Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-07-21
Our Agents.
THERBpuBI1oAN RESPONSIBILITY.
From the N. Y. Star.l

It is useless for the republicans to attempt
to escape the responsibility of the crime and
acquittal Of the star route s~eoundEels. line
crime was committed during the Hayes al.
ministration, while Key, Who was afterward
made federal Judge, was postmaster-generai
and it could not have been committed had
that administ, alton done its duty. All the
princIples were active republicans. -Generai
Brady was one Of the party leaders In lndlana,
and was made second assistant postmaster
general on that account. Dorsey was q re-
publican Senator, and afterward was made
Secretary of the republican national commit
tee. Dorsey's brother and Miner are active
republicans. Kellogg, who helped consum,
mate the grand steal by which hayes secured
Forham, who has backedthese men TO the NJ
most in the republican organ, was clerk OF the
senate. The part Dorsey took In electlns
Garfield and Arthur in 1850 Is wen known,
and was publicly recognized by the ed ,at.er a. :,
this city by the leading Republicans. Garfield
knew perfectly well in 1880 that these mail
route contracts had been raised on purpose 10
enrich contractors hy robbing the govern
ment; yet he begged BRADY to getthese tnle!-
ish contractors to contribute money for his
election 1t was Brady's friendly correspond
ence that called out GsrfeidPs my Dear
Hubbelln letter.
The stealing was unearthed by outside
parties and forced upon the attention OF
Postmaster-G General James. Ihe Garnelo
administration was compelled to make ines
LEGATIONS and begin proceedings. How the
matter was managed Is q matter OF history:
The proceedings draggedon in : hslf-hesrted
way. James LETT the cabinet followed ny
McVeagh. The indictments were nnno de-
feciye. sad after months Of labor the cases
1ailed. Then it was taken up again, but at
serious dlsad. antage through. the loss OF
valuable testimony. Ex-senator. spencer, an
other republican statesman, escaped when
---A - q Uhn ao6nnd
trial found Washington peryadea and
drenched in the feeling that the proceedings
were q preiense and It was under this per-
suasion that the Jury was empanehed. From
the day the trial began, nearly eight months
ago, this feeling was -keps.up.- III ; acsave
1t the White Houseyand some OF them held
responsible Offices. The management OF the
case was more snowy than energetic. The
accused knew beforehand that they would not
be convicted; and when the verdict Of acquit-
tai was rendered, they were prepared to
celebrate It with fitting orgies. And, accord
ing 10 Q Washington dispatch, Colonel 1nger-
soil the Intelligence and independence
of the jury inlhe room ofthe Presidents prl-
saturday afternoon. Whyshould not the de-
fender Of these men be in the Presidents pri-
yste room ut the White Housed he IL one of
the a6lest and most brilliant republican ora
tors in the country, aud in securing the acquft-
tai Of these eminent republicans..the presl-
dents WI friends-he mad earned right to
be there.
These facts carry with them Q weight OF
meaning and IN Matchmaking significance
which ammo be shaken OF nor questioned:
The republican party, through its recognized
leaders and accredited agents, is responsible
for the crime and the failure to punish the
men who committed It. Even SO Jealous .
partisan as Mr.. George William Curtis con-
cedes the responsibility in large part. and that
it will damage the party id the Z campaign.
II this thing stood alone, the solitary instance
be lessened; people would regard 1t IS an ex-
ceptional case, and make allowance Tor 1t &c
~cordingly. But it is only one Of many similar
cases OF republican crime which escaped pun
tshmept- The whisky frauds q 1e7o-'76 be-
long to the same crimina category. They
were VIGOROUSLY perpetrated through the di-
rect agency of Grants most trusted and init
mate official associates. aciye-an potential |
republican partisans. Grants dispatch 10
Bfistow, L no guilty man escape" was
spread ramilcations Of these- frauds, which
were carried ON by .the.direct eonnivance Of
men who had his ear ifthey did NOT direct his
hand. Tn story Of the trials that followed Is
one Of the most disgraceful chapters In the
publican party, through its federal head,
thrust itself between guilt and Justice; and
though Grant failed Of . denomination in 1876
the people showed what they thought Of his
party by defeating it at the poiisc by over q
bilier scandal in 1872 was similar in impor-
tant respects. Leading republican congress-
men had virtually sold themselves to q ring.
taxing their pay in stocks and dividends-a
ring which did not ask for legislation, but
wanted to pre-, ent legislation. The incrimi-
mating evidence was 0verWhelmings and un-
der, it more than one distinguished republican
went down. This exposure showed an
amount of private corruption among leading
republicans which shocked and amazed the
country, and was followed by the tidal wave
reaction Of 1874. And the only thing ever
done in the premises was to expel Mr.. Cakes
Ames from the House, not because he had
committed y crime which SO many members
had proited by, but because he had exposed
their regeneration, and set them in public
pillory BY his inconvenient memorandum
book. This star route crime, and the acquit-
tai OF the men who perpetrated it.belong in a
series of acts Of similar character, and show
the utter depravity Of the party that is re-
sponsible for them.
It will be a long time before the men of
this generation forget the charges made
against Blaine, the dashing and brilliant re-
publican leader in the House. And how well
they were sustained; how he fell at the knees
Of his accnser and begged him to give up the
by force and bore of the letters said to con-
tain proofs that he had sold his influence as
speaker to railway SPECTATORS and specul,-
tions, is a matter Of history. Yet Blaine has
been one Of the leading republican statesmen
in spite Of these things, the favorite candidate
of 9 large portion of the party for president
and the choice Of its late president for secre-
tary Of state. This Is a small matter in COM
parison with the others; bat it shows that the
republican party has ceased to represent or
care for inflexible integrity in public admins
tration or in public life. Garfield was elected
In the face OF a congressional record which
should have made his nomination impossible.
That party has made itself responsible for
acts and methods which are inihical to public
welfare and justice, to private morals and the
perpetuity Of our institutions. And It is be-
cause this star route case is one of the indi-
cations OF the character and methods of the
republican party, and is only ono Of many of
Its Characteristic operations for many years
past, that 1t should fill the people with posi-
tive alarm. There is no hope for honesty of
administration SO long as that party is in
power.
PECULIAR WAR HISTORY.