Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-12-10

are OF may become Injurious to the pub
lie. recommended a special appropria-
ton for the better enforcement of the
antt>trust law as 1t now stands. to be
expended under the direction of the At
torney-General. Accordingly (by the leg
iSlative. executive, and judicial appro-
priation act of February Is, 1868. 30
Stat, S54, soD the Congress appropriated.
for the purpose of enforcing the various
Federal trust and interstate-commerce
laws. the sum of five hundred thousand
dollars. to be expended Under the direc-
ton of the AttorneyGeneral in the en-
ployment of special counsel and agents
in the Department of Justice to conduct
proceedings and prosecutions under said
laws in the courts of the United States.
l now recommend, as matter of the ut
most Importance and urgency, the extern
sion of the purposes of this appropr,a-
ton. that it may be available, under
The direction of the Attorney-General and
until used, for the due enforcement of
the laws OF tho Uiilted States in general
and especially Of the civil and criminal
laws relating to public lands and the laws
relating to postal crimes and offenses and
the subject of naturalization. Recent in
vestigations have shown deplorable
state of affairs in these three matters of
vital concern. By various frauds and
by forgeries and perjuries, thousands of
acres of the public domain. embracing
lands of different character and extend
ing through various sections of the coun-
try. have been dishonesty acquired. 1t
is hardly necessary to urge the import
ance of recovering these dishonest acqui-
sitions. stolen from the people. and OF
promptly and duly Furnishing the Of
tenders,
Postal Frauds.
/ speak in another part of this message
of the widespread crimes by which the
sacred right of citizenship falsely as
serted and that ''inestima BILE heritage"
TOD ~t- fIr-r
that is, through frauds. forgeries, and
perjuries. and by shameless briberies-
the laws relating to this proper cenduct
of the public service in general and to
the due administration Of the Postofflce
department have been VIGOROUSLY vio-
found. and the consequent prosecutions
are in course of hearing or on the eve
| thereof. For the reasons thus indicated.
and so that the Government may be pre-
| pared 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 instrumental
ties and competent legal assistance for
| the Investigations and trials which will
be necessary at many different points of
! the country, 1 urge upon the Congress
| the necessity OF making the said appro-
| priation available for immediate use for
| all such purposes. to be expended under
| the direction of the Attorney-General.
Needs for Treaties Making Bribery
Extraditable.
Steps have been taken by the State
| Department looking to the making of
| bribery an eXtraditable offense with for
| eign powers. The need of more effective
| treaties covering this crime Is manifest.
| The exposures and prosecutions of Of
| fetal corruption in st. Louis. Mo. and
| other cities and states have resulted in
| number of givers and takers of brides
hoo Inn
| cry has not been included in eXtradition
| treaties heretofore. as the necessity for
| it has not arisen. While there may have
been 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. it Should lie tine
policy of the United States to leave no
| place on earth where corrupt man
| heeing from this country can rest in
peace. There is no reason why bribery
/ should not be included in all treaties as
eXtraditab BILE. The recent amended treaty
with Mexico. whereby this crime was
| put in the list of extradtable offenses.
has established a salutary precedent in
this regard. Under this treaty the State
| Department has asked, and Mexico has
| granted, the eXtradltion of one of the st.
| Louis bride givers.
| There can be crime more serious
than bribery. Other offenses violate one
| law, while corruption strikes at the foun-
dalton of all law Under our form of gov
eminent all authority is vested in the
people and by them delegated to those
| who represent them in official capacity.
| The exposure and punishment of public
corruption is an honor to a nation. not
| a disgrace. The shame lies In liberation,
| not in correction. No city or state; still
| less the nation, can be injured by the
enforcement of law. AS long as public
| plunderers when detected can find
| haven of refuge in any foreign land and
| avoid punishment, just so long encour-
agement 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 for the
| guilt. The first requisite OF successful
self-government is unflinching enforce
ment of the law and the cutting out of
| corruption.
Alaskan Boundary.
The message gives in detail the
causes which led to the appointment
of the Alaskan boundary commission,
and congratulates both countries on
the satisfactory termination of the
sessions of the tribunal. 1t continues:
The result is satisfactory in every way.
| II is of great material advantage to our
people in the far Northwest 1t has re-
| moved from the field of discussion and
possible uanSer question TO De-
come more acutely accumulated with each
| passing year. Finally, 1t has furnished
| a signal proof of the fairness and good
will with which two friendly nations can
! approach and determine issues involving
| national sovereignty and by their nature
incapable of submission to third power
| for adjudication.
Claims Against Venezuela.
Referring to the success which
crowned the efforts of the United
States to have the Venezuelan dis
pute submitted to impartial arbitra-
tors the President says:
There seems good ground for the be-
lief that there has been a real growth
/ among the civilized nations of a senti-
:uent which will permit a gradual sub
stitution of other methods than the
! method OF war in the settlement of dis
putes. 1t is not pretended that as vet
we are near position in which it will
/ be possible wholly to prevent war, or
| that a just regard for national interest
and honor will in all cases permit of
the settlement of information disputes
! by arbitration: but by a mixture of pru-
dence and firmness with wisdom we think
it is possible to do away with much of
the provocation and excuse for war, and
at least in many cases to substitute some
| other and more rational method for the
settlement of disputes. The Hague court
offers SO good an example of what can
| be done in the direction of such settle
ment that 1t should be encouraged in
| every way.
President Mckinley, in his mes
sage of Dec. 5, 1898, urged that the
| Executive be authorized to correspond
with the governments of the principal
| maritime powers with view of in
cooperating into the permanent law of
civilized nations the principle of the
exemption of all private property at
sea, not contraband of war, from cap
ture or destruction by belligerent
powers.
President Roosevelt says he cor
! daily renews this recommendation. as
matter Of humanity and morals.