Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1883-03-09
A TALK WITH VAN WICK.
Comments on His Attack on the Sub
Department of Justice.
By Telegraph 10 New York Tribune.


WASHINGTON, March 8 5--Senator
Van wyck has had the misfortune to
be complimented for his speech of last
Friday by q Washington evening
paper, which has had no other object
in existence for the last year or TWO
than to defend the star route plum
derers. Another paper declares that
these compliments settle the status of
the senator from Nebraska In relation
to the star route gang. The senator
has quaint, old fashioned look and
manner that always make his talk In
teresting, whether his opinions are &C.
cepted or not. A Tribune correspon-
dent, meeting him this evening, asked
if he had seen the comments of the
papers classifying him among the
friends of the star route defendants
"Oh yes" he replied, In COM
Portable tone, "I have seen them.
Let them talk. It dosn't matter"
"But queried the correspondent,
"do you wish to let the statements 20
undsnisd that you are trying to en-.
barrsss the prosecutionl" \ . Gsr.g
''Embarrass the prosecution! Whist
nonsense! Why, Its monstrous! The
Idea that we should allow this thing Ia
70 on until the costs of the trial
amount up to such huge sunni I,
must have cost the government half
million already. You know thii
star route business was begun two
years ago, The frauds were discov.
cred under the administration of Mr..
James, and all the good that has beer
done for the country was done by him,
and he did 1t by stopping the service
which had been fraudulently put on.
Now, then, after that, you know,
began the attempt to have these mer
punished. They all had the post offict
department, all Its detectives, all III
machinery, sending its agents over thu
whole country. Then they had al
the agencies of the department o
Justice, with Its high salaried special
attorneys. They protraoted one tria
FIVE months, without themselves seem
Ing to know what they were able &
prove. The same criticism, I fear
will apply to what has taken place re
Gently. The people demanded th'
punishment, If possible, of the sta
route conspirators, but when, will
all the power of the government, al
Its appliances at command, they wer'
willing to employ q favorite set o
attorneys, paying them at rates whicl
outrage public sentiment, they begal
fraud which itself required punish
ment or at least cessation as much a
the star route villanies.
EXPENSES LIKELY To EQUAL THE SUM
STOLEN.
"If allowed to continue they vii
equal the aggregate amount stole
; through the star service. Had tn
postoffice been stirred up as 1t shoul
. have been after an active inquiry b
. congress, 1t would haye saved tha
national scandal, for 1t is perfectl
evident that those frauds could nc
have continued except by the Grim
. nal negligence or still more acqu
escence of the chiefs and heads of th
3 department. So with these frauds
: the department of justice. 1t is fl
: better to attempt to check them no
: than let them run to their legitimat
a end. Any prstence that we mu
o wink at all this and consent to 1t, be
9 cause 1t will embarrass the prosec,
d tion, Is startling. Why, 1 drew m
Il resolution twice last session, but tor
i 1t up for fear suoh claim would
o made. Now that they are still COZ
Q tinued, it would have been Grimm
n on the part of congress to ad joul
J. without calling attention to the ma
= ter. If am wrong, let them Hho
IS wherein"