Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-12-07


honest acquisitions, stolen from the
people, and of promptly and duly pun
fishing the offenders. speak in anoth-
er part OF this message of the wide
spread crimes by which the sacred
right of citizenship is falsely asserted
and that "inestimable heritage" per-
verted TO base ends. BY similar means
that is. through frauds, forgeries,
and perjuries, and by shameless brib-
eries-the laws relating to the proper
conduct of the public service in general
and to the due administration of the
postoffice dep ~tment have been motor
! iousIy violate and many indictments
have been found. and the consequent
prosecutions are in course of hearing
or on the eve thereof. For the reasons
thus indicted, and so that the govern
ment may be prepared to enforce
promptly and with the greatest effect
the due penalties for such violations of
law, and to this end may be furnished
with sufficient instrumentalities and
competent legal assistance for the in
designations and trials which will be
necessary at manv different points of
the country. l urge up on the congress
the necessity of making the said APP
preparation available for immediate
use for all such purposes, to be expend-
ed under the direction of the attorney
general.
Need for Treaties Making Bribery Ex-
tradtable
! Steps have been taken by the state
department looking to the making of
bl ibery an extraditable offense with
foreign powers. The need of more
effective treaties covering this crime
is manifest. The exposures AMI pros
ecutions of official corruption in st.
Louis, Mo-. and other cities and states
have resulted in a number Of givers
and takers of brides becoming fugiti te;
in foreign lands. Bribery has not been
included in extradition treaties hereto
| fore, as the necessity for it has not
arisen. while there may have been as
much official corruption in former years
| there has been more developed and
brought to light in the immediate past
than in the preceding century Of our
country's history. 1t should be the
policy of the United States to leave no
place on earth where a corrupt man
| fleeing from this country can rest liz
peace. There is no rea son why bribery
sho"ld not be included in all treaties
as extraditable. The recent amended
treaty with Mexico, whereby this crime
was put in the list of extraditable Of
lenses. has established a salutary pre-
cedent in this regard. Under this trea-
ty the state department has asked,
and Mexico has granted, the extra
dition of one of the ST. Louis bride
givers.
There can be no crime more serious
than bribery. Other offenses violate
one law while corruption strikes at the
foundation of all law. Under our form
of government all authority is vested
in the people and by them delegated TO
those who represent them in official
capacity. There can be no offense
heavier than that of him in whom such
sacred trust has been reposed, who
sells 1t for his own gain and enrich
ment; and no less heavy is the Of
Tense of the bride giver. He is worse
than the thief, for he robs the indi-
vidual, while the corrupt official plum
ders an entire city or state. He is as
wicked as the murderer, for the muir
derer may only take one life against
the law, while the corrupt official and
the man who corrupts the official alike
aim at the assassination of the COM
monwealth itself Government of the
people, by the people, for the people
will perish from the face of the earth
| if bribery is tolerated. The givers and
| takers of brides stand on an evil pre-
eminence of infamy. The exposure and
punishment of public corruption is an
honor to a nation, not disgrace. The
shame lies in liberation, not in correc-
| ton. No city or state, still less the
nation. can be injured by the enforce
ment of law AS long as public plum
derers when detected can find a haven
of refuge in any foreign land and avoid
punishment, just so long encourage
ment is given them to continue their
practices. If we fail to do all that in
us lies to stamp out corruption we can
not escape our share of responsibility
cessful f-government is unf1inching
enforcement of the law and the cut
ting out of corruption
The Alaskan Boundary
For several years past the rapid de-
velopment of Alaska and the establish
ment of growing American interests
in regions heretofore unsurveyed and
imperfectly known brought into promi-
nence the urgent necessity of a prac-
| teal demarcation of the boundaries be-
tween the jurisdictions of the United
States and Great Britain. Although
the treaty of 1926 between Great Bri-
tain and Russia, the provisions of
which We're copied the treaty of 1867,
whereby Russia conveyed Alaska to the
United States. was positive as to the
control first by Russia and later by the
United States, of a strip of territory
along the continental mainland from
the western shore of Portland canal to
Mount st, Elias, following and sur