The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-09-22
NCGI IIRE,c nnIIRI eTnRE L
lola REGISTER Supplement
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER %, 1882.
The Star Route Verdict.

route trials have exhausted the pa
tience of the people. The most in
dustrious readers long since ceased to
pay active attention to the evidence,
and it is entirely probable that the
majority of PERSONS will make up their
verdict on general principles. The
verdict which we now have will in all
probability be unsatisfactory to the
great majority of the American people,
for it offers an opportunity for every
shade of opinion.
a conspiracy was charged against
certain individuals. 1t was alleged
that these parties had entered into a
criminal arrangement to defraud
the postoffice department 10y fraud
ulent expedition of mail routes, and
that the money thus obtained was
divided among the conspiratO tors.
The one prominent fact i'm this whole
case as it presents itself to the general
observer is the fact that Mr.. Brady
and his friends were using S2.OOO,OO
more i'm the transmission of mails than
was deemed necessary or proper by
Mr.. James Oh his accession to the post
office department. Was this money
stolen? Was it used to properly in
crease the mail service i'm remote
localities, or Was in injudiciously ex-
pended?
These were questions of fact for the
jury. That the routes were expendited
does not admit of doubt. That they
were expedited corruptly by at least
tw" of the parties seems clear to the
jury.
The verdict is peculiar, and i'm some
cases inconsistent 1t covers enough
ground to establish conspiracy, and
yet it leaves out most of the conspira-
tors.
twill be hard to convince the public
that out of all the parties indicted only
two were guilty. If there was a cons
piracy at all it appears strange that of
all the parties EN- tagged in the work of
expenditiun two only were in the pool,
aud that the men who had the infiu-
ence and power to aid i'm the work
were without knowledge of rascality
being committed by their friends.
Mr.. Brady was fully aware of this ex-
petition business. He approved of it,
ne still justifies it. Were these men
stealing under his very nose at the ex-
traordinrry rate of S2,00J,00J year
and he ignorant of the fact? Was
Senator Dorsey helping his friends to
their various Routes in guileless inno-
cence? What Mr.. Brady held was
justifiable expenditure jury now
holds was robbery. Where is the
line between the two objects,
aud how did Mr.. Brady manage to
miss the rascality?
The jury can not account for such
strange situation and the people must
decide for themselves. But bearing
in mind the fact that the money is
gone and that conspiracy is estab-
lished it will be a strange thing if the
people of the contry d. not hold that
all the defendants are tainted with the
touch of fraud.
Whatever may be said of the results
Of this trial it is apparent that it has
been conducted with most remarkable
on the part of the govern
ment. No legal means have been neg
Iected to get at the exact truth. The
general of the United States
has given the cause his personal at
.ention, and the zeal and ability dis
aged by the prosecuting counsel can
N no way be doubted.
1t ia a misfortune that the servants
If the people should commit crime or
even place themselves under suspicion,
put it would be a calamity if even a
suspicion of crime in office should be
allowed to pass unexamined by the
guardians of the public
'unds. In the present instance all
hat talent, industry and skill could
has been invoked to protect
,he interests of the people. Every
hing has been placed before the jury
md it has done its work. We hope
hat work has been unbiased and un-
Allegations Of attempted
bribery have been made. Ifsuch at
empts were successful in the case of
my juryman it is something that could !
rot be permitted. A man who will
'ell his opinion will lose in spite of all
he courts in christendom. Such a
only goes to the weakness of
luman nature and the imperfections of
he jury system.
We think it was a mistake to allow
he jury to separate. The question of
,ribery should have been sounded to
he very bottom before the jury was ,,
flowed to go to their homes. If the I
ribers have been successful in cou I