The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-04-04
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
The Missouri Trust Decision, The
Charges Against Gen. Wood.

their methods ana they are up against
the real thing, The decision of the
Missouri Supreme Court last week has
attracted much attention here in all
circles and has been the subject of dis
cussion as to its probable effect on
trusts. 1t seems to be the consensus. OF
democratic opinion here that while the
Missouri decision shows the n
ness of the den ocTatIc states in the
matter of curbing the trusts, yet nev
furnish the remedy for trust control
and for trust determination. The
members of the Beef Trust will simply
pay their $4,000 fine to the state of
Missouri and proceed to the robbery of
the people as before. The democrats
here feel that the only way to control
a beef combine is to take the tariff off
cattle and then put the clamps down
so that railroad discrimination in
freight rates will be an impossibility
The railroad trust must be killed be-
fore the beef combine or the oil trust
a lot of other trusts can be handled. 1t
is also telt that the democratic conten-
ton in the tariff debate in the next
Congress which is sure TO come, will
be to remov the tariff from those
articles controlled by the trust and not
enter into a general revision of the
tariff which might disturb the business
conditions of the country. OF course,
those tariff schedules will never be
touched so longas there is a %republi.
can congress and a republican admin
istration but if the people see that the
democrats do not intend to tear things
all 10 very smash, but to proceed
co%nservatiyely about this business and
swat only those trusts that are gouging
the people the hardest, there will be
no republican congress and no repub-
licau administration after the 4th of
March, 1905. 1t is felt here that that
Is to be the democratic battle cry in
the next campaign and is going to win.
There is some amazement evinced
here by prominent men in both politi-
cal parties at the SUMMARY manner in
which the Secretary of War dismissed
the charges filed by Estes c. R~athbone,
former Director of Posts in Cuba under
American occupation, against Brig.
Gen. Leonard Wood, the Governor
Genera. of Cuba during the same
period. The general consensus of
opinion here is that General Wood is
the pet of the administration and that
no matter what or by whom charges
are maue against him they will receive
no consideration at the hands of the
president or any member of his
Cabinet. 1t will be remembered that
Rathbone was convicted IN Cuba of
extravaganza and embezziement OF
funds and was sent to prison and that
he was p%ardoned by a proclamation of
general amnesty by the President Of
the Cuban Republic. He came here
and appealed to his good friend Mark
Hanna and sought what he termed 6
vindicstion at the hands OF the Amer.
lean people and asked for an lnvestiga.
ton by a Senate Committee into the
methods by which he said he was rail
roaded to prison. He claimed that he
was unfairly tried and that Governor,
General Wood had SO manipulated
matters in the courts that his convic
ton was inevitable. He also claimed
that there were others equally guilty
and that they should be shown up il
lublE COlOISs ne WIS I6luScu du III
vestigation by the Senate Committee
The administration proved NOR,
potent than Senator Hanna. 1t ha,
no stomach for an investigation tina
would rufle The fine feathers of its pet
General Wood. Failing before th
Senate Rathbone took his case to tn
War Department and there filed hi
specific charges. The Secretary Q
Wal has simply indorsed on the bac
of them that they are without founda
ton, that no answer from Genera
Wood IS necessary and that no actio
Will be taken In the matter. Rath
bone says he will now appeal to III
president and we all know what h
will get there. He will get a swii
swat in the neck and be told to get Of
the earth The people will all agre
that that is a good way to hush up
scandal, but not a good way TO punis