Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1903-07-17
Washing ton letter

Mashin0to Letter
SIS July IA A1though Seer. tarv Root I
Of the War De partment. has temper
arily side tracked the opium business
in the Philippines II order TO- get the
people to quit thinking about It, It
undoubtedly Is the intention Of the
American administration to establish
an opium monopoly in those islands.
When it does 1t will receive q rake-of
amounting to one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars per annum. This
sort of monopoly should work won:
ders in the archipelago. The merits
OF opium az . Christianizing and
civilizing agency are we'll established.
Perhaps, the Government obtains
valuable pointers from Downing Street
in regard to the advantages Of an
opium monopoly.
The British have done lucrative
and flour ishing business in opium
ever since they introduced 1t in China.
Considering the splendid effect which
the dope has produced in the Celestial
regions, Taft's Government has every
reason to be exuberantly optimistic
about the consequences to follow the
setting up of an opium monopoly in
the Philippine Islands. - The dope
should prove more ef6cacious than
Bibles and guns.
Notwithstanding the act that the
Postofice Department investi CATION
afforded President Roosevelt fine
opportunity to ''make good" in a
manner most pleasing to his country
men, he has neglected the opportunity,
has gone to his summer home and left
BEND him orders that the "gag rule''
must be endorsed, no news given out
and the investigation practically
abandoned. The disclosures 90 far
made leave no doubt in an intelligent
mind that the investigation has only
begun-that "worse remains behind.
The greedy fangs of corruption have
fastened themselves upon every branch
of the postal service. Mr.. Bristow's
report gives substantial proof of
shameless trafticklng in Offices, graft
ing in almost every bureau. of bold
and brazen defiance of all civil SER
vice rules, and Of the damnably per-
nicious influence of party considera-
tion in the administration Of one of
the greatest departments. of the
Government.
One of the results of the investi-
cation is the discovery that four
states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Iowa have been especially favored in
the distribution of rural>mail routes.
AS three of these are pivotal states
in national elections, the reason of
this favortism is perfectly obvious. If
Mr.. Payne is really i'll, he cannot be
blamed for it. A national scandal of
this kind is enough to make any body
sick. In it's purely moral aspect, it
bears striking close resemblance to
the Panama affair in France, which,
in it's course, besmirched the reputa-
tion Of almost every leading politician.
The Posto6ace department has become
absolutely rotten. Every branch Of
the service needs reform and lots of
it. It is the Presidents duty to
leave nothing undone to bring every
culprit to justice. The scandal is no
longer matter Of lurking suspicion.
It has advanced into the indestruct-
ible realm Of facts. This being the
case every political CRATER, blood
sucker and briber should be hunted
down and held up for public condem.
nation. The national administration
which happens to be republican has
reached point where retreat Is no
longer possible. It must, nolens
volens, go ahead. honestly and fear
lessly or take the consequences. Does
the latest step look as If they were
going to do this thing? Does it look
as if the people of this country are
going to get the facts Of this matter
when the "gag rule" ia applied to the
officers of the department and no
action taken in the cases of men al
ready indicted of heinous offenses?
The people will never know the ex-
tent Of rottenness oil the Postofice de-
partment until there is change in
national administration. A congress
sional investigation by q partisan re-
publican majority will only smother
things. How long will the people
stand it.
WATER TALK.