Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-11-12
IRONTON, THURSDAY.
Our Washington Correspondence.

the gigantic and unheard-of frauds
that have been perpetrated since
its advent to power, and also for
the slight efforts made to expose
them and punish the offenders.
A few of the smaller fry in the post
Office scandal have been indicted
and few have been tried, but not
convicted, as the evidence adduced
by the government attorneys was
not sufficient to convince a jury OF
their guilt. The delay in investi-
eating these scandals has been a
boon to most of the greater Offend
ers, for that convenient law, the
statute of limitations, has run its
course and the time had expired in
which they could be indicted.
That the statute of limitations
covers a number of these questions
is denied by eminent lawyers, but
the Republican Attorney General
| has decided that it does, and there
is no way of bringing the culprits
to trial, if the law officer of the
government refuses to act. AS
hitherto mentioned in this corre-
spondence, one of the principal
participants in the leniency of this
accommodating statute is Repre-
sentative Littauer, who, President
Roosevelt described as "his per-
sonal friend and closest political
advisor" Littauer was charged
with sharing in the profits of a large
army glove contract, and that he
had used his position as member
of Congress to obtain the contract,
Notwithstanding the provision of
the law that no official should be
interested in any such deal. When
referred to the Republican Attor-
ney General, he promptly decided
that Mr.. Littauer could not be
prosecuted, as the statute of limi-
tations had run it's course, so the
"closest political advisor" of the
President escaped the humiliation
of trial and possible conviction.
Fraud and graft is getting mighty
close to the White House when the
statute of limitations has to be
pleaded for the personal friend"
of the present occupant.
The post-office frauds are not
the only ones that are causing
sleepless nights and bad half
hours to many political patriots.
Evidence is accumulating that
huge land frauds amounting in
value to $40, 100000 have been dis
covered and that six United States
Senators, several Representatives
and numerous government officials
are mentioned in connection with
the frauds, though Secretary Hitch
cock, of the Interior Department,
is continuously entering strenuous
denials. The frauds in connection
with the Indian lands now being
investigated, has only just begun,
and rumors of other frauds in other
departments are filling the air at
Washington. This delay in ex-
posing what has already been dis
covered may, as in the post-office
scandal, be made for the purpose
of allowing the statute of limita-
tions to get in it's work and permit
other Republican patriots to escape
the tolls of the law.
The Republican organs of the
country have been beating the
tomtoms and sounding the hew-
gags about sour matchless diplo-
macy" that succeed in obtaining
from China two "open ports" in
Manchuria. One of these "ports'
is named in the treaty as Mukden,
and probably the people of the
United States would have gone on
believing that our increasing trade
was flowing through that open
door if Russia had not objected tc
our having anything to do with
that country. Our Navy Depart
ment thereupon decided that in the
event of trouble between Russia
and Japan, the Asiatic squadron
under Admiral Evans should be
divided and ordered to each of the
"treaty ports" This decision o.
our Naval Board of Strategy free
the hearts of all our old salts who
gather at the Army and Navy Club
and they were anxious for scrar
with anyone. A young clerk a.
the Navy Department, however
has upset the plans of these war.
riors in buckram by reading 6
I book just published by an Ameri.
can traveller named Shoemaker
who describes his journey from
Moscow to Port Arthur, in which
he tells that Mukden is an interior
"A IT, -.,