The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-10-01
THE SPRINGER COMMITTEE.
Their Report on the Star Route
Prosecutions.
THE GOVERNMENT DEFRAUDRD
OF VAST SUMS OF MONEY-THE
TRIAL OF THE SUPPOSED Of
TENDERS CRITICISED = CONCLU.
sH0Ns OF THE COMMITTEE.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29.-The committee on
expenditures in the Department of Justice,
Wnlcn, during the last session of Congress, in
Vestlgated the Star route prosecutions has
completed its report for submission to the
house on reassembling. The report ia signed
by Messrs. Springer, Chairman, Van Alstyne.
Hemphill, Fyan and Crisp, Democratic mem
bers OF the committee. 1t says:
During the Hayes administration certain con-
tractors in the Star route mail service entered into
ting and performance of mail contracts, The CON
tract division of the post office department is I'M
der the supervision of the second assistant post
master general During the letting and per-
formances of the fraudulent mail service Thomas
D. Brady filed this otce. Frauds upon the service
could not have been committed without his knowl-
edge, co operation and assistance. The attention
OF the country to the Star route frauds was first
attracted by the increased expenditure under Mr..
brady's COMMUNICATION for the service. There was
large deficit reported to the Forty-sxth Congress
and a deficiency appropriation was asked for the
Oh seHg tne largely increased expendi-
made by subcommittee of the committee on ap-
preparations. A report adverse to the granting of
the increase required by the Post Office Depart
ment was made by the committee, but SO great was
the pressure of the Star route contractors their
agents and attorneys backed by the powerful in
fuence of the Post Office Department that an ap-
preparation was made to meet large part Of this
deficiency. The fraudulent contractors thus OBJ
tanned new lease OF power and continued to:draw
immense sums from the Treasury, for fraudulent
services
ne erence Is made TO the Inauguration of Presi-
dent Garfield and his appointment of T. L. James
to the postmaster generalship, who "entered upon
the duties of his office with the determination to re.
form abuses and run the service strictly business
principles" The report continues; President Gar
Held was OF the opinion that there had been great
extTaVagance, II mos corruption in the department,
and exhaustive investigation. A review is made of
the efforts of P. Fl. Woodward, who, as confidential
agent was given the details of the investigation of
the tabuated statement Of the cost of 80 routes OF
the removal of Thomas j. Brady and his chief
clerk, John L. French, of the sending of postofice
inspectors into the West and Southwest to investi
gate Star routes upon which the increases were
most glazing, of the testimony of Montford O. Rer-
dell, which ''the Attorney General did not realize
the value OF to the government, and allowed Rer-
dell to return to his old associates without securing
his papers or affidavit and whose credit az witness
under the influence of his former employers" and
of the report OF A. M. Gibson on the general sub
ject of the Star route Frauds
The exact amount out of which the government
was defrauded in the Star route mail service during
the Hayes administration, the report saws can
never be accurately known. Mr.. Henry D. Ly-
man, the present second assistant Postmaster Gen
eral, submitted toyour committee statement show
ing the number and termini of 40 routes the names
tion less fines and deductions for failures to per-
form expedition. The expedition these 40 routes
was obtained through fraudulent representations or
false atfidavits, and the aggregate amount estimated
TO be due the government on account of over-pay-
ments on fraudulent service was S2,172 1872.
The whole number of routes upon which fraudu.
lent service was proved amounted to 93. In case
civil suits brought against the contractors to
recover over payments on account of fraudulent
expedll1on, the amount the government would claim
on the 40 routes is the sum Just mentioned above
NO estimate has been made by the PoeU-ofice De.
partment 2. me amounts due upon the so other
routes implicated in fraudulent transactions The
whole amount of which the government was de-
frauded in the Star route mail service during the
Hayes administration will exceed four million dol
lars.
The report reviews at some length the evidence
showing the frauds perpetrated in connection with
md than %ok
proper OF the Star route trials 1t criticises severe
ly the conduct of these cases by the government
counsel especially for the failure to indct any of
the Salisbury or Parker combinations who were the
most powerful of all the contractors.
hecltlng the evidence as to the methods employed
by contractors to obtain expedition and Increased
pay on their routes. the report SAYS: The method
OF procuring expedition was reduced to a science
the af1davits OF contractors and others were used
as the foundation upon which expedition and in
creased service were obtained. The brazen effront-
cry and perjury of these affidavit makers is without
Atfdavits signed and sworn to in blank were kept
on hand by the contractors just as they laid up
supplies OF grain for their horses These afidavite
were the sole of the cost of the expedition
No other evidence was required by the Department
for granting increased services and increase of
thousands Of dollars. A stock of these blank afi-
davtts was kept on hand and the blanks filled when
occasion was required to use them, and the papers
filed with the department were the bases of secur-
ing valuable additions to the contract This per-
jury was made basis of all the frauds perpetrated
attorneys, the reportIsays: The total amount paid
to them for services in these was S144 S46 Of
which George Bliss received the greatest amount,
in this connection: "Your committee find it i'm
possible to ascertain the whole amount of expense
to which the government has been subjecten on &C.
count of Star route frauds. Tie amount paid at
torneys and detectives is correctly stated above but
It is impossible to determine how much the expen-
SEES of the courts in the District of Columbia were
increased by reason of the many indictments CON
sidered and presented by grand juries and by rea-
son of the long and expensive trials in the Dorsey
Brady cases. There also largely increased ex-
penses in the post office incident to the investiga-
ton OF the Star route mail service sthrough special
A review of Mr.. Merricks testimony before the
committee, in explanation of the failure of the gov
eminent to secure conviction in the second Star
route trials. is given in the report Mr.. Merrick
said of the first trial that he regarded the verdict
digraceful to the records of the court and of the
government, and felt it his duty not to allow it to
stand. OF the secord trial Mr.. Merrick said that
the evidence was even more conclusive than in the
first, but the jury was the worst he had ever seem
The report says:-The Salisbury and Parkers should
have been indicted and convicted, and prosecuted
in civil suits for the recovery of the large sums
illegally obtained from the government. Some
mysterious and powerful influence must have op-
Grated to secure this immunity.
The report reviews the various incidents of the
trials and attempted indictments but throws no
new light upon the evidence which has freuuentlv
been heretofore published. In conclusion It says:
Your committee is OF the opinion that there were
many causes which operated to prevent the success
full prosecution of Star route offenders Whatever
these causes may have been it is doubtless true that
those who will take the pains to read carefully the
testimony taken by your committee on this subject
comprising nearly a Thousand pages of printed
matter, will reach different conclusions. There
was great diversity In the testimony and many con
tradicons will be found wholly irreconcilabe upon
any other theory than than of wilfu perjury 1t is
sufficient, however for the purposes of this inves-
tgation to state, that while the evidence against
Star route contractors and public officials was strong
and conclusive as to their guilt, and that the gov
ernment was defrauded Of large sums of money and
that larQA alsO Tn iudi
and convictions. yet no person was convicted or
punished and no civil suits have yet been insti
tuted to recover the vast sums illegally and fraudu-
lently obtained from the public treasury.