The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-17
The Curse Of SeCTeCu.
Too Much of 1t Observed Even in the
District Government.

District Government.
The records of a public office which
are not instantly available for the in
spection Of taxpayers furnish good
grounds for the suspicion that every
thing Is not as it should be, and that
somebody is interested in screening an
"irregularity." This is a proposition
so self-evident as to admit Of no de-
bate or modification; except, possibly.
III the case of documents involving in
ternational relations. We have no de-
sire, however, to address ourselves to
that point today. What we wish to
draw attention to just now concerns
municipal affairs-the affairs Of the
District of Columbia.
We have watched, we confess. with
something akin TO amazement the dis
closures incident to the Watson en-
bezzlement. Here is an official. the
Auditor of the District, carrying
about with him for three whole DAYS
the dread secret Of a defalcation and
attempting, upon his own admission,
to. effect settlement" with the rela-
tives of the defaulter, in the hope of
doing-what2 Of avoiding a scandal.
of diverting attention from the real
points at issue, of-let us speak
bluntly-suppressing the facts, as far
as they can be suppressed, and Of
throwing dust in the eyes of the pub
lie.
Now, all this, we submit, is wrong
wrong IN principle, wrong in NOR
als, wrong from any and every con-
ceivable point Of view. No official, in
a responsible position, such as that
occupied by the Auditor of the Dis
triet, has the right TO withhold knowl-
edge of criminal wrongdoing in his
Office from his superiors, or to en-
deavor, no matter under what pre-
text, to reach a settlement in any
shape, manner, or form with the
friends and relatives of the criminal.
1t Is a gross wrong toward the com
munity Of which he is the sworn ser
want
Yet, in the case Of Auditor Petty.
# Is not difficult to conceive Of his see
ing no harm IN what he did. We seem
10 live in an era Of accursed secrecy
mongering. There is scarcely a de-
partment Of the Federal Government.
in fact, In which something Is not
bottled up for fear Of its creating a
stencil; where something is not kept
dark" lest 1t create a scandal. The
nlicrobe Of mystery has infected every
branch Of the public service, it seems,
and every petty official holding down
three-leggcd stool swelIs with pride
Al the thought OF being the repository
Of some fell secret.
Look at the pigeonholes in the
Postofiee Department, for instance,
INTO which. within the last few
months, the geruicide Of publicity has
been thrown with such startling eff
fcc;s. Does anyone suppose that with
proper publicity, intelligently applied,
he Tyners and Machens and Beavers
could have gone on, as they did, for
years, without being detected2 But
for the secrecy observed by Mr.. Loud
as Ear back as 1895, when many facts.
We are informed, now brought TO
hight, were privately submitted to him
could the present investigation of
General Brlstow have played such
havoc with the characters and reputa-
lions Of postofiice officials as it has
Tan anyone conceive, in fact, Of this
KhOle nauseous mess Of corruption
fostering except in the protecting
hadows Of secrecy and concealment
Show Us, we repeat, an office IN which
public documents are habitually kept
mder lock and key, or where fimsy
md frivolous excuses meet every le-
Ultimate demand for publicity, as in
he ease Of the Bristow report on the
rulloch charges, and it is dollars 10
loughnuts that there is something
Frong.
All this secrecy nlongering is re-
lected to some extent, though on a
mailer scale, in District affairs. We
ave in mind one conspicuous instance
evolving the Commissioners. Incl