The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-30
Marking Time.

integrity. ana SO determined 10 let 10
guilty man escape that. at the first scent
of corruption. 1t breaks loose and hunts
for the cause with all the fixity of purpose
Of a dog after a snake. We must rea ly
the Federal arthoriti upon
the sweeping ard scorching methods they
have applied in their effcrt TO con' ince the
country that Hannaism in the public ser
vice will never be permitted to ex st while
the man from Canton wie,ds the scepsre Of
Empire. All doubt, suspicion, and ground
for criticism disappear when we learn. as
we do today that the North American
Trust Company will have to return the
amount of its overcharges in commission
and exchange, aggregatirg perhaps as
much as six thousand dollars; and that
Deford & Co., the Government fiscal agents
in Porto Rico. will be obliged to equare
themselves in like manner.
We are even thrust into greater state
of admiration On reading how Bristow is
going through the Cuban postal service
like a Bosom of destruction. His voice,
his pen, and his boot are all for reform.
Finding that several extremely influential
party placemen have robbed the rev.
enues right and left. perhaps to the tune
of half a million dollars he instantly re-
deems the honor of the machine BY cutting
down the salaries Of all the poor devils of
underlings. who have had the combined
bad taste to be without a pull at head
quarters in Washington and to be honest.
Again, nobody could ask any more con-
vincing proof that the Administration is
terribly in earnest than the official an
nouncement that Rathbone may be liable
for the whole amount of defalcations in his
department. under the Spanish-CubaI code.
which makes public functionaries amen
able to the law for irregularities committed
by their subordinates. and which the
responsible head could have prevented by
the exercise OF due diligence and ordinary
common sense. We pass by the obviously
humorous character of this Administration
play, and consent to treat IL seriously in
the interests of time and space. No one
need waste any sympathy on Rathbone
because Ct the dire threat that has been
made against MIN. 1t is only intended
to occupy public attention until Congress
can be gott en- out of the way. Rathbone
is as immune as Taylor is in Mounts In
diana house of refuge. His superiors, Tor
temporary purposes, may point with all
the pride they like to seventeen tons Of
wormy old Spanish statutes. He has the
Mckinley imperial decree establishing his
place. his plenary authority, and his finan-
ciai responsibility. and that decree fully
protects him, since it abrogated all pre-
existing laws in conflict with it. and be-
came and is the supreme law OF Cuba.
After Congress adjourns Rathbone can
plead this bar to annoyance, and 1t Will
be held good by the executive, as mat
ter of course.
The point is to make such show Of
fierce intention that Congressional commit
tees may be deferred from taking hand
in the game. Merely by way Of parenthesis
We will repeat what We have suggested
hitherto. namely. that, even If Rathbone
were as sure OF conviction under the Span
ish, the American, or the executive codes.
or all combined, as he is TO have an equally
good place when he loses his present one,
he would be safer from harm than an angel
in glory. His services at Columbus and
elsewhere are as good as many coats Of
whitewash, with a full pardon added.
. Joy over the excessive propriety and
vigor displayed by the Administration in
its rascal quest is trifie dimmed by the
development Of scandals which 1t has not
yet reached out to expose. Governor Gen.
eral Wood has discovered additional evil
dence of good politics" and sound bust
ness methods" in the Triscornia six-mile
railway steal. It's charged that captain
and assistant quartermaster, appointed
through the influence Of the Algerian
Hecker. has something to explain. The
Triscornia job was conducted on liberal
principles. Hecker is said not only to
have paid contractors for material fur
nished and used in construction, but for a
large quantity furnished in excess Of any
reason for its being. This surplus mate
rial seems to have disappeared. and Gen.
eral Wood is curious about it. So far the
Triscornia Railway. which could have been
completed for sixty-three thousand dol
lars, has cost the Government about six
nected with its construction and right Of
way have been liquidated, it is estimated
that it will represent public investment
of eight hundred thousand dollars. Who
profited BIZ the robbery?
Perhaps it is>pnly fair to the powers that
be to say they frankly admit that some
indications of q peculiar character have
been encountered by Inspector Colonel Gar
lington in his studies of the Philippine
Customs Service; but the Administration,
apparently on the authority OF General
Otis. is satisfied that nothing worse than
a little bad bookkeeping could be justly
charged against the officials suspected We
are willing to concede the bad bookkeep-
ing, because we have observed that it also
characterized Neely's operations in Cuba.
We are not so sure that the trouble will
be found to end there. On the contrary.
there is too much reason to look for other
things on a wholesale and sensational
scale where the opportunities have been SO
good. and the complaints of merchants and
others in Manila SO persistent and signiG-
cant as they have been for months. Han
naism is a cause which never varies nue..
in results whether the scene of action be
laid in the Antilles or the Islands of the
far Pacific.
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The Hazel Appointment.
When Mr.. Mckinley. no doubt much
against his will, stultified his record, as
a civil service reformer, and his Official