National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-09-30
spRINGEn,s srAR REPORT.


IL reviews the rtht-rOute mnttcf from lilo pt'
ginning TO the end, beginning with the discOv-
cry of the frauds, the investigations by post
oncc inspectors, the suggestion OF nrbltratlOn |.
proccedings, the indictment, trial, and gonvic-
tiOn of McDcvitt the examinations by Tie
grand lurics here tho trials, and their result
IL quotes literally from the testimony taken by
the committee, especially from the evidence
OF Messrs. Bliss and MGrrick.
Relative to the employment and coinpcnsa,
tion OF attorneys the report says: The total
amount paid to the attorneys for services IA
these cases was sllI, SIG, Of which George MSS
received the greatest amount, his compehsn,
tlOn being s57,t82 I'm addition, s6,727 was paid
to Allan PinkertOn for tho services OF dctec.
tiyes, $3.50 for other detective work, ana Slh'O
10 James NJ. scmplc ior services insummonlng
witnesses. The report says In this connection;
Your committee find II impossible TO ascertain
tho whole amount of expense to when the
government has been subjected on account OF
star.route frauds. The amount paid attorneys
and detectives is correctly stated above, but 1t
is impossible to determine how much the eN-
penses OF the courts in the District OF Colunbla |
were increased by reason OF the many lnuiuti,
ments considered and presented by grand |
iures, and by reason of the long and expensive |
trials.
A review of Mr. Morrlcks testimony before. |
the committee, in explanation OF the iallurc OF
the government to secure conviction IN the |
two trials, Is given. Mr.. Merrick sald oi the
first trial that the Jury found the subordlnalvs
guilty of having conspired with each othei @ D@u'
that they could not agree Us to the prlncipa,S
while the evidence showed that these subofdl-
mates had had no particular indcpendeht Ieiu,
tion to each other, and thatthoir oirsolerelalohWus
one established by and through inc prlnclphls
MIR. Merrick regarded the verdict as disgrace
fil to the records Of the court and oil tine gov
eminent, and felt II his duty not TO alioW 70 70
stand. of the second trial Mr. MerrlokS snlu
| that the evidence was even more conclusive
than the first, but the jury was the worst no
| had ever seen summoned to the poX hh @ tno
| District of Columbia or elsewhere. ~ was was
| bad In intelligence and bad in every respect
| The report says the committee was unable iOr
want of time 10 pursue the line of Investigation
| in reference to attempts to bribe Jurors,
In reference to contractors not indicted tne
report saws: From tabular statement from
| the Office of the second assistant postmaster
| general the amount which II Is claimed coulu
be recovered from the salisbnrys and Parkers
| Is estimated at 1864, ,i03, While the record
| evidence In the postohce department Nv thc
beginning of the Investigation By the depart
| ment was mcager against the Sallsburys anu
Parkers yet the evidence subsequently pro
| cured through special agents sent out for the
| purpose showed that the operations OF these
parties as contractorswere glaringly iIaudulenla
aud that they should have been indicted anu
convicted, and prosecuted in civil suits Tor the
| recovery of the large sums Illegally obtained:
Some mysterious and powerful influences must
have operated to secure their immunity
Concerning civil suits, the report says: up
to the time Of adjournment no civil suits had
been instituted by the government against any
star.route contractors for the recovery oil sums
paid for fraudulent expedition. Attorney
tee that after Mr.. Gresham became postmaster
general II was made subject OF discussion as
to whether or not civil suits ought to be in-
stitutCd, whether they might not prove trult-
less in many instances, and whether those
parties sued at remote distances would not III,
terfere with juries and prevent verdicls, ana
make it n costly and interminabie business ,p 10
it was finally determined that the government
did not pursue this kind of suits for the pur-
pose of making money. That was MS opinion,
1. tita nj
show determination on the part of the gov,
ernmcnt TO follow, as he stated, whoever had
wronged 1t, BY way of example, be the remedy
civil or criminal, &c. Then the postmaster
general undertook to have the cases put in
order for the purpose of bringing civil suits:
In the fall of 1883 he sent the attorney general
u full and abundant letter on the subject, to-
gether with the papers in the cases The at
torney general says that Mr.. Bliss then wrote
him several letters on the subject In which he
showed a great anxiety to get possession OF
those cases and to pursue them but that on
conference with the postmaster general II
was concluded that it would be better not
to give them to Mr.. Bliss; that he
had his hands full with the criminal suits, and
to let him take charge Of these civil SUITS; AZ
any rate, II was not considered proper or poll.
tic thing to do. The attorney general caused
, the papers in tho case to be referred to Mr..
