AMERICAN POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1081, 12 January 1883, Page 4

AMERICAN POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

Another great American State trial lias resulted in what, for the moment, ■can only be regarded a a miscarriage of justice. Many months ago, the ■colossal frauds had been practised dining the administration of Mr Hayes ■upon the Post Office Department, ■-amountiT g in the aggregate-.to several million's 1 -of dollars, were revealed- It will be remembered that the means adopted for robbing the Treasuiy displayed the simplicity of genius. The law required that all contracts for the transportation of mails should le awarded to the lowest bidder, but gave ■discretionary power to the authorities to take a different course in certain ■exceptional cases. In the frontier and mining States, towns grow into Tail-sized cities, like Jomh’s gourd, in a single night, and “ mail routes,” which in the budget have been put down for oue service a week, sometimes Lave to he suddenly transformed into toutes with two or three services a-week, or perhaps with even a daily service. In such cases the PostmasterGeneial, without advertising, can, in the phrase of the bureau, “ expedite ” the route upon such terms of compensation as he deems proper. Again, where a mail contractor fails to perform his contract, the PostmasterGeneral makes another contract f >r the same service with whomsoever he pleases, and charges the extra cost against the bondsmen of the delinquent. The frauds were perpretrated bv collusion with the responsible heads of the Post Office. A route would be advertised as one for a weekly service. One of the tools of the ring would put in a ridiculously 1 w bid, and having been awarded the contract, the authorities at once “ expedited ” the route, and made it very lucrative. Or, again, in the second class of cases a bid would be accepted from an irresponsible •dummy of the ring, and worthless bonds accepted for the due performance of the work. Then the dummy would default on his contract, and the authorities would give out a new contract to the ling at an extravagantly high rate. The principal and responsible audio’s of this little game were a senator of the United States, Mr Dorsey, who was at the time chaii man of the Post Office Committee, and Second Assistant Postmaster General Bndy, in whose department the defails of mail-tranaportation were arranged. Many others were of course also in the ring—Congressmen, and relatives and friends of Congressmen, and a horde of small fry job! era. Since the exposure of the great I'weed frauds noon ilie city of New York no ■more humiliating scandal has been ■dragged forth to the light. The most -guilty meu were almost wrhont exception the Stalwarts. Dorsey had been secretary of the National Republican Committee in the Garfield cam paign, and it was rumored that a bargain had been made that if Garfield were loyally suppo fed by the Stalwarts, and ind'etments against Mr Dorsey and Ids friends should i e nolle pressed. The event showed that this was merely a piece of injudicious rhodomontade on the part the ring. Garfield ordered a rigorous prosecution of the indictments, and Mr Bliss, one of the ablest and most industrious lawyers of the New York Bar, was specially employed to bring the eases to trial. Justice moved, perforce, however, with a laden foot; it was months before the conspirators could all be a’raigned together at the bar, and then came endless argument over the preliminary legal technicalities Meanwhile Garfield was assassinated, and it was feared the new Administration ■mi"ht, secietly or openly, bring about tire escape of the parties Dorsey was k own to have been an intimate friend ■of Mr Arthur, and the latter gentleman presided at a testimonial dinner to the said Dorsey for his services to The party in carrying the State of Tndiana at the most critical juncture of the campaign. But President Arthur, since his elevation to the White House, has agreeably disappointed the expectations of his enemies by showing himself far more keenly ■alive to a sense of duty than to a mere sentimental fondness for his accidental associates in the past tie put the management of tie case into the personal charge of the new Attorney-Gene-ral. Mr Biowster, and that gentleman and Hr Bliss left no stone unturned to s ’.cure a conviction. The defendants were represented bv a cloud of able lawvers—among the rest the man whom Mr Beecher says is the greatest living English-speaking •orator, Colonel Robert G. Tngersoll. Inevitably, the trial was long and tedious. It took over two months to put in the testimony, and a other ton days were consumed in the summi tg iqi of counsel. And now came the most startling event of the proceedings. The Judge, prior to delivering his charge, said that he had been informed by several of the jury that attemp s had been made to bribe them. He .added that such a monstrous and wicked crime would be rigidly investigated, and he hoped that the jury would be true to their oath. It was plain, however, that the Court an 1 Mie prosecution were very greatly in doubt as to the honesty of some of the jurors, and the result was shown that these suspicions were well founded. After remaining out three days the jury brought in a verdict convicting two of the minor culprits, and further

announced that they were utterly unable to agree as to Dorsey and Brady —that is, the small fry were held fast in the net while the big similes were permitted to go at large. Everyone who had followed the evidence knew that it w'>s impossible for a sane man to find anyone guilty of conspiracy without including in the plot at least Brady and almost necessarily also Dorsey. Nine of the twelve jurors were for conviction from the hist, and the remaining three—-two negroes and the white foreman—proved incorrigibly obstinate With the general ap proval of everyone, the judge has set the verdict aside in the case of the two men convicted as unreasonable and against the weight of the evidence. The Attorney-General has at once begun preparations for a second trial. Of course, the grand jury wdl look into the bribery matter, and find indictments against the guilty parties. The one white man who held out for acquittal has made an affidavit charging that an agent of the AttorneyGeneral offered him 25,000d0l to vote for conviction ; but this is too absurd a story to !>■ accredited, and it only serves to strengthen the belief that its author is no better than he should be. The cost of the trial to Government has been enormous. Counsel tees foot up to 50,000, and other incidental expenses makes up a grand total of 200,000t,01. Meanwhile Dorsey and Brady are out on t ail, and nightly drive fast horses and stylish vehicles along Pennsylvania avenue and ou the road to the Soldiers’ Dome. Strangely, like Tweed, they seem unable to deny themse'ves the pleasure of defying the world to do its worst, and, like that gentleman, they will probably find that thus spurred on to show its virtue, the world will in the end give them their deserts Correspondent Sydney Herald.