New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-29
A STAR ROUTE LIE EXPOSED.
REFUTING A CHARGE AGAINST GARFIELD
THE IspossrBuITY OF HIS BErRAY1NG The GOV
ERNMENr's CASE TO 8. W. DORSEY CLEARLY


| 4; e,or pouta or,ons and other newspapers hostle
20 President Garfeld's friends, that President Gar
eoId exbihitcd to ex-senator Dorsey oil the eVl-
deuce against him in the Star-Route cases. III oiu0i
that Mr. Dorsey might be prepared 10 aeIea' VIZ,
Government TRIBUNE reporter yesterday cai'.u
| upop A. NJ Gibson at the Everett House. W man
ircrires in regard TO the matter. Mr. Gibson
was retained as special counsel IN the s'a','o"
cases by Acknowledgement MacVeagh, ana was
na,;oIor,, familiar with all the early details OF
the cases. He said
ar have consistently RETAINED from saying any
thing ohout the Star-Route cases since my connec-
tion with them ceased in February last. have re-
neatedy refused to be ntervIe we'd as to any phase
~ the subiect think the letter of Mr.. MacF eagh
unfinished This morning is an emphatic am compro'
hensive answer to all such careless-I VIII not say
Observation-Disclosures about President "arhei
conduct in connection with the Star-Roete cases.
Renorter-But | am instructed, Mr.. Gibson, 10
osl Won specifcally whether not this statement
that President Garfield gave to Dorsey the Govern
ment's case against hm--is true OF not.
Mr. Gibson" Ii Is not true. have no Objection 10
disnosng of that falsehood forever. was retained
bv the Government through the Attorney Oenera',
7 think ON April o. 1881. Previous to this had
furnished tho Government. as mere matter vi
courtesy. with statement showing the manner In
manipulated. When became the counsel OF the
Government no progress whatever had been made
in the Investigation. The tabnlated statement
shaving the increases which had been made IN the
nav on ninetv-three routes had been shown to the
President by the Postmaser-Genera and MI WOOD
ward. In that statement some OF the routes OH
which S. W. Dorsey was sub-contractor were H.
c,rded II WAS after that that the President sent
for the Attorney General and used the emphatic
language which Mr.. MacYeagh summarizes IN his
letter published this morning That language was
as follows:
Itcev comparatiyelv nothing about the star-Route
frauds until President Garfield called nv attention 10
them He smoke very earnestly OF hs duty to have them
thoroughly Investigated TO remove all persons VINO
ouobt 20 have prevented hou and to see that all per
sOrs we're prosecuted against whom rea-ohaOIe 9IouuS
for smell course were developed by the lnveslgalOh
lie sad he had explained TO the Pos nisterieheIal nc
views and also why nc ~ I tha Dispict The
Postmaster General called upo1 me ana We went TO-
getner the President lie was quite as 40
before In the expression OF ms Owu opi49n upon nc ao
Iect lie spoke Of the frauds "a unparleeu VlIihhes
oahsome ulcer ON lne Dody potsc nesurg a " oo
eat out, VITA all It's roots no nneI WIFI tney "a,
tended He stared tnat while u md not belong TO my
Dapartmeut-cerIiny not AT all at that Stage OF tue
Inaer-yet he wished 10 associate me WIN the IVst
to the extent OF having the atler cel AZ
PEI ne Intended 70 remove General Brady the
Postmas General could mi satisfactory successor
ma Ter and urged MS immediate removal as ne hed nm
principally responsible for tue great frauds Whloh nc
subsequently statements were published in the
neWgpapeTs about Sir. DOr5eys connection with the
Star-honte frauds. | think 1t was on Nay o.
torney-tieneral in which he made an elaborate
statement of his connection with tn: man contracts
held by mis- brother, his brolher-lh-,aw atd us
President but he refused TO do anything III regard
10 IT, and referred the of Mr. Dorsey 70 the AT
torney -tieneral and Post naster-General lie most
emphaticaily a,ed that he could make no eXcep-
tons in favor of any one. The letter was immed-
atey turned over me by the AT Orney -Genera as
he stated the time, by the dlrectonot the freSl
dent ~. 81, L., &c
forwards any case prepared against Mr. Jersey
Tne Attorney General. the POstmaster-General and
MIR. Woodward knew nc. hing aOout ANY case eX-
cent in the most general way till after The President
was shot. The Only papers the President ever saw
were those relating TO theninety routes lnever
told him anything about sir Dorsey ana tue nfst
time the Attorney General knew any Oh the details
Oh the case against any one OF the accused persons
was IN SeptemOer az ElDeron about three or 10 IT
DAVIS be ore the President died. OF course he was
kepC informed III general way of tho progress of
tine nyestlgation; a. was the Postmaster General
also, but report IN writing was made to the AT
iOrney General tall few days before the President
died.
for the President or any one else TO have given
away tine Governments case, VIII AID that the
work OF collecting the evidence nom people lVlns
along the routes, of getting tie sta enenis OF dry
er, stabemen, sub-cOntTaCtoTs and Others con-
| sdined many months. After was retained IN the
case 4 elected from the nlnetythTee routes those
which thought deserved tRe most car ful ,nvesti-
CATION. MT. MoOdw ard selected the Post Ohice in
| spectOTs who we're TO make the inquiries and the
Postmaster-Genera ordered them to report at WASH
| lngton to Mir. Woodward. Tins was ABOUT the lrS
| or ccond week in May. grew up Instructions Tor
their guidance ana alter they mad been informed as
10 minor details they met the AttOrDeyG eneTal III
the Postmastrr-Ge room when they were tod
by both officers that they were expected to ascer-
tain the truth but the greatest care must be eXer
cl,ed 80 that no one might be wantOnly Injured. IL
| was quite two months before these agents
could complete their work The LABOR
| of dlgcstug the evidence thus obtained
and utilizing along with il the records o the In
specton DIVISION and of the Contract ONCE did not
! begin ill after the PRESIDENT was shOt."
| kepurter-l 10 ID stated IN tho StaT-ROute
| organs That President CARRIED did not authorize
your employment and did not know that you were
drawing pay from the Government until some
| weeks after your employment.
| Mr.. GIbsOn-l made ii Il sine qua non that the
| President should authorize my employment before
| | would accept the position OF special counsel
| rendered me. / was not III aShngiOn at the me
| the President directed my retention and by his re-
! quest | was autographed to cOme-at least 81 the
! telegram stated.
| I'm connection with the Star Route cases and the
| recent dismissal of the Postmaster and others at
| Washington, welLknown hepuoiican said yester-
: | see that the President in removing the Post
| master anu Acknowledgements at " ashIngtOn,
| gives rs ms reason the letter of
| Nil. Bliss written this month, call
Inv attention to the tact that those officials had GER
| tined To bogus bonds. Now the fact Is that the
sdents attention was called To these matters III
a report made just year ago 10y Inspectors iiDD all
| and SliailcIOss 1t was shown III tlat report that
| d. b. Anger ana MyrOn Nj. Parker had violated
tue law and had assisted Dorsey ana the other star
| Route thieves Ii the same report that CAV g
tho particulars of DE WIT T.. neelers conuec, ION
| with worthless bonds. There is not u fact known
now about tne actIon of those officials which tho
| President aid not know year ago. His attention
| was specially called TO the matter by Pos MASTER
General James dis tardy action looks very sIngu
| lar, to say the least"
| ---------------
| TO TAKE THE PART OF CHRIST
| William NJ. Wannemacher, young Baptist
preacher o. Philadelphia, who has been engaged by Salm
of in