Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-07-08

ceive a rake-off amounting TO one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars
per annum. This sort of monopo-
ly should work wonders i'm the
archipelago. The merits of opium
as Outstanding and civilizing
agency are well established. Per-
haps the Government obtained
valuable pointers from Downing
Street in regard to the advantages
of an opium monopoly.
The British have done lucrative
and flourishing business in opium
ever since they introduced it in
China. Considering the splendid
effects which the dope has pro-
duced in the Celestial regions.
Taft's Government has every rea-
son to Ice exuberantly optimistic
about the consequences To follow
the setting up of an opium monop-
oily in the Philippine Islands. The
dope should prove more efficacious
than Bibles and guns.
A movement is now on foot to
reorganize the entire naval admin
istration. Mr.. Moody, the Secre-
tary of the Navy. now has a plan
in his hands providing for the
creation of naval general staff.
If this plan is adopted. the depart
ment institutions. such as the war
college, or the bureau OfnaVigation.
will be merged with the general
staff, whose chief will exercise the
same supervision over the military
divisions rs the Assistant Secretary
over the bureaus, and in the all
sence of both Secretary and AssiS-
tant Secretary, the Chief of Staff
will be Acting Secretary. The
present functions and authority of
the Secretary will be maintained.
This reorganization plan should,
and undoubtedly will. be adopted.
Ever since the outbreak of the
Spanish-American war it has been
apparent that the Bureau of Nayi-
CATION is in need of thorough
overhauling. Ii has been 4 hOtbed
of political intrigue and chicanery.
The impertinent role that some of
the officials played i'm the Sampson
Schley controversy is well remem-
bered. Anything that is calculated
To remove the navy and army de-
partmentS beyond the sphere of
politics and offensive intrigue will
have the nations approval.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Postoffice Department investiga-
ton afforded President Roosevelt
a fine opportunity To make good"
in manner most pleasing 10 his
countrymen, he has neglected the
opportunity. has gone to his sum-
mer home and left behind him
orders that the gag rule" must
be enforced, no news given out and
the investigation practically aban-
doned. The disclosures So far made
leave no doubt in an intelligent
mind that the investigation has
only begun that worse remains
behind.
The greedy fangS of corruption
have fastened themselves upon
every branch of the postal service.
Mr.. BristOw'S report gives sub
stantial proof of shameless traffick-
ing in offices, grating in almost
every bureau, of bold and brazen
defiance of all civil service rules,
and of the damnably pernicious
influence of party considerations
in the administration of one of the
greatest departments of the Gov
eminent.
One of the results of the inves,
tigation is the discovery that the
four states of Ohio, Indiana, Iii
nois and Iowa have been especially
favored in the distribution of rrra
mail routes. As three of these are
pivotal states in national elections
the reason of this favOritiSm i,
perfectly obvious. If Mr.. Payne
is really i'll. he cannot bc blamed
for it. \ national scandal of thi.
kind is enough to make anybody
sick. In its purely moral aspect
it bears a strikingly close rescm
bIance to the Panama affair il
France, which, in its course, be
smirched the regulations of almoS
every leading politician. The Post
Office Department has become alb
solutely rotten. Every branch o
the service needs reform and lots o
il. IL is the Presidents duty {,