Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-30
CUBAN POSTAL FRAUD
ADMINISTRATION PET CHARGED
WITH ENLIGHTENMENT.

With ENCOURAGEMENT
Protege of the Mark Hanna Regime
SAID to Have Stolen Thousands
Even Providence Will Not Now Save
Mckinley from the Wrath to Come.
Washington correspondence;
1t will take Il more direct act of Prov
idence than any yet youchsafed to save
Mckinley and his policy of imperial
ism from disastrous overthrow next
November. Mckinley has repeatedly
declared that Providence threw the
Philippines and Porto Rico into his
lap. Bryan has aptly remarked that
he gravely doubted II Providence would
| select Mark Hanna either rs its mouth
piece or instrument. So. too. there
may be grave question as. to whether
Providence had anything to do with
the selection of various Republicans for
official position who are said to have
robbed the Cuban revenues of sew
eral hundred thousand dollars. Per.
haps Providence did have hand in
their selection, but If so 1t was for the
purpose of giving the people of this
country an object lession in imperial
ism, and not to save Mckinley from
the wrath to come.
An Indiana Republican newspaper
politician named Nicely, particular
| friend of First Assistant Postmaster
General Heath. was made financial
agent of the postal system in Cuba. He
selected him and ut Hanna's instiga-
ton selected another man named
| Rathbone for the head of that postal
| system. Rathbone had been formerly
chief of the postoffice inspectors, and
later Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral. He had full knowledge of all the
tricks and turns and devices of postal
| thieves and rascals in and out of the
service.
Yet right under Mr.. Rathbone's nose
Nicely, 1t is alleged, takes some $4,000
worth of stamps which should have
been destroyed sells them to the Gu
ban postmasters and, it is claimed
turns the proceeds to the benefit of him
self and fellows. Nicely has been ar.
rested, but on the face of things the
whole postal system in Cuba is honey
combed with rascality to m extent
which must make the Spaniards en-
vions Of the superiority of American
methods of stealing. This is one of the
earliest fruits of Imperialism. Fortu-
| nately it Is near enough to home to
attract attention.
In the Philippines frauds of the gross
est character are rumored The Gus
tom houses are hot beds of corruption
and scandal, the civil features of the
military control contain dozen chan
nels Of corruption. But it is all so far
away and so carefully concealed by
censorship and the collision of inter
ested parties that the country hears
but little about It, Millions on mill
lions of dollars will be discovered to
have paid tribute to the opportunities
of stealing which exist on every hand.
The people of the United States are
paying dearly enough for their object
lessons in Imperialism.
But the lessons will be cheaply
bought If the people can be brought to
see that the looting which is going on
in the new possessions is but a small
fraction of the footing which is being
put through under the guise of law Mt
home.
Mark Hanna stands for the Ship Sub
sidy bill, which proposes to take $1O,-
100000 annually from the treasury and
bestow it on some half-dozen million
aire ship-owning lines, of which the
Standard OIL Company will be the
principal beneficiary. Every shipyard
in the country is to-day crowded with
NIL the work 1t can handle, and vet
these selfish interests have the audac-
ity to come before Congress and ask
for aid in building ships. The Stand
ard OIL Company, which declares $780,
100000 of dividends this year on a
capital of $10O00O,OOO, dares to come
to Congress and ask that the widow
who pays 10 cents n pound duty on tea
shall contribute with every other man,
woman and child in the United States
who drinks tea to increase those div
idends. And yet the Standard Oil Com
pany is not Illogical. 1t is permitted
to increase the price of kerosene oil
3 cents gallon to every one i'll the
United States who uses oil. by being
permitted to continue its illegal eXac-
tons as trust. What then Is there
unreasonable in she idea that Congress
should pass law giving it several
million dollars to build ships?
Imperialism at Home.
Sympathetic people may feel some
distress of mind because our soldiers
in the Philippines are every week
shooting down some hundreds of Fill.
ipinos. But 1t is quite as important
that the public should be aware that in
Shoshone County, Idaho, United States
troops have been used to overawe a
whole county, to aid in capturing and
combining hundreds of men who have
committed no offense whatever against
the law and have been guilty of nc
crime save membership in n miners
union. Yet such is the case, and, even
worse men have not been permitted tC
seek work in that county unless they
would first sign an application for a
permit to seek work in which they
would declare that they We're not mem
bers of this miners union and believed
1t to be criminal organization. Thai
is what is happening to-day in Il SOW
ereign State in this free and glorious
republic. Imperialism in the Philip
pines distresses n great many people
but how about imperialism in the
United States?
Mckinley clings to his idols. After
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, giving ii
fact greater power to Great Britain
over the Nicaragua canal than would
be possessed by the United States
which is to build it. was side-tracked ii
the Senate by an amendment material
ly changing the treaty, it was though
that the almost unanimous public senti
ment in this country against McKi,a
ley's marked subservience. to Grea
Britain would lead to withdrawal Of