The Sunday globe., 1901-07-28
MAI. E. L. HAWKES.
And the Manila Hemp Company
Monopoly.
A VERY IMPORTANT INTERVIEW
In which il Appears that The Proposal Came
from High Officials Of the United States
Government Through Colonel HsIsiaad 10
Work The Scheme Major Hawkes. Simply
Hired as a Promoter

1t will be remembered that q few
Sundays ago the Sunday Globe had a
full expose of the proposed monopoly
Of the output of hemp in the Philip
pine Islands, in which were interested
many high Government officials, ard OF
which Major e, l.. Hawks was the
promoter. 1t appears we made 2 slight
CD error in favor of the gallant Col
onel Heistand, and did not paint the
thing as black as it really was, as may
be seen from the following interview
with Major Hawks, whom The Globe
accidentally encountered last night,
and greeted thusly:
Hello, Major! How are you?
Where have you been so long?'
81 am all right, but say, that article
in the Sunday Globe last Sunday mis-
represented the facts. | did not orig
mate the hemp scheme nor solicit aid
from any Government official Col, H.,
o. S. Heistand suggested the idea Of
forming a cordage company to manu-
facture rope and cordage at Manila,
p. l., and control the output Of hemp
of the islands, and asked me to organ
ize the company and raise the capital.
After talking the matter over with the
then Major Heistand, 1 agreed to un-
dertake the formation of the company
and raise the several millions required
for the successful launching OF the
scheme. OF course Heistand told me
at the time who was back of the enter
prise, and named AdjutantGeneral
Corbin, Assistant Secretary of War
Meikleiohn, Assistant Secretary of the
A 11aV, AftavpavF. IoV
al James Il. Boyd, and named others,
high and mighty, that would come in
and make themselves useful with their
'huence In fact it was a beautiful
piece Of wordpainting, and with the
prospects Of millions to be made, as
represented by the affable major. l
warmed up to the cause, and promised
all that he required. | admit, though,
If l had been a Government official at
the time | would have given the mat
ter more consideration before going
into it, or, what is more likely, dis
missed the matter with a distinct No.
but as organizing companies and rails.
ing capital for enterprises being in
my line of business, / accepted to do
what any honorable man had a right
to do, viz: organize a company under
the laws of New Jersey and in con.
formity with the laws of the United
States.
The result, however, was bad, as af-
ter spending considerable money and
time AdjutantGeneral Corbin's horse
became frightened and again carried its
rider to the rear and the balance Of
the gang followed suit, when, II the
horse had only gone in the opposi te d.
rectlon fame and fortune would have
been ours, and theme would Row be suf.
ficient rope being manufactured at
Manila to meet the demands caused by
dishonest officials, deserters from our
army, and incidentally a few of the
worst of the insurgents. As TO Corbin
himself it does not seem to make any
difference which way the horse runs,
he lands on his feet and a brilliant
career of promotion still pursues him,
and by the grace of our esteemed Pres.
ident, and on the recommendations Of
our lordly Secretary of War Root all
have escaped punishment but not pro-
motion, except Meiklejohn, who, by the
way, is the best Of the lot In saying
that Meiklejohn is the best in the lot
| do not intend it as a high recon.
mendation.)
BY the way, Mr.. Editor, | do not
quite understand why Col. II. o. S.
Heistand does not come on to Wash
ington and prove his case against his
traducers, who have denied their con-
nection with him in the hemp deal
am inclined to think Colonel Hsi
stands statements were true, and that
he can prove them, otherwise the Sec
retary of War and Adjutant-General
Corbin would insist that he report for
the investigation. Government by the
PeOple--when the people are Mckinley,
Root and Corbin-is a queer institu-
tioR.
Mr. Editor did you ever think Of
or have suggested to you that Hanna
& Co. runs the United States, but our
insulaT possessions are the exclusive
pickings Of the gang controlled by Sec
retary of War Root and our gallant
Adjutant.General, Give him another
horse!' laughingly shouted the major,
as The Globe man turned the corner
in pursuit of a gentleman with whom
we had an appointment.
This interview Of the gallant majors
puts an entirely new phase on this
Manila hemp deal, and leaves no doubt
that high military and civil officers Of
the Government had the thing all map
ped out and matured before Major
Hawks was called in as promoter and
to raise the necessary capital. Nor
will we be surprised when the iRves-
tigation takes place that higher Off
cials than even Heistand or Corbin will
be found to have had a hand in the
formation OF the scheme.
AS Major Hawks shrewdly observes,
if there were none Of these high Off
cials involved even the Presidents
friendship for his former typewriter,
Lieut.. (ColD H. 0. S, Heistand, would
not be permitted to stand in the way of
the trial and dismissal from the mill.
tary service of the United States of
this dsgraced officer II is the GER
tainty or the covert threats from Hei.
stand who is fighting for nis commits
sion, to make a clean breast Of the
whole affair, which has prevented the
Mckinley Administration from bring.
ing him to trial by court martial, and
which has secured Senator Hawley as
chairman Of the Senate subcommittee
to stihe If possible the preliminary in
vestigation.
But this scandal will not down. |
Major Hawks is a fighter, and the Sun |
day Globe will remind the public from /
time to time. and Congress, when h