Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-04-30
SCANDALS In PORTO RICO.
Republican Favoritism In Breeding
Discomfort and n Spirit of Re-
belIion In the Island.

In addition to the gigantic scandal
in the post Office department, which
is seriously gripping its usefulness, in
which the public are so much inter-
ested, the era of loot appears to have
become epidemic and has spread to
our new possessions.
In Manila, smuggling by the quarter
masters, who are in command of the
transports, has been discovered, and in
Porto Rico a number of officers of the
army and navy and some of the high
est civil employees have been convicted
of the same offense. In the latter cases
a serious scandal has been developed
which involves the administration, for
under the instructions of two members
of the cabinet the convicted officers
have been allowed to compromise the
cases against them by paying fines.
This extraordinary favoritism would
proba bly, have never come to public
knowledge if some native Porto Ricans
had not been convicted of similar
crimes, and are now serving long SEN
fences in the penitentiary. The injus-
tice of placing one set of culprits be-
hind the bars and allowing the others
to go free because they have official
influence and were officers of the
United States. created a great sensa-
ton amongst the Porto Ricans. They
had fondly imagined that the laws of
the United States would be strictly en-
forced against all alike, and that the
era of compromising felonies had
passed away with the retirement of
the Spaniards. The friends of the
Porto Ricans who are undergoing con-
finement in the penitentiary for SNUG
Cling are now demanding that they
be pardoned.
A statement issued by the treasury
department says: 1t was directed by
the president that Secretary Moody
and Postmaster General Payne should
investigate the entire subject upon
their arrival at Porto Rico, and that
the cases should be dealt with in ac-
cordance with their recommendation.
"The recommendation was that all
criminal proceedings should be dis
missed and discontinued upon the pay
ment of the civil obligation, as above
stated. In accordance with this recon-
mendation, the attorney general d.
rected the United States attorney for
Porto Rico to dismiss the pending
cases and to present no more cases
to the grand jury until he was other
wise instructed. The cases involve GER
tain officers of the army and navy, and
certain civilian employees Of the gov
eminent of Porto Rico"
This attempt of the administration
to squelch the scandal did not have
the looked-for effect, for a dispatch
from Porto Rico says:
"The grand jury to-day called many
witnesses in the smuggling cases in
which officers of the United States
navy and other prominent men are in
volved, and secured from the court
commissioner who presided at the for
mer hearings, a copy of the testimony
taken.
1.-THE prisoners who are confined in
the penitentiary for smuggling have
presented a petition requesting that
they be pardoned and released unless
others guilty of the same o%ffense are
punished"
The Porto Ricans evidently believe
that what is sauce for the native goose
should be sauce for the United States
gander. but they will find that officia
influence is a powerful lever to protect
the influential criminal, and that those
without such friends must bear the full
brunt of the law.
That four influential members of the
cabinet, at the instance of the presi
dent, should recommend such a per
version of the law is beyond compre
hension, except that believing, as thu
imperialists seem to do, that the gov
erning class have superior rights t.
those of the governed. The least the
attorney general can do now, to show
that favoritism is not the rule, is tc
order the release of the natives ant
that future cases shall be dealt will
according to the strict letter of tn,
law.
This republican favoritism is a breed
er of anarchy and unless at one,
stamped out will lead to a deplorabl,
diminution of respect for law and goot
government.