The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-26
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THE STAR ROUTE.
Attorney Brewster Lays the
Case BefOre the President.

departments in the public printing |
Office is by law incapable of holding |
that Office, since he controls public |
newspaper. The paper he controls |
is a paper VIGOROUSLY and con-
fessedly owned by one of the |
defendants, and the most culpable |
of all, since it was by his official
criminal malfeasance that the
corrupt orders were made and the
frauds successfully perpetrated.
His paper has been engaged
from the beginning of these prose-
cutions down to the disharge of the
jury,in the most violent abuse of all
who were supposed to be interested
in bringing the defendants to jus
tice. The judge was not even
spared; the counsel were persist
entity slandered and witnesses open
ly assaulted, denounced and terror
lied by a continuous current of per-
sonal abuse. | am of the opinion
that this man should be removed.
and l am astoniShed that those who
have charge of the public printing,
with the knowledge of these facts
should venture to appoint him. He
is not man TO be trusted in the re-
sponSitle position he holds.
In conjunction with Bliss, l 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 communication by Bliss, and
other counsel in the case, was sent
through me, lodging with you
complaint against Geo. E. Spencer.
These papers did not reach you at
that time. This was during the
latter weeks of the trial. In fact,
the evidence had closed and
counsel were addressing the
jury. Those papers are now be-
fore you. Bliss, by his letter, which
you have referred to me, called your
attention to them. By them it ap-
pears that Spencer is a delinquent
and absconding witness, and that he
can testify to material and
important facts, and that he
lett the city and has ever since
secreted himself and avoided the
process of law. He holds an i'm
portant public position and is the
last man who should hesitate to be
present in court to testify of this
magnitude and in which the honor
Of the government and the adj
ministration of public justice is
concerned, and because of his CEN
surable delinquency [ unite with
Bliss and other counsel in the case
in asking his immediate removal.
Time enough has been given him
to appear and explain. Not one
word has been heard from him and
he hasA disappeared, as if he were
dead. l have directed most
thorough search to be made for
him and thus far no trace of
him can be found. That search
will be persisted, and if he can be
had he will be had and brought into
court and made to answer for his
act of gross contempt and disobedi-
ence and obliged to testify to those
facts which are within his knowl-
edge and are so essential to main
tain the prosecution of the defend
ants.
George o. Miller, one of the police
of the district, in the recent judicial
inquiry, with the audacity of a
criminal, confessed, under oath, that
he had been engaged and retained
in the service of the defendants in
the star route case, and had persist
emily assisted them during the trial.
Because of this confession so made
by him I applied to the commission
ers of this district to remove him.
That removal has taken place. [ have
never forgotten your instructions
on my first accepting the Office to
pursue this case with vigor and
rigor and so that the innocent should
be acquitted, if clearly innoeent,
that the guilty should be punished,
if clearly guilty, and that there must
be no half-hearted sentiment among
it's officers in this prosecution.
After serious and prolonged deliber-
alton over all the details ofthe case,
! my investigation satisfied me that
the indicted were guilty men
!, and merited the extreme
punishment of the law.
! The had projected under cover
ana color of official authority, sys-
. tematic plan of deliberate robbery
of the public treasury. To carry
out that plan they had laid their
hands upon the funds dedicated by
| law to O great public service, a ser
vice that is conspicuously one of
the fruits and causes of our civiliZa-
ton, our social comfort, our COM
mercial prosperity and our national
| growth. Millions of that money
they had divided for their own per-
sonal purposes. Twas condign
act of Infamous conspiracy, and de-
serves the severest punishment the
law can infict. Such men are traitors
to social and official duty, and they
are public enemies, against whom
, the authority of the law must be
exerted without hesitation or reluc-
lance. The higher their past posi-
tons the greater their sin and the
sterner must be their punishment.
[ desire to call your attention to the
fact that officers of the law and
those who have directly been aiding
me in the discharge Of my duty in
this business. have been from the
first encircled with snares,
pitfalls and every species OF