The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-08-02
Dorsey's Confessions.

| Garfield. Perhaps this ought not to surprise
us; but it does. When Dorsey was giving his
testimony concerning the star route frauds the
Democratic press unanimously branded him as Il
| liar. They would not believe him under oath.
| Now they accept an eX-parte statement from
| him, not made under oath, as gospel truth.
| Why? Is it because Dorsey has declared his
intention of joining the Democratic party, that
haven of refuge for rascals who have been
driven from the Republican party? If we adj
NIT all that Dorsey says to be true, what then ?
1t is an admission, for one thing that only Il
two dollar bill is needed to make Republican
voter of an Indiana Democrat. If the Demo-
cratic press can stand that we can. But Dor
sey's diatrbe is mainly an attack upon a dead
man-one whose record is made up, who has
neither part nor agency in human affars-a
| man whose fortitude and christian spirit during
the long and weary weeks before the bullet of
the assassin completed its deadly mission, won
for him the respect and loving sympathy of the
whole civilized world. Indeed, we hold that
the last hours of Garfield furnish complete
refutal of all the ISLANDERS that malignant and
INSCRIPTIONS opponents had conjuredup against
him. A weak man, a man who had not lived
uprightly and acted conscientiously, could not
have faced death as he did.
| DOrsey's attempt to smirch the memory of
| the dead Garfield has failed, for the general
public has given no credence to calumnes en-
enating from one who has shown himself to be
unworthy of belief. Their only effect can be TO
wound the v idoW and the sons and daughters
of Garfield, and to add another pang to their
grief. On the other hand they prove that Dor
sey himself has been guilty of bribery and cor
ruption, of treachery, and that he possesses the
traits of Il hyena rather than those of Il man.
| They must be taken as conclusive against Dor
sey, for he was under no compulSion to write
| himself down rascal. SO far as others are
! concerned the rules of evidence forbid the ac-
| ceptance of his unsupported testimony. But
proof is not lacking to show that Dorsey'S story
| Is a tissue of misrepresentation from beginning
to the end. Dorsey knew very little. if any
| thing, about the amount of money raised by the
| Republicans in 1880. to protect Indiana and
| Ohio from the invasion of Kentucky rufiians
and repeaterS. and at the same time take care
of gangs of ballot box suffers despatched from
| New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. As the
New York Times truly says, $50 far from
| Dorsey being the trusted director of that cam
paign, he was throughout a suspected busy
| body. The greatest labor for which he is re-
sponsible was the labor he imposed upon the
persons interested in watching him to prevent
an outbreak of his unconquerable fondness
| for treachery." Both parties raised money
! for the two important October States. Three
years ago, Barnum, of 1876 mule memory.
went to indianapolis with his grpsack lined
| with greenbacks. and on the eve of the cleo
ton returned east. bringing back a consid-
| cradle surplus. for which he found no use.
| The Democrats had ali abundance of pecuniary
| arguments, and We're not at all scrupulolls
about their employment, as may be inferred
| from the character of management which,
| near the close of the canvass. circulated broad
cast the infamous Morey letter after it had been
branded as forgery by General Garfield. 1t
is immaterial which party sent the most money
| to Ohio and Indiana, but one thing may be re-
garded certain - the Republican managers
did not contide to Dorsey the sum subscribed
| by Republicans to thwart Democratic plans for
UNtiliul lllt pOpuldI hOtc OIL lHOSC states.
| Murat Halstead clearly exposes one of the
! many Measurements made by Dorsey. The
latter charges that President Garfield nomina-
ted Stanley Matthews to the Supreme bench as
his part of the agreement with jay Gould
whereby the great Spectator and mOnopolist
subscribed $50, 900 to the Republican campaign
| fund. Hon. Levi 7. Morton, in whose hands
these funds were placed, says that Jay Gould
subscribed only $1,000 and then gave an equal
sum to the Democratic committee. This is
enough to etfectually discredt Dorsey's state
ment. But, as Hastead remarks
| The Stanley Matthews part of the story is too
| thin. 1t was known in the summer of 1880 that
| Mr.. Justice SWayne of Ohio proposed to resign,
and that President Hayes would appoint Stan
| ley Matthews That was what is called an
| open secret The authority was not official,
| but it was authentic. 1t was not supposed that
| there would be serious opposition in the Senate
| to the confirmation of this appointment. 1t
could never have occurred to Jay Gould that
| there was a possibility that Garfield would
| have the appointment of the successor of Judge
| Swayne, so that part of the sensation of the
| Sun goes to perdtion soon as it comes in
| contact with the open air.
The assertion that Garfield was in Dorsey's
power will hardly deceive any one who is in
the least conversant with public affairs. That
Dorsey endeavored to impress Garfield with
| the value of his services is matter of notorie-
| ty, and it is equally notorious that he failed in
| the attempt The dinner given after the cleo
ton, at New York. to Dorsey, and to which
prominent Republicans We're mveigled, was
| part of the plot. Subsequently it was learned
| that Dorsey was called upon to pay the bills
for a dinner supposed to have been compile
mentary to HIMSELF while President Garfield
| in taking James and McNeagh into his Cabinet
and beginning the star route prosecutions,
showed that he not only was in no fear of Dor
| sey but was not in sympathy with him or his
methods
| Since the above article was in type we have
found in an exchange the following item:
In an interview with Il correspondent of the
Chicago Herald, Dorsey claims that he is not
responsible for the alleged revelations relative
| to Garleld's administration, recently published
in the New York Sun.
The interview itself we have not seen, nor
anything to corroboratc this report. We can
only say that if it is true. the New York Sun has
been guilty of greater degree of infamy than
is attributed to Dorsey.
Dead Newspapers.