The Evening critic., 1883-01-02
CONTRASTING oRlNIoMs
Concerning Spcncer-What u Gre0t
Paper Says and What "a Little pa

Concerning Spencer-what u Great
Paper Says and what "a Little 1a.
per Says.
TIE CRITIC yesterday copied from tbs New
York Herald an interview with Ex-senator
George L. Spencer Commenting on the lntor.
view on tho day OF itl publication, tho Hsrdid
said edltorlally:
In to-day's Heroa we print an evtromely
Interesting interview with Mr.. Spencer, FOR.
morly United States senator from Alabaml,
and lately ono of tho Government commits
sloDers OF tho Pacific Railroad. This Is tho
same Mr.. Spencer OF whom tho Attorney
General and some others In Washington hav>
lately said that they were extremely anxious
10 have Ills testimony IN tho Star Ropto tIll5,
but that ho was delinquent. Perhaps his
testimony as given In tho Hsr9iH may
help them. 1t viii certainly holp tho pub
lie in ono particular, as it shows that II
the prosecution has not very good opinion
Of Mr.. Spencer, Mr.. spencer has, for his
part, not n very good opinion OF the prosecu-
lion, apd 80 far as we eau sec his opinion Is
entitled to as much weight as theirs. Mt,
Spencer states that he was suhppnaed In an
irregular way IN this city about the middle Of
June, in 1882, ana that he went to Washing.
ton and was lodged In n room alongside the
room Of Mr.. Bliss in the same hotol; that he
repeatedly saw Mr.. Bliss; That he met aud had
some conference With n gentleman then and
now member OF the Cablnoi, aud that, though
anxious to be called and get away from Wash.
ington, he mover was called, ana was, after
many days, compelled 20 leave In order to at.
tend to his own concerns; that the governmont
has mover been In ignorance OF his whore
abouts, but. has had him followed
by detectives and has never taken any
proper steps to secure his pres
ence other I'm tho usual way or by COM
plueion. This is very singular story whom
put In comparison With tho fuss the prose-
cution has made ahoV, rs anxiety to get Mr..
Spercer's testimony. Yet II is a story that can
be easily disproved If 1t is false. For In
stance, there Is the Cabinet officer referred to-,
but not named. Who is he, and does he know
that Mr., Spencer endeavorcd, through his
help, to get on the witness stand nc Once2
Everybody would like TO know what all this
means. II can but deepen the impression that
there is yet n great deal OF hugger-mugger
in the Star-Route prosecutions Indeed,
II there was conspiracy in the prose.
cution not TO prosecutei II It was proposed
to make n great deal OF noise ovor
q few cases In order, under tho cover of that
noise, TO avoid prosecuting great many other
cases; II anybody had au interest to do
that; If anybody was paid to DO It: then we
can conceive that they might proceed with re-
gard to witnesses just as Mr.. Spencer says the
authorities have proceeded In his case-make
q great deal OF noise about his absence and
pretend 1t gave tremendous difficulty, but
carefully refrain from forcing him to come and
get upon the stand. Mr.. Arthur ought to COM
prehend that the public Is net yet quite suro
about the attitude OF the Government In these
cases, and ought to see to 1t that IL any persons
about him are obstructlng justice thoae per-
sons should be sent to join ex-Marshal Henry.
What Little Paper Says.
In contrast with the above, from the HeYakS,
We reproduce the following from the Ecening
star, better known as the EUeHiR1 Yesterday.
Perhaps the star, In its dull and stupid ma
ligni,y, Will class tho HerG'd as n Star-Route
organl Here is the EDITORIAL from the star:
"ExSenator Spencer indulgos in q two.
column interview explaining his relation to
the Star-Route trial and why he was not pres
ent to testify when needed. If Mr.. Spencer
Imagines that ho has relieved himself of an
tota of the odIum attaching 10 him because of
his conduct In regard to that trial hs is mis-
taken. His complaints against Colonel Bliss
and Of the manner in which ho was subpGnaod
are matters personal to himself. The fact is
that he was hero in Washington, and that
he suddenly, and much to the surprise and
disappointment of tho prosecution, left the
city Just at tho time when his testimony was
required. Whether he travelled in his own
name or some other Is n matter of no moment.
He eyaded and avoided plain duty-a duty
douhly incumbent upon Spencer as a citizen
and as servant of the Government, which
was prosecuting the case. His discovery, out
West, that his subpoena was "illegal," he says,
determined him not TO return to Washington,
as by disobeying 1t he could not be guilty OF
contempt of court. By this very admission
Mr.. Spencer convicts himself OF the charge
made against him of lodging Service
and avoiding the witness stand. 1t was
discretionary with him whether he should
discretion admonished him to run away. Mr..
Spencer declares that he Is perfectly willing
to give any testimony he has in the Star-Route
case upon deposition Ho betrays his fear
He is represented as having made damaging
charges against tho Star-Route thieves to more
Than one person. This Is tho point upon
which Spencer is wanted to testify, and after
running over half the country to evade SER
vice, he expresses his willingness TO testify
'upon a deposition! IL is plain enough that
Spencer breads the questions that Messrs.
Bliss and Merrick would put him."