Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-04-05
MORE CROOKEDNESS.
ANOTHER FORTY THOUSAND
DOLLAR STEAL REPORTED.
What to Do with AsuinaIdo--Thc Cloud that
Hangs Over Cuba-Mr. Mckinley Appoints
Foe to the Civil Service Commissioner
China Trade in Jeopardy-A Tough Nut for
the Sugar Trust to Crack.

the Sugar Trust to Crack.
From our regular correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, March 80, 1901.
More crookedness in Cubal Only a
little matter OF $4,000, but doubt as
to who got it is giving some promi-
nent friends OF the administration a
bad case of shivers. A stakeholder of
the Havana Gaslight Co. has filed
charges saying that person of inhu-
ence had collected $4,000 from that
company for securing so per cent.
reduction in the tariff on crude pe-
troleum used for the manufacture of
illuminating gas. The War Depart
ment is said to be investigating the
charge. There are some sensational
stories going around about this case,
which may or may not be true, and
there are some known facts. About
the first of the present month the
President issued an order reducing
the tariff on crude petroleum, to be
used exclusively for making illumi-
mating gas in Cuba, from $14O per
100 kilos to 70 cents, and the order
was officially promulgated in Havana
on the 18th inst. That order was is.
sued on the recommendation of Gov.
Leonard Wood, endorsed by Secretary
Root. There the known facts end.
Gen. Wood, of course, should be able
in the explanation he has been asked
to make by the War Department to
say why he recommended that reduc-
ton, and the gas company stockhold-
er should be made to tell to whom the
$4,000 was paid. Meanwhile there
are naturally rumors as we'll as fears
that Neeley's stealing of Cuban postal
funds may be petty larceny compared
with other crooked financial work
over there by Americans.
What to do with Aguinaldo, now
that he has been captured, is greatly
puzzling the administration.
Representative Warner, of Illinois,
brought back the gloomiest sort of
budget from his recent visit to Cuba.
For instance, he said: "The Cubans
will sign anything or do anything
just 10 get us away from their property
and when they have the reins in their
own hands you can expect the worst.
From what I could learn they will as
sess everybody with any money and
have q division of the spoils. They
will drive all Spaniards and American
sympathizers from the island and for
brief period revel in loot. Law and
order will become mockery and a
state OF anarchy will reign. Of
course, we must turn the island over,
but it is crime against humanity to
withdraw at this time. When our
troops leave the. island YOU will wit
ness reign of lawlessness that will
startle the world and compel us in the
name OF justice to take matters in our
own hands again."
| There has been so much humbug
about various acts of the Mckinley
administration that it was little diff
ficult for Mr.. Mckinley to do any,
thing in that line striking enough to
cause more than passing comment,
but the bit of humbuggery attached TO
filling the vacancy on the Civil Ser
vice Commission caused by the re-
cent death OF Commissioners Brewer
was corker. Of course, it has long
been made apparent that the professed
admiration for civil service reform BY
the administration was cant and hy-
pocrisy OF the worst sort, but nobody
supposed for an instant that Mr.. Nc
Kinley would appoint Civil Service
Commissioner who had public rec
ord showing him to be in favor OF kill.
ing the Civil Service Commission.
Well, that is precisely what Mr.. Nc
kinley did. Ex-Representative w. A.
Rodenberg. OF East S. Louis, Illinois,
who was this week appointed Civil
Service Commissioner, on the 18th
day of February, 1900. only little
more than year ago, voted, in the
House, against making an appropria.
ton for the Civil Service Commission,
with the full knowledge that the ap.
preparation was to be refused, il the
necessary votes could be secured, for
the purpose Of killing the Civil Ser
vice Commission and the law under
which it acts. Now, Mr.. Rodenberg
isa Civil Service Commissioner and,
unless the Senate should refuse to
confirm his nomination, which is not
likely, will draw So, 500 year salary
and liberal allowance for expenses
during the remainder of the Mckinley
regime; and he has had the nerve to
say in published interview that he
had always been friend of civil ser
vice reform. Such humbug is disgust
ing.
/ While Mr.. Mckinley is racking his
brains to try to satisfy the demands of
the Republican bosses for patronage,
American interests in China are in
fair way to suffer. According to late
advices from Pekin, the other powers
are considering the advisability of
quietly pushing the United States out
OF the Chinese question by ignoring it
in future negotiations. II the United
States should be pushed out of the
Chinese diplomatic door, what would
become OF the "open door" to Ameri-
can trade in China? Mr.. Mckinley
may find the filling of a few Offices
more important question than this is,
but when he hears from the American
people he will discover what mistake
he has made, but unfortunately that
discovery will not restore the Ameri-
can trade with China, which is now,
in. the opinion of those most compe-
tent to judge, in jeopardy.
Representative Stevens, of Mime
sofa, who has recently been in Cuba,
has given the annexation or-bust men
hard nut to crack by calling atten-
ton to the fact that Cuba can produce
sugar at little more than half the
cost OF producing American beet sugar
and for a great deal less than cane
sugar can be produced by our South
ern planters, and that it can produce
enough OF it to supply the market in
this country, which means, in his
opinion, that the annexation of Cuba
would at once kill the entire sugar in.
dustry, both cane and beet, OF this
county, is opposed to either annexa-