The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-05-24
The Adninistration Defence

Not many days ago the Administration
laid its red right hand upon its honest
heart and declared that the Cuban carpet
bag scandal did not amount to much; that
thiTty-siX thousand dollars would cover the
stealings, and that IL was a matter which
did not involve the ability or integrity of
more than two or three OF Rathbcne's pos
tai uuderstudiss. Today it is tacitly ad-
mitted by Federal officials that the loot OF
the public revenues and property aggre-
gates at least half a million dollars.
Neely's shortage. on account OF money di-
ve-ted from the till. will probably reach
one hundred thousand. and his sales
Of condemned stamps. which he and his
corfederates pretended to destroy. it is
thought, will amount to four hundred thou
sand more
In stating these conclusions OF the OIL
GERS who are investigating the crime and
prosecuting the criminals We are guilty
under the diCtum of Senator Plat of Con-
necticGt in the Senate yesterday. of firing
the mud artillery Of the press" Be it So
The mud. and the charges and Illuminating
caps with which to load and fire the guns
OF publicity, have been literally furnished
by an Administration whose moral stock
in trade has always consisted solely of such
projectiles and powder; the latter not Of
the smokeless. but OF the Sampson dark
brown and black varieties.
Plat means well toward the Admins
tration and the noble array OF trust ex-
ploiters smugglers. looters. and thieves.
both great and small, who rally round its
flag But Plat is not built to be a sue
cessful apolOgist. There is a note both
discordant and comic in his praise. upon
the floor Of the Senate. of Detective Rath-
bone, Of Columbus fame, and OF Heath's
perfectly good little man and former assO-
ciate, Nicely, who has gone wrong When
Platt eulogized Rathbone and turned a
meaning nutmeg eye on Hanna for comfort
and approval he undoubtedly got it in the
virtuous glow that suffused the speaking
countenance of that Ohio cherub But
he did not impress other Senators nor the
country with any feeling that he would
like 10 have explained in appropriate,
though perhaps profane, English.
Another trouble with Plat of Connec-
ticut is a difident respect for facts which
often keeps him at a distance from them.
In his vicarious attitude as a Hanna tele-
phone yesterday he ventured 10 declare
that the Hecker six-mile switch at Havana
only cost two hundred and eleven thousand
dollars The Assistant Secretary of War,
Mr.. Meiklej0hn. had previously informed
the Senate that it cost hree hundred and
fOTty-twO thousand dollars; emitting. how
ever, to report that two hundred thou
sand dollars additional had been pad for
right OF way. and that at least an equal
sum would still have to be disbursed on
the same account. The right OF way in
question is through a valueIess stretch OF
marsh, which the benefciaries Of the deal
doubtless acquired from the original own
ers for hundred dollars or SO. So we see
that the railway link which Mr.. Plat in
sists only cost the Government two hun
dTed and eleven thousand dollars actually
did or viii cost it seven hundred and forty
two thousand dollars, or nearly one hun
dred and twenty-four Thousand dollars a
mile. Competent engineers are reported
as asserting that the whole line could have
been completed, including purchase of
right of way. for the net sum of sixty-three
thousand dollars.
Administration defences like Platt's. in
cases like this, are more damaging than
the truth, which is bad enough. At the
risk Of being accused of singing some of
the mud " the Tricornia marsh through
which the Hecker Railway was construct
ed, as he Knows so much about conditions
in Cuba. We should like Plat TO enligften
the country upon the question of who got
the money out of this barefaced exploit of
jobbery and robbery
When mans pocket has been picked.
its contents may be gone forever, but
there is always a sad satisfaction in iden
tifying the thief The same principle ap-
plies to a class Of people who. while they
may not be dishonest in a statutory sense.
apply to their opportunities what that
knightly captain of industry Mark Hanna
might call. sound business methods"
For example, il would be both gratifying
and instructive 20 the public 20 know how
rtseh truth there is in the reports that
North American Trust Company shares
have been given away to Army officers and
civil servants in Cuba. and to prominent