The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-01-02
SINCLAIR IS At HOME
HE CALLS TAFT A TYRANT
Tells Of sis Arrest and Subsequent Treat
meDt-Trnnsport Horrors Death and
Iron Cages the Cost Of Colonies Every
Transport Brings iGs Cargo.

In the opinoin of Bartlett Sinclair,
Governor Taft, Of the Philippines, is
tyrant. Mr. Sinclair. has personal
reasons for his belief, and be recited
them freely to Spokesman Review
reporter. He has just arrived from
the Philippines, and was on bis way
TO Rathdrum. Idaho, his former and
future home. He went TO the
Philippines about two years ago, and
was given the important post of
treasurer of one of the provinces.
His accounts becoming tangled. as be
declares through no fault Of his