Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-27

SOCieby- how the PRESIDENT ana the AT
torney General have shown that their views OF
the propriety of Helms employment in the
printing office are in accord with those which
Mr.. Rounds condemned. Mr.. Rounds Is not ex-
pected, however, to denounce them as ghOuls
who disgrace society.
THE CHARGES AGAINST POSTMASTER ANGER
AND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER PARKER.
Publicity has not been so widely given to the
causes which led to the removal Of Postmaster
Anger and Assistant Postmaster Parker, Of this
city. Reports were made nearly q year ago to
the Post Office department, to the President,
and to Congress that these men had violated
the law. These reports, made by officers of the
department, were given to the press, aud were
fully published in the Times of January T. 1892
but they caused no action to De taken The re-
peated violation Of the law by postmasters who
certified to the commences of worthless bonds
given by star route contractors had been point
ed out by Mr.. A. NJ. Gibson, in his report to the
Attorney General Mr.. Gibson said: ''Postmas-
tiers VINO nave been accessory to these frauds,
and time and again violated the law and the
regulations Of the department, have not even
been rebuked, and some of them TO-DAY are
still in office" Section 3,947 of the Revised
Statutes provides that postmaster who shall
knowingly make any false or illusery certificate
OF the sufficiency of guarantors or sureties on
mail contracts shall be dismissed, and be subject
to fine and imprisonment.
1t was by getting the certificates of postmas-
tiers that the straw bidders were enabled to rob
the department. Inspectors Tidball and Shall
cross made report to Postmaster General
James concerning the work of the straw bidders
and bogus bond men in this city. 1t showed
that in this way 1900 bogus bonds had been
imposed upon the department. Mr.. Bliss read
the report and wrote letter concerning it i'm
which he suggested that it should be sent to
Congress. Mr.. James sent the report to the
PRESIDENT. and the latter transmitted it to
Congress. Attention was directed in the
Times last winter to the fact that
Congress ignored this report. Among
the persons indicted for having swinded the
government was K M. Armstrong, who SUBJ
United bonds amounting to S215 200 in 1880.
The sureties were worthless. but their RESPONSE
olilty, as shown in the report made one Year
ago, had been certified by Postmaster Anger
Referring to the worthless bonds of Boone
Cabell and others. the report said: "a large
number of these worthless bonds were certified
oy ID. u. Anger postmaster at Washington D.
e.. and in some instances Myron NJ. Parker
assistant postmaster certified to the RESPONSE
bllity of Others singing Anglers name as post
master. and his own as assistant 1t was also
discovered that Myron NJ. Parker had entered
as surety on number of proposals of John r.
Miner. Associated with Parker as surety on
these proposals was H. NJ. Vale, men,
Der Of the so-called Dorsey combination
This bond was approved by D. B.
Anger. postmaster" Not only did these
men violate the law already referred to. but
Parker. In company with Vale, who was re-
Gently tried became surety for Miner whom the
star route jury convicted, and in this way vio-
lated another law which provides that no en-
pioye OF the Post Office department shall be in
teiested in contract for carrying the mails.
There were marked irregularities in the man.
ner IN which the signatures were affixed. AS to
the Armstrong sureties. Anger made affidavit
as follows: IL did not know at the time of
certifying to the responsibility of j. w.
D0nohue and w. W.Jacksoh anything per-
sonaily about their financial responsibility.
did not know that either of them owned any
property of any kind at the time made the
certificate"
j. B. ColegrOve, a ring contractor who had a
large amount of Service, had had his sureties
certified in Missouri, where they lived. He
desired to have them certified here John l.,
French, Brady's chief clerk. informed Anger
that the sureties were satisfactory and simply
upon this statement Anger certified that they
were responsible. The inspectors discovered
that Coiegrove desired the change because
the local postmaster in Missouri would not
certify, being unwilling to violate the law
Inc Inspectors expressed their establishment
at the course pursueo-by Anger and Parker,
and submitted the affdaVits Of the two officers,
in which the truth OF the charges was admitted.
IheY pointed out the violations of law,
and added that ''the certificates were given upon
the assurance and pledge Of Albert E. Boone
John X. Miner, James B. COlegrOve and Samuel
u Cabell, all wel[knOwn managers of star route
Job6ery, and the very men above all others
against whose Vaccinations the postmaster and
his assistant should have been on their guard
Through neglect of duty of the postmaster at
Washington and his assistant the department.
has awarded great many contracts, some
OF which cover important service requiring
bonds In many thousands Of dollars, whose
sureties are absolutely worthless" The in
spectOrs, in their report, which was published
year ago as an executive document by the
senate, pointed out other violations of law by
these two officers Anger admitted in his
affidavit that he had certified to the RESPONSE
Dility OF the sureties upon the proposals of
Chase Andrews although he did not know that
the suretles owned any property. He did this
because Brady said that the men were RESPONSE
Ole. chase Andrews connection with the ring
was shown many months ago in The Times
The government has not proceeded against him.
Anger and Parker were not disturbed i'm the
face OF these disclosures. But now, after the
lapse of almost year, they have been removed
Not satisfied with the clemency of the govern
ment, Anger defended the thieves over his own
name In newspaper owned by him in Michi-
gan. denOuncing the prosecutors and declaring
that the government had no case. This was too
much, and it was determined that he should re-
tire to private life.
The orders for removal were made this after
noon too late for the regular editions of the
evening papers, but THE STAR, q paper which
has stood by the government from the beginning
puollsned the facts and the report Ofthe ATTORNEY
General in an extra The news did not get
abroad until after dark, and 1t caused great sur
prise. Rumors about the Presidents intention
to remove other officers of the government at
once sprang into existence, but it does not ap-
pear that they have any foundation in fact.
What the People Are Waiting For.
THEY WILL APPLAUD WHEN BRADY AND DORSEY
ARE ACTUALLY IN PRISON.
Prom the New York World.
The public service can we'll spare the five per-
sons who were yesterday discharged from it.
Marshal Henry is an absurd person. and the ed
itor of Brady's newspaper should clearly not be
connected with the Government Printing Office
The fact remains that the net in which the star
route conspirators were to be caught was so
woven or so cast as to hold the little fishes and
let the big fishes slip through and it is too late
for the public prosecutors to disavow any re-
sponsibility for the failure of justice in the case
The dismissal of these i've men is good thing
In Itself. Whether 1t is good thing or not for
the interests of justice in the star route cases
Will appear hereafter. When Brady and Dorsey
are actually in prison. and not until then, peo-
pie VIII be prepared to score point for the ad-
ministration.