Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-18
Dorsey's Revelations.

Dorsey, during the progress of the star
route trial, declared that when the trial
was over he would give the public some
interesting inside facts relative to Gar
fields election and administration. He is
keeping his promise. He is making dis
closures that will 90 a long way towards
making the name of Garfield a synonym
for all that is mean, treacherous aud dis
honorable in politics. Few men have been
so lauded as Garfield. The manner Of his
death touched the popular heart, and only
those things were remembered which
gave him the character of a great and
good man. No doubt he had many admir-
able qualities. and his ability will hardly
be questioned. The further he recedes,
however. the less firm is the belief that
he was a pure patriot and high-minded
statesman. Less than a month ago Dor
sev published in the New York Sun letters
which gave a pretty fair idea Of the cor
rupt methods that were employed to carry
Indiana in October, 1880. The letters LETT
no doubt that Garfield and all of the Re
publican leaders were thoroughly familiar
with those methods. In Mondays San
fifteen chapters more are given
covering the national contest Of
1880 and the first days of
Garfeld's administration. What his
tory Of bargains, broken promises, corrup-
ton and receptions is given in these
chapters, The man who has been held
up before the world as one of the grandest
characters Of the country, is dwarfed into
III mi Taf
That Garfield knew all about the star
route frauds there is hardly doubt. He
required the money furnished by the con-
tractors TO make his canvass, and he ac-
cepted their Offering without raising the
question Of the illegality of their con-
tracts. \ need Of money induced
him to meet a syndicate of Wall
street bankers in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, and bargain away the right
to name his Secretary of the Treasury,
and to agree that certain New York
| bankers should have the handling of the
rapidly maturing five per cent. and six
per cent. bonds. which were to be re-
funded into bonds bearing a lower rate of
interest. The need of money also induced
him to promise Jay Gould that if a
vacancy occurred in the supreme Court,
during his term of office, it should be filled
by man who was hostile to the Thur
man act. The purpOrt Of the Thurman
act was, as everybody knows, to
compel the Union Pacific Railway
I to comply with its obligations
to the government. 1t is freely asserted
that Stanley Matthews was appointed a
( Justice Of the Supreme Court in pursu-
ance of this agreement with Jay Gould.
/ The money thus gathered up from star
route contracts, Jay Gould, Wall street
/ bankers and others, amounting, it is said.
I to at least two millions Of dollars. was
/ scattered freely in the doubtful States. In
I Indiana crisp new two-dOllar bills were
7 placed in the hands of about all doubtful
/ voters. Garfield bought his way to
/ the Presidency with money obtained
/ in WAYS that admit Of neither defense nor
/ excuse. He had no sooner been inaugu-
I rated than he was overwhelmed with de-
/ mands to fulfill the promises he had
made. The iniquities of the Republican
I party in the campaign of 1880 are not
I likely TO be repeated. The star route
/ prosecutions have shut off the money sup
ply from the mail contractors. The civil
/ service act has put an end to political as
I sessments, and the prospect Of Republi-
/ can success in 1854 is compromising that
| Wall street will hardly contribute any
/ thingtO a corruption fund.