Simons, who examined them carefully. The
attorney general made several efforts to en-
r ploy counsel in these cases, but had not sue
Ceedcu IN securing tne bcTNlCes VI tolnpetcht
persons TO take charge of them at the time he
testified before your committee, July ., 1884,
: and hence no civil suits had been instituted at
; that time In star route cases
The report continues relative to the removal
of local officers in the District of Columbia,
C "who were hindcring the prosecution OF the
, star route cases, and were giving aid and com;
: fort to the defendants" and says Marshal
Henry, according to the testimony of the
attorney general, was removed "tor fragrant
@ violation of his duty in aidlngthe defendants !
a | AT the beginning OF the prosecution an elior
. | was made to secure the removal OF District AT
torney Corkhill, upon the alleged ground thai
he sympathiZed with the star-route contract
D ors. Itwas objected to his removal that ht
was then engaged in the trial of the Guiteau
, case and that he should be continued unit
. that case was concluded. But after the con
J. cusion of the Guitelu trial Mr. Corkhill con
IS tinucd in the office of district attorney, but h'
q was not allowed TO appear before the grand
n jury or before the petit jury in the star;rout
= cases He merely signed his name 70 the In
y dictments when found, He continued in oflc
S. until the expiration Of his term the latter par
If of 1883, whom Mr.. W0rthlngton was appointed
his successor Mr.. MacVeagb though
/ that 1t was misfortune to have Mr.. Corkhil
T. In that office for his retention presented tn
is anomaly of having district attorne.
No in the district in which these defendants wer
to be prosecuted, who never was allowed =
know anything about the prosecutions or
retired IRON the Office of attorney general
and also declined 10 act as chlei prosecutor \
the star-route cases upon the ground that
a. | did not see how he could hope to have mora
~ support in the cases. and II was moral suppoi
a alone in the District of Columbia for whic
IN he cared lie referred TO the fact that he ha
L. not been in sympathy with the new Presiden
:, tertan and 10 have given expression 70 yer
eu poor opinion Of sentimental politicians,
fe whom was supposed to be one, and WI
I'd known 10 have long entertained and expresse
a very poor opinion OF practical politicians,
whom he was supposed TO be one: and thes
on gentlemen certainly must have seen that n
Id President who had called me here, and who ha
nd sustained me under great abuse and obloquy
ho the prosecutions being now dead and burie
~ ] was In no position whatever 10 bring
re them the requested moral support.
ed 'The Presidents opinion as understood b
On Mr.. MacVeagh, was that the cases should !
on Just as they had been started. lie ther
10 fore urged Mr.. MacVeagh, to continue IN u
hc prosecution of the cases, but MI hacHeag
On was of the opinion that his continuance in q
nd prosecution would inevitably create the II
N preston In the District of Columbia that the
80 cases were tried as n legacy OF the dead PREF
u dent, and that he was merely administerii
ay on his estate. This was assigned by him as
by reason why It was impossible for him to
Justice TO those cases"
"a In conclusion the report says: Your col
'n' mittee Ia Of the opinion that there were maj
el, causes which operated TO prevent the 81
la- cessful prosecution OF the star route otiende
Whatever these causes may have been, IL
a, doubtless true that those who VIII take =
he pains 10 read careRllly the testimony taken
IN your committee on the subject, comprisi
ing nearly a thousand pages of printed matt
r,n will reach different conclusions. There "
$40 great diversity IN the testimony and ma
Contradictions will be found wholly irrecon(
The able upon any other theory than that OF VI
er nil perjury 1t is sufficient, however, for I
or purpose OF this investigation TO state that VIII
- the evidence against star route contractors
oi' public officials was strong and conclusive
la' TO their guilt and that the government v
deiTauded Of large sums Of money, and u
h,l large sums were also expended to secure
'u' dictnents and convictions, yet no person
convicted or punished, and no civil suits hu
the us vet been Instituted TO recover the vast su
,er- Illegally and frauduleqtly obtained from
,ge public treasury"