The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-07-14
MORE REPUBLICAN, CORRUPTION SHOWN.
EFaud rs Rampant in Military Control
OF Cuba - Senator Lodges Pro-
British snnFl al Germany-senatOF
Davis silence-OpPOsttiOn t. the
ship Subsidy Bill.
Tspeelal Corregpondence.l

system OF GuDa was one OF mark hanna 8
| political henchmen. Nicely, the financial
| agent of the Cuban postal service, who
was apprehended and is under bonds,
was a political friend and protege of
the first assistant postmaster general.
He comes from Indiana, where, in the
city of Muncie, he used TO own a daily
newspaper, which he sold to Perry
Heath's brother. When arrested in
New York it was Perry Heath's broth
er's bank, the present custodian Of
postal funds, which furnished Nicely
with the $4,000 cash bail on which he
was released.
The known defaIcation is already
over 100000. The indications are that
it will amount to half a million and in
volve every prominent official ofthe Gu
ban postal service. RathbOne, the head
of the service, is to be suspended for not
detecting the crime. It surpasses hui
man understanding that Rathbone
himself is not accused of completely.
The evidences of corruption were so
fagTantly visible that a blind man
could have seen them. It is a nasty
mess, but exactly what might have
been expected under the circum-
stances. There are a dozen other cases
as bad as this which have so far been
successfully covered up.
Military Corruption.
Cuba is supposedly under the mill
itary control of the United States.
There is a branch of the army known
as the inspector generals service. This
branch has for its duty the investiga-
ton of accounts, the examination of
work done and supplies purchased, the
scrutiny of military posts and similar
work. It is the official critic of the
whole military branch of the govern
ment, and has for generations consid-
cred it a matter of pride and honor to
do good work. Very few scandals have
ever been charged up to the inspectors
service and nine out of ten frauds in
the army have been discovered by the
inspector generals Office.
When the Spanish war broke out and
it became necessary ia give political
protection to every scalawag and
crooked contractor, big and little, who
had any claim on the Mckinley admin
istration, it was found necessary to
blindfold, handcuf and hobble the IN
spector generals office. This was done
through the machinery of the adiutant
generals Office, which ordered nearly
all the inspection officers to line duty
in the field, thus preventing the inspec-
ton work from being done, and then
compelling the few remaining reports
to be made to come directly to the adj
jutant general instead of to their prop
er head, the inspector general
The expected result was obtained.
Inspection practically ceased, and
fraud has run rampant in the army to
the present day.
The officers of the United States
army are as a class high-minded and
honorable men. It is seldom that a
scandal involving their financial integ-
rity with government funds arises.
But the contractors of every descrip-
ton who have dealings with the army
need to be watched with an eagles
eye. The treasury has been swindled
of millions of dollars during the last
two years through army and navy
frauds, particularly in the army. The
inspection service has been hampered
in such a ann as TO make these
frauds easy of perpetration. Mckinley
irresponsible and the people have found
him out.
A ~PrO-BrItish snarI.
It is significant that Senator Lodge
makes his swashbuckling attack on
Germany hardly three days after Lord
Salisbury made his ill-timed speech in
the same direction. 1t is well known
in international affairs that Germany
has no intention of interfering in the
affairs of this hemisphere. There are
100000 Germans in Brazil. There are
o than 100000 Germans in the
United States. The German-Americans
have supported the republican party
az a rule to such an extent that with
out them the republicans could not
rave carried a presidential election in
20 years. Trusts, ~militarism, imperial
ism and the prO-British attitude of the
administration have driven them from
the republican party. just why Lodge
should have chosen this inauspicioug
occasion to further offend the German
Americans goes beyond understanding.
Lodge is a man of great learning and
little judgment, He is ambitious to be
considered the foremost statesman in
the senate. But his ablest efforts
seem s~ophomorical beside the pro-
found learning of Senator Hoar, while
Senator Davis, of Minnesota, chairman
OF the foreign relations committee, is
an intellectual giant beside him.
Senator Davis has been singularly si-
lent since be cast his vote in opposition
to the Porto Rican tariff infamy. He
IS known to be in open opposition to
Mckinley on nearly every proposition
of Importance relating to international
affairs. He opposed any compromise
on the Alaska panhandle and was per-
sonally responsible for the amendment
to the Hay-Paunceiote treaty secur-
ing to the UaitsA States full right to