Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-02
D0RSEY'S DEFENSE.
THE sNIIRCHED STATESMAN TO
THE PUBLIC.

his Connection With the Star Routes
why James and MacVeagh Sought to
Damage Him-What He Told Garfield
brewster Denounced in Unmeasured
Terms.
"AsHINGToN, Dec. 1.-Ex-Senator Dor
sey furnishes for publication tonight a
card addressed to the public. in which he
defends him self vigorously from the
charges Of fraud and conspiracy m ade
against him in connection with the star
route contracts. The salient features of
the statement are as follows:
In December, 1880, Dorsey wrote TO
General Garfield letter relating to n con-
ndentlaI subject, in which he gave
70 70 the President-elect a full his
TofS oI MS Dorsey's) connection
win tne star route contracts. This letter
was called out by letter from General
Uarneld to Dorsey, Offering the latter a
place In MS (Gartield's) Cabinet. Dorsey
declined the prOfered position. assigning
among other reasons his connection with
the star routes, connection which he
ioQk Inat opportunity Of fully explaining.
IN March, 1881, when charges of fraud
ana conspiracy were first made. Dorsey
went to President Garfield and asked him
10 select commission, composed entirely
OF Democrats, to investigate the whole
SUBJECT. Dorsey said he would waive the
right OF being represented by counsel.
would put no restrictions upon the inyesti
CATION, and would abide by the decision of
the commission-ive of his bitterest DO
lltical enemies.
President Garfield acceded to the re-
quest and wrote a letter to Postmaster
General James directing him to select the
commission. This letter Mr. Dorsey de-
llvered. Postmaster General James and
Attorney General MacVeagh had taken
an attitude of hostility toward Dorsey be-
cause he had advised the President not TO
appoint them as members of his Cabinet.
Ihey therefore put off on one preteXt or
another the selection of the commission
requested by Dorsey and ordered bv the
PRESIDENT until at last Mr.. MacVeagh told
Mr.. Dorsey that it had been decided not
to have any Investigation, and advised
him to put his whole story in writing and
send 1t to President Garfield. He replied
that he had already written for the Presi-
dent one statement of the facts.
But he consented to prepare another and
did so, setting forth every fact within his
knowledge as to the star route contracts
IN which he was in any way concerned,
and his letter, he says, was read to the
| then Vice President, General Arthur, and
Senator COnkling by George c. GOrham,
and TO President Garfield by Col r. ! In
T
Dorsey challenges the Attorney General
to give this statement to the public, and
to show that any evidence given on the
trial has cOntrOverted or disDrOVed one
word of it. Dorsey then gives a detailed
history of his connection with the star
route contracts, and, in concluding it,
says:
''The facts above stated show: First
That at the beginning of General Gar
FIELDS administration two members of his
Cabinet, whose personal hostility to me
| had grown out of my active opposition to
their appointment to the positions they
held, led them to seize upon the old star
route scandal and use it as weapon
to break down my influence with the ad-
ministratiOn.
Second. That to do this it was
necessary to fill the public press
with revamped falsehOOds that had
long since been worn and patch
ed, and for this purpose there was
established in the offices of the Attorney
General and the Postmaster General ALT
erary bureau beginning with April l. 1881.
and up to this writing there has not been
day IN week, nor a week in a month
that the papers all over the land have not
denounced me in unstinted terms, with no
more evidence TO justify their accusations
than there is against every other person in
the land.
lhlrd. mat at the trial, lasting for
more than four months, which took
place after the country had been raked
over with tine-tooth combs by detect
ives to find something damaging to
me, there was not a word or syllable of
evidence produced against me- In the
printed record of the court proceedings,
containing more than three thousand
pages, there is not a scintilla of evidence
that could be fairly charged as rejecting
upon the uprightness of my conduct"
He winds up with a personal denuncia-
tion of Attorney General Brewster in
terms as vigorous as those of Brewster in
his recent letter to President Arthur. re-
commencing the dismissals from office
which have been made.