Attorney
General and master IN that office. 70
give this statement of mine to the pub
lie. or show that the evidence given on
trial has been eontroverted or dispr0ved;
one single assertion in it. One charge
against me 10 that conspifed with
Brady 70 dsffaud the Cnitsd states; an
other that / employed a. my tools Col.
]. n. Peck. ]. w. Dorsey and ]. Il.
Miner. Further, they charged each one
OF these persons ID absolutely under my
control, and none Of them had any *
perisnce IN mail contracts, or knew any
thing about them. Ny answer Il, Col.
Peck had been for years largely inter
sstsd In contracts. - In 1875 he was
large contractor, a. records Of the Post
Office Depart uent show. Col. Peck do
termined to make bids for large num-
Der Of contracts offered In 1873, II he
could furnish the necessary bonds and
certified checks. He requested ]. w.
Dorsey to join him in making such pro-
positions told my brother and Col.
Peck it would BE- very embarrassing TO
ire TO Lave them engage in business of
this sort with the government, whlle ]
remained In the Senate; that the charge
would be made at once that was inter
ssted, indirectly or directly, in every
thing they did, and / thought they
ought not to pat such an eLnbarrass-
meut upon me in the last days of my
service IN Congress-.
These gentlemen being of ago and
acting for themselves, saw tit to take a
different view Of the subject, and they
put in great number Of bids. They
were the lowest bidders on l34 routes,
all of which were awarded 70 them, out
Of Thousands Jet. A large proportion of
these contracts were given away with
ont pay by them, by assignments long
before the contract term, to other con-
tractors, who after the awards had them
increased, as the growth of the country
through which they ran justified. j. W.
Dorsey and Col. Peck never received
one penny from me for increase Of the
mail service. They meyer had route
increased to the extent of one cent, and
they lost almost every dollar they pos
sessed IN their efforts to carry out the
contracts they had undertaken. j. w.
Dorsey is my brother. Col. Peck is a
brOther-in-iaw. After they had deter
mined to bid, the ordinary obligations
that attach to such relationship at
tached to me. After they had failed
elsewhere they had requested me to aid
In securing them bOnosmen, and / did
everything knew how in their behalf.
All this testified to nearly i've years
ago. before Congressional Committee,
aud take this occasion to say, as l was
requested to furnish certified checks
did SO, according to my best recolIeU-
ton, to the extent OF $4,000. a fact
which thus fas seems to have escaped
the prosecution. Dorsey, Peck and
Miner did not have the assistance or
good will of anybody in the POst0ffice
Department; on the contrary, they had
the Ill will of those who could control
or who might have aided in carrying
out contracts. Some time III August, ON
the point Of being called failing con-
tractor. which, of course, included Peck
and Dorsey, such act would have thrown
all into bankruptcy. Miner in this
emergency. having the power of attOr-
ney for j. NJ. Peck, then lying sick in
New Mexico, and J. w. Dorsey, attend
ing mail business in Dakota or Mon
tana, transferred to II. N. Vail every
dollars worth of interest either Peck or
John Dorsey had in any mail contracts,
leaving Peck and Dorsey without the
slightest hold on any mail contracts
which stood in their names, and also
wholly cutting me ont of the money
had advanced Peck, Miner and Dorsey.
made every effort to secure repayment
from Vail and Miner, but without sue
cess, for both those gentlemen claimed,
and l believe truthfully, that tho large
outlay required to maintain the service
they were running, not only absorbed
all the pay they received from tho gov
eminent, but every dollar they could
raise from their private means. After
the expiration Of my term in Congress,
they proposed to turn over to me certain
mail routes, which would repay me, aud
provide for the payment Of $4,000 to
=. ID. Peck for his expenditures, and
$!O,0OO to ]. w. Dorsey for his interest.
had no alternative but to accept the
proposal. Ipaid Peck and j. w. Dor
ssy $4,000 each, which hardly covered
the sums advanced by then.