Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-07-04
Platform.
STAR CHAMBER PROCEEDINGS.

Postmaster-General Payne has
issued orders to his subordinates to
give oat no information regarding the
investigation of the post Office frauds.
He seems to think that it is mono of the
public's business to know what is
going on in the department. A Wash
ington correspondent to republican
daily thus comments on the order:
GAIL information which the public
received hereafter he also directed
must come from himself, and as he is
to be away for an indefinite period,
that is the notice from Mr.. Payne that
the investigation is to be 'smothered'
and star chamber proceedings sub
stituted.
Mr.. Payne has attempted various
other devices to stifle the agitation
caused by the disclosures which have
come in the postal scandals. Now he
is determined, apparently, that all
source of news and discussions shall
be cut off, and only official denials of
whatever is published issued at his
personal direction.
This may seem strange to people
who are not acquainted with the fact
that Payne obtained his present
position solely on account of his skill
as practical politician. At the time
of his appointment it was generally
stated by the press that he was put
there to attend to the political
machine and counteract the supposed
Vaccinations of Hanna to get control
of the next national invention OF the
republican party. The only thing
known Of Payne up to that time was
that he was the smoothest politician in
Wisconsin. That appointment was
perhaps the most serious mistake
made by Roosevelt. He would have
done far better to trust his case with
the people, and get a good business
man to attend to such an important
business position as that now occupied
by Payne.
Payne has one standard of measure
to apply to every act-what it will do
for the party. Being accustomed to
handle political workers, he has for
gotten the people, and only cares to
know how any measure effects the
ardor of the political workers. Hence
he feels the necessity of shielding the
politicians who have gotten themselves
into trouble, and has thrown his in
fuence against the investigators in
many ways. He ridiculed the charges
at first. Finding that this would not
do, he now wants to keep the know
ledge of what is done away from the
public.
This course cannot but hurt the
administration. The people know
now to want to hear the whole
story. There ought to be no politics
in it. The republican party would
lose nothing by going to the bottom
of the matter and giving just punish
ment to every guilty man, even if
every one of them happened to be a
The average man knows
that there is nothing in political
affiliations to make q man either
honest or dishonest. Rascals will
find their way to the front in the party
in power, because that is the only
party they Lave any use for. Only
by shielding such raseals can the
party be made responsible for their
misdeeds. Payne is doing everything
he can to put tie republican party in
such q position that it will be held
responsible for the scandal in the
postofice department. If Roosevelt
should remove him and put in a man
who would probe the thing to the
bottom he would do more to help the
party than all the shielded political
workers can do by their skillful ma.
nipualtions.
The Budgets Of Two Nations.
Sir Michael Hicks Beach has sound
= y IL