Sunday morning globe., 1901-10-13

Major Hawkes. Allegations.
The Hawkes. Heistand investigation which
a subcommittee Of the Senate has been
wrestling with for the past week or two, has
suspended operations for the present Up
TO the entrance into this semi-civil and
military drama Of hemp and things" of
Judge r. J. Mackey the proceedings we're
rather enjoyable than otherwise for the
originator and members Of the Manila
Hemp Company. On Tuesday last, how
ever, Judge Mackey, the distinguished and
well-known lawyer and author of the text
book on Courts Martial and legal defender of
the late General Hazen, appeared for Major
Hawkes.. and in less than an hour the bright
and piquant Cockrell, the solemn and
learned Proctor, and the aggressive Haw-
leyA-the Senatorial nvestigators-found
they had foemau equal to all three Of
them, while Colonel Heistand, Adjutant-
General Corbin, and ex-Assistant Secretary
of War Meiklejohn realized that something
heavy and hot had been handed them indi-
vidually and collectively as it were
The investigation, so far, has established
the fact that Col H. O. S. Heistand origin
ated a company while in the military SER
vice Of the United States lof which be is
stiu gallant officer TO control the
hemp output Of the Philippine Islands,
and that Adiutaut-G General Corbin As
sistant Secretary Of War Nleikleiohn
Assistant Secretary Allen aud Judge Boyd,
of the federal court Of North Carolina, be-
came interested in the scheme and were
more or less active in furthering the inter
ests of the company. Major Hawkes. was
hired as promoter, that is, TO hunt up the
capital 70 Goat the enterprise. After CON
siderable labor and expense Major Hawkes.
had pledges OF $1,000, 600 or over, from
moncyed men here and In New York city.
S Secretary Allehwas the first member Of the
combine to 'nuke" and withdrew Then a
panic seized the other high military and
civil servants drawing fat salaries from the
government, and they attempted to get out
from under the load Colonel Heistaud re-
ceived an assignment to the Paris Exposi-
ton, Allen was made governor of Porto
Rico. Boyd was elevated to the federal
bench, Meiklejohn was "heeled" for United
States Senator and Corbin was permitted
TO "boss" Miles the general of the army.
Major Hawkes. got an appointment too! He
was sent TO Manila by Meiklejohu, but be-
fore he reached the island Secretary of War
Root revoked his commission, at the in
stance. it is alleged of Eddy & Co., Of New
York, who were in the Manila hemp bust.
ness themselves and wanted no rival concern
backed by the federal government I'm
Judge MacSeys remarks before the Sen
atorial investigating committee Tuesday last
he indirectly charged that Secretary Root
was interested in the Eddy & Co. concern,
as the legal counsel of the firm, and hence
the revocation of the Hawkes. commission.
The object our readers will perceive, of
this Senatorial investigation is TO develop
auv culpablity of the civil and military
officers of the government in organizing a
company 10 monopolize this hemp output
and use the powers of the federal govern
ment lits military ARM in the Philippines
to ruin or destroy all competition.
It will, of course, be a question for a
court-martal determine whether Heistand
and Corbin have been guilty Of violation of
any of the Articles of War.
And we understand that this investigation
will determine whether sufficient grounds
exist to try the officers named by court-mar-
tal Al least ON the committees findings
will depend all future proceedings Of this
character The testimony so far elected
shows that the allegations of Major Hawkes.
were true in so far as the formation Of the
company and its intentions. The details
and other triAing or rather irrelevant mat
ters which subsequently, developed touch
ing Hawkes. relation to Heistand, to Cor
bin and to Meiklcjohn and their relation to
him have consumed much Of the time de-
voted by the committee TO the investigation
of the ground or fundamental fact that the
company was originated by Col. Heistaud
and that Adjt Gen Corbin and Mr. Meikle-
john were members Of it. The further
fact that General Otis, the commander and
absolute ruler Of the Philippines, lent his
services TO the gigantic scheme has been
established by the production of the tele-
graphic correspondence between the Cen
eral aud Col. Heistand and for which the
government paid,
Now il appears that Col Heistand thought
as a military officer in the service of the
United States he had a perfect right TO en-.
gage in a mercantile enterprise and not
only in an ordinary undertaking but in a
gigantic monopoly in a distant colony con-
trolled and governed by the military arm
of the government. He consulted Gen.
Corbin on the matter and the Adjutant Cen
eral Of the Army--of the very military arm
governing the colony-told him II was all
right and he, too, joined the enterprise.
Then the Adjutant General of the Army and
a Lieutenant Colonel of the Army consulted
the Assistant Secretary of War and he
(Nieiklejohn) saw nothing wrong in the
scheme, on the contrary he regarded il as a
good thing; and he, too, joined the com
pany. Then the Assistant Secretary of War,
the Adjutant General of the Army and the
Lieutenant Colonel consulted Assistant Sec.
retary Of State Allen and he, too, saw moth
ing wrong and agreed to take stock Then
the Adjutant General of the Army, the
Assistant Secretary of War the Lieutenant
Colonel and the Assistant Secretary Of State
consulted the Attorney General Boyd and
he, likewise, joined the caravan and with
General Otis, commander In the Philip
pines to look out for a building site for the
factory the thing was complete.
Werespecfullya ask any capitalism Wash .
ington il approached TO take stock in such
a concern and having knowledge of the
facts here recited, If he would need 20 be iu.
formed that the controlling power of the
federal government In the Philippine
Islands was not this Manila Company and
that all other concerns were base limitations