Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-30
A bald head,
or Ayers Hair
Vigor? You can t
have both. : s:;asz's;: :::::

land offered voluntary testimony on be
half of Mr.. Tyner. So highly wer
Messrs. Beavers and Machen though
of by those who had been brought int
close connection with them that tn
Congress actually provided at it's las
session for raising the salaries Of both
the salary in each case being increased
$500, to take effect at the beginning O.
the fiscal year on July ! last. BY tina
date they were both out of office, ant
the Department of Justice was taking
steps to have them indicted. During
Machen's term of service he was tWic'
investigated by the Congress, once by
a committee OF the Senate and once b!
a committee of the House, but cleared
on each occasion. Yet at that very
period. has been shown in the presen
inv estigation he was engaged in the
corrupt business for which he has nov
been removed and indicted. This is M
reflection upon the committees who
conducted the investigation: for sc
sk:llfullY had Machen concealed nj:
after months of laborious and exhaus.
tive work by trained inspectors.
The details of the corruption are Sc
forth in full in Mr.. BristoWs repor'
and need not he recapitulated by me
AS regards Messrs. Beavers ant
Machen the corruption took the form o
bribery and blackmail in connection
with the purchase of Government sup
plies. In the Office of the Assstan
Attorney-General for the Post-Of1ic,
Department, under Tyner and Barrett
far greater wrong was inflicted upoi
the public than could be measured b,
a pecuniary standard, for in this Office
the corruption of the Government off
Gals took the form of favoring get
rlcA-4u!ck concerns and similar sWind
ling schemes; in other words, thu
criminals, whom it was the sworn dut,
Of these Government officials to prose
cute, paid them for permission to fleec,
the public unmolested.
Il heartily approve of the recon-
mendation of Messrs. Conrad ant
Bonaparte that the statute of limita
tons be extended in the case of Gov
eminent servants to a period of at leas
five years; for the persons who in sucl
positions of trust engage in corrup
practices can ordinarily conceal thei
guilt for longer time than is covered
by the present short statute of limita
items. This recommendation has beer
laid before the Congress in the repor
of the Attorney-General, and it i.
earnestly hoped that it will be actee
upon favorably. Moreover, our expert
e,11
political influence sometimes sell thei,
influence to candidates for office, or ii
other words blackmail these candi.
dates. There should be legislation
which will permit of summary dealing
with such offenders.
However, the prime need is not new
legislation but the punishment of those
who offend against existing laws. Tho
Post-Office Department is making Ger.
tain changes in the methods of ad
ministration, notably in the method OF
inspection, by which the service will
be improved and the chance of cor.
ruption existing without discovery be
minimized; but the only way to meet
the real evil is to punish the offenders
by removal in any event, and wher.
possible by prosecution under tn,
criminal statutes. In any great bust.
ness, public or private. Wrongdoing j.
certain at times to occur. The way tC
guard against it is vigorously to scruti-
nize the character of those appointed.
carefully to supervise their actions af-
ter appointment, and finally, to punish
with relentless severity those who &c
Wv A -; e.
The immediate reformation of the
service by the turning out of the often
ders is not in itself enough to meet the
demands of justice. The cases against
both those within and those without
the Post Office Department, who by
their acts have brought themselves
within the grasp of the law, will
be pushed within the utmost
vigor. Every effort must be made
to see that both the delinquent official
and the outsider who shares his guilt
are punished to the limit of the law
In pursuance of this policy the individ-
uals above enumerated have been in
dicted. In no case has the indictment
been sought save where the officials of
the Government We're convinced of the
mans guilt; and in every case the
Government will exhaust every ex-
pedient in its power in the effort to see
that justice is meted out to the often
ders. Those in the public service
whose duty it is must ever be vigiIant
in the detection of wrongdoing, fearless
in it's exposure, relentless in it's prose-
cution; but in the last resort, when
everything which the public official,
whether legislator, judge, or executive
officer, can do has been done, it re-
mains for the jury, drawn from the
people and representing the people, to
do even-handed justice, shielding the
innocent, but declining to be misled by
any plea into refraining from punish
ment of the guilty.
No crime calls for sterner reprobation
that the crime of the corruptionist in
public life, and of the man who seeks
to corrupt him. The bribe giver and
the bride taker are equally guilty.
Both alike sin against the primary law
OF the States safety. All questions Of
difference in party policy sink into in
significance when the people of this
country are brought face to face with
a question like this, which lies at the
root of honest and decent government.
On this question. and on all others like
1t, we can afford to have no division
= ~ Ill