The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-04-25
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Northern Securities Compatiy Mer-'
ger Case-Rottenness in the Vari-
GUS Departments of Government.
Correspondence of the Democratic Advocated

WASHINGTON, D. c. April %, 1903.
The Republican press and partisans are
making a great ado over the recent decision
of the United States Circuit Court on the
Northern securities merger case which DIS
solved that great railroad combine and gave
some vitality and force to the Sherman anti
trust law. They are pointing to this decision
as a great triumph of this Republican admin
istration, and claim that the party is making
good all its promises to fight the trusts of the
country 1t would be interesting for some OF
these Republican claquers to point out to an
expectaut people the tangible gam to the pub
lie of this decision. In the final test the gu
preme Court may reverse the decision OF the
lower court, but even in case IT atfirms 1t where
is the benefit to the people who travel over
the roads in question or use them Tor the
transportation Of their goods? The intention
of the government in insututing this suit was
to abolish a merger of competing lines OF
railroads and thus prevent rates being raised
beyond a reasonable figure. Under the terms
of the decision the stock of the Great North
erp. Northern Pacific and Burlington rail
roads will be returned by the merger company
to their original owners, and tins will sun
leave the roads IN the control OF Mr.. Hill and
Mr. Morgan and their friends, and 1t is GER
tain that they will agree to maintain the pres
ent rates. merger or no merger The truth of
the matter is that the combine took place sew
er,l wears ago when Mr.. Hill and his friends
obtained control of the stock OF the Northern
Pacific aud the merger company WAS organ
ized simply TO Cinch the combine and prevent
any one from bursting it by a bold move IN
Wall Street in getting hold OF majority oil
the stock in any one OF the roads. ne enure
interest of the people of the states through
Il Il tha ffah .
ness of passenger and freight rates, aud is not
finally affected by the merger decision. 1t
still rests with the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, as it has for years before. IL Is use
less. therefore, to- make the people who are
the customers OF above railroads believe that
lhey have gained n great victory, when IN tact
they gained nothing.
Some OF the roGtenness of the Republican
administration ct the Post Office Department
Is At last coming to light. The investigation
has only Just begun. but il has gone far enough
to let as see that this ~ill be the biggest scan
DIAL ever unearthed in auy department of the
NATIONAL government until the Democrats &c,
Ia control aud take look at the books Ia the
War aud Navy departments. and the things
thut we're done there during the war With
Spain IN connection with the purchase OF snp-
plies for the army aud the purchase Of vessels
Tor Golfers aud for the transportation of
troops When this investigation into the do
lrgs Of several bureaus Of the Post Ofice De
partment was ordered 10y the Postmaster Gen.
erai he did not expect 10 hnd anything worse
than \ few irregularities, and which could BE-
easily remedied but be comes back here from
a pleasure trip and hnds an enormous scandal
being turned up 70 the gaze Of the public. apd
be- Is badly scared. he talks very bsAvely
about continuing the investigation and aiio~-
ing no guilty man to escape. bat be would be
glad 10 sba, il Of right to~. II be does uet
and goes the fall liant, then we may expect 10
see some Of the pets OF the administration
wearing strlpes- Tbs game Of graft and pee
ulaliou has been gulag an Tor several years
When senator Hanna iHAuzuratcd the uost
stupeudOus campaign Of bribery and eorrsp-
ton ia lss5 ever before attempted. one 81
his ususi ACTIVE licalenABls ass Perry heBih-
He 4as rewarded for his peculiar services by
being appointed First Assistant Postmaster
General. tie. ia turn. selected others ~ho
had been active 10 the dsbzsch Of ths voters,
amongst whom we're Nicely And RAihboae.
who we're sent 10 Cuba snd werr eoav1cicd %
rohbiag the government there 81 thoasaGds 81
dollars. The same game VAS inzagursied
here Only IN different ways, and - that y
cnuid h. covered Up fl1y longer iigss Al
money out OF Eoverumral JOBS held by ervtsta
people. Two Of these people have already
b~ea forced 10 reslga. va. ASSISTANT Aispf
ury General Tyuer. ~ho had charge Of he
a. department II the Posi- Oaic Department.
and Mr. Beavers. superintendent Of ihr salary
and allowances diytsiuu. II vas discovered
that Tyusr had been rendering deC's'oHs tbs,
gave ihr eeg-Fich qusck ssIndisng csacvTus u
tho eounTry The beuehl Of the use Of The m4lls
IA order 10 rob The people Of the cnastrY.
We DO not yet know al that Beavers hss bern
doing. bur 80 do kuow that be toi oas A. sssoa
as the ire Vas started 10 bis rear. II IS BE-
lievci thai Que 81 the charges against hia wlls
be that be sas Al the head Of syndicate tia;
~as selling Increases Ia sAiastea- hhsn fnAa
designated - entiiIrd 90 as increase IN hts
salary vas sent ih 60 Beavers l. charged
laaI he 49, uoiihei thai be mast P.aas 4oaH
not iy=s. thAa SIS os sAe .ncrsasr do uU' a..
Ne ali klu~ that Beavers lately busli a rces
deuCc ia toe cav BruokiyB tbas cost not isss
than sS5 go. and On a salary u 81. 80 yeas.
Osher shibgs are now eoa,iag to Asst Fine
furniture Eas allowed ur sometimes tsFcri on
postmaster. ell over the couarEy, and ali Of Is
uia1e by orr s0nc~rn. lype~rl',rg machines
have been distributed iarlshly. and ali ~ hes
u tbs same make Fhe oId fashioned good
iroH Bsil boxes Wrre snppAhied ~ shrei iFuu
boxes. aud AL OF thea painted alike ana NTH
the sane hrms paint, sod painted By men
seat oul iFoIs The department ~hen II rnaid
have been done E4ach cheaper a. home b.
some hfm Ia the city where the pAinuug Nss
done. The farmers along the rural FIRE De
livery routes werr not aiiosrd 10 furnish their
owu boxes. bat werc compelled 90 pas Tor The
kind of Jox prescribed Aad seat Oat by the
superintendent u the free delivery service
Whenever a new rural free delivery guass was
10 be iuagssrAied some arm that furnished
wagons and other things 10 the department ~
to the carriers Vas Elvea the tip sod got iato
the game before auy other firm kacw anylhiag
about u. And out OF this comes good graf
for the mru behind the scenes. The chances
are that the thing wijl be 80 stupeadous that
the Republican party sil refuse allo~ the
facts 10 be given 10 the public, and the people
will know nothing Of u aniil Democratic
CongreS, compels publicity, The people car
get the facts about hos many thousands ~
dollars have been wasted aud stolen from ihem
only by sleeting a Democratic Congress.
Whenever the people Of this country elect
DemocrlAlie Congress and Democratic al
mlnistraiion there will come forth revelations
of rotienness and corruption in the depsFt
mehts Of this government that will stzgscr the
nation. The truth is that every department,
Of this government in this city is honey
combed with rottenuess and all Of 1t has
grown up since Mckinley vas iHAugurated in
1897 The Post Office Department seems TO
have been conducted b. aud ia the interest Of
the grafiers, the Treasury Department IN the
interest OF Wall Street, the Navy Department
in the interest of The Steel Trust, &c War
Department ia the interest of General Wood,
the Interior Department IN the interest Of the
Glass Trust, that wants to grab the gilsonte
beds in the Uneompagre Ute Indian reserva
ton, and the Department of Justice in the
interest of the trusts in general. The new
Department Of Commerce aud Labor has not
got into the game.
This administration is hitting the Civil Ser
vice with an axe The Washington Post IS
for the statement that, "siuce Pres
ideut Roosevelt came into Office large por-
ton of the important offices in the United
States Treasury Department have been filed
with new men, or will be filled before long
while. Something like clean sweep has
been gradually put into effect, but II has been
done quietly, aud as n rule with little pub
hcity" Thai is pretty serious charge for a
newspaper with strong Republican leanings
to make against the President, who boasts OF
his Civil Service Reform antecedents and who
was supposed to be still an ardent disciple of
the same cult.
1t is also stated that more pOstmasiers have
been removed aud appointed during the last
two wears than ever before in the history of
the department The fact is, the President
is building up his own little machine and he
is going after that nomination without losing