Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-11-04

thereupon decided that in the event
of truble between Russia and
Japan, the Asiatic squadron under
Admiral Evans should be divided
and ordered TO each of the treaty
ports" This decision of our
Naval Board of strategy fired the
hearts of all our old salts who
gather at the Army and Navy Club,
and they were anxious for a scrap
with anyone. A young clerk at
the Navy Department, however,
has upset the plans of these war
riors in buckram by reading a bOock
just published by an American
traveller named Shoemaker, who
describes his journey from Moscow
to Port Arthur, in which ne tells
that Mukden is an interior city
three hundred miles north of Port
Arthur. The explosion in dip
lomatic and naval circles that fol-
lowed this discovery can be more
easily imagined than described.
The demand for stimuiants at the
Club, whsre the Board of STRAIT
egg holds its sessions, surpassed
all previous records. and the Pre-
sident and John Hay were non
plussed. The State Department
having solemnly, by treaty, de-
clared Mukden a port" persist
i'm that declaration, our naval heroes
think it impossible to carry out the
plans of the Board of Strategy.
there being not enough water to
float a canoe, much less battle
ship, within miles of ''the port"
The Chinese have fooled our State
Department, probably at the ms
tigation of Russia, and "the open
door" to Manchuria is still shut so
far as the sea is concerned, and our
"matchless diplomacy" has re-
ceived a check that the present add
ministration will never be able to
overcome.
The report of Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow on the
Post Office frauds has been placed
in the hands of the President, con
sisting of over one hundred and
ten thousand words, with append
ices sufficient to make nearly one
words. 1t is said that only
a condensed version will lie pub
lished. If the parts that will he
given to the public contain the real
meat, of the volumious reports, the
condensation will be desirable, as
but few people have time To read
the whole report, but there will be
intense dissatisfaction if the public
version is garbled for partisan pur-
poses. The voters want TO know
who are the guilty ones, whether the
statute of limitations has covered
their doings or not, and nothing
less than the exposure of the whole
nest of thieves will satisfy them. |
The only punishment the people
seem able to bring upon their I'M
worthy servants, is by preventing
them from again occupying official
positions, and that can only be ac-
complished by the truth being told
of all connected with the scandals
from the highest to the lowest.
Any attempt to suppress the evil
dence of the participation of those
high in Republican councils in the
frauds, will not satisfy those
honestly in favor of reform, and
will Ice met by the demand for the
publication of the whole report,
cost what it may. The partisan
Republican press will report but
little of the damaging details of the
connection of its own officials of
the highest class with the scandals,
but the facts will be culled by the
newspapers that serve the people
if they are allowed access to the
truth.
1t must be remembered that the
exposures of the Post Office fratds
have been wrung from the unwill-
ing Republican leaders by the
force of public opinion, and not
because they were anxious to ex-
pose the scoundreIs. Postmaster
General Payne, when his depart
ment was first under suspicion.
designated the first exposure of the
frauds as "hot air." and belittled
the whole matter as far as he was
able, but the rival factions in the
Post Office Department were too
intent on destroying each other, to
permit the evidence of the frauds
to be kept secret, and the investi-
-