The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-03-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, d. g.,
"a March. 27. 1882.

Era HHlEeHra e. 49, M
Since the report of the Senate in
vestigating committee there are few
even among the party associates of
Senator Sherman who longer accept
his denials and protestations of in;
nocence in connection with the Trea
sury contingent fund while he was
the head of that Department. On
the contrary, all the assertions which
were made through the newspapers
in connection with the investigation,
and which were calculated at least
to dim the brightness of his official
reputation, turn out to be undisput-
ed facts. The stationery for the Sher-
man bureau was supplied by con
tractors for the Treasury and was,
by means of false and fraudulent
bills and vouchers, paid out of the
public money. The rooms occupied
by the bureau were fitted ont with
gas fixtures in the same way
Draughtsmen, tradesmen, and labor
ers in the employment of the Govern
ment were engaged for part of their
time in tho private service of Mr..
Sherman in and about his dwelling
house, stables, and other construc-
tions in which he was personally in
terested, and these men were paid, not
by himself, but by the Govern ment.
1t is a rather lame excuse for Mr..
Sherman to allege in his defense that
he vas not aware of these irregulari-
ties. Such explanations are entire
ly 'unsatisfac tory. And the ineVita-
Bile impression left by a perusal of
the report of the committee is, first,
that there is no proper system of
checks by which fraud in The ex-
penditure of the contingent funds of
the Department can be prevented or
discovered; and second, that, as a
rule, the high officials of this Gov
eminent are not influenced by that
delicate ems of personal honor and
honesty which would keep their rep,
u~tation untarnished, so that even the
breath of calumny could not dim it.
John Sherman entered the service OF
the Government several years ago a
poor man. During a greater part oil
the time his salary has been but S..
900 per year, and he has lived in o
, style costing fully that much, vet to
day he is worth probably two mill
ions. Comment is unnecessary.
Everything is still in a state Of
uncertainty concerning the outcome
| of the s%tar-route prosecutions. but @
; good many obseryant people begin
to think they smell mice. There is
+ every now and then a fresh assertion
on the part of the prosecutors that
the cases are to be pushed vigorously,
l but this has ceased to deceive any.
body. There is not much faith in
; "Col." George Bliss, the Presidents
friend, now in charge of the cases.
and Notwithstanding the fact that a
few indictments were found, some.
time ago, it is a pretty safe calcula,
ton that no harm will ever come to
Brady and Dorsey at the hands of the
present Administration. or course
there must be a show of doing some.
thing, and the cases may actually be
brought to trial, but that will be the
end of it. Nobody will be hurt I'M
less it is some of the small fry who
were merely the tools and who didn't
get much of the swag. Gibson, Cook,
and all the original instruments IN
der McVeagh who were thoroughly
in earnest, have been frozen out
Col. Cook was regarded as the strong
est practical attorney in the case be-
cause Of his ability and thorough ia
miliarty with the criminal Law prac-
tice here, the average Washington