Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-06-25
DEMOCRATIC LETTER.
THE ADMINISTRATION GIVES
CUBA A LESSON
In the Art of Running Their Postofiee
Department-Syndica of Republican
Politicians Succeed in Stealing Immense
Sum of Postofice Money.
(Washington correspondence J

washington correspondence
One imperial chicken has come home
to roost. An Indiana Republican poll
tician named Neely, from Muncie, a
political pet and protege of First AS
sistant Postmaster General Heath, has
just been arrested for defrauding the
Cuban postal revenues of an enormous
sum of money. Nicely was the finan-
cial agent of the postoffice department
and practically the custodian of the
funds. Present indications point to
fraudulent actions involving probably
not less than S5O0,00O Neely is not
alone. From present indications it is
a safe assertion that probably four
ffths of the principal postal officials
in Cuba are involved in the crime.
Rathbone, the Republican official at
the head of the postal administration
of Cuba, is protege of Mark Hanna.
He had been chief postoffice inspector
in Washington and fourth assistant
postmaster general. The main source
OF fraud was in the sale of several
hundred thousand dollars of stamps
which were ordered destroyed as their
place was to be taken by a new issue.
instead of destroying them Neely and
his confederates issued them and pock-
eted the proceeds. The enormous
shrnkage in Cuban postal revenues
Immediately visible and continuing for
months did not seem to strike any one
connected with the Cuban postal serv-
Ice as at all remarkable. 1t was exact
ly as though a merchant accustomed
to steady volume of business should
be entirely Indifferent when his clerks
and cashier inform him that his cash
receipts have suddenly fallen off over
80 per cent
Rathbone not only passed everything
as all right, but within two weeks pre-
ceding the discovery Of Neely's pecu-
lations made an official report prais-
Ing Neely highly in the most positive
terms. He had, moreover, strenuously
resisted all attempts of General Wood,
who is in supreme command of Cuba
to have anything to do with the post
office department. In fact the discov-
cry of the crime Is due to an army off
Ger who dug beneath the surface. Now
comes the strangest part. First, the
postoffice department in Washington
set up strenuous effort to throw re-
sponsibility on the war department.
Within forty-eight hours this cam
paign was dropped as dangerous and
whole host of postal officials were
rushed off to Cuba to Investigate"
Yet the army officer, Col. Burton, was
even then on his way to Washington
with all the facts and figures in his
possession and evidence enough to
hang the whole criminal outfit. Then
for one brief day was an expression
OF stern determination from the white
house Ito let no guilty man escape"
Then another day passes and word
comes from Havana that there are to
be no more arrests until there is alb
solute certainty of the guilt OF the sus-
pected parties"
The fact is that Mckinley and his
managers are frightened out of their
boots and are trying to cover things
up and limit the punishment to Neely
and some scape-goat who may be will
Ing to be sacrificed for the good of
the party. But 1t is too late; the
country is thoroughly aroused to the
knowledge that it is all a piece of
fraud off the bolt of Imperialism. The
Spaniards were corrupt in Cuba and
the Philippines, where the people were
unable to determine who should be
their rulers. The American officials
sent to Cuba or the Philippines are
going to follow the same rule. AS Lin
coin said, no people are good enough
to be set over another people as their
rulers without their consent. The
Philippines are too far away and the
censor in too thorough control of the
channels of news to permit the facts
to reach the republic, but out of the
millions which have already been
poured into that pestilential hole there
have been few that have not paid
their tribute to corruption. This whole
administration is rotten, and it is only
when some tremendous hue and cry
has arisen from the public that the
thieves have been punished. it took
three years to put in prison Captain
Carter, who helped to rob the treasury
of $2,000,000 on the harbor improve
ments of Savannah. 1t is about time
that the country again raise the Dem
ocratic cry of Turn the rascals out"
Higher Prices Lower Wages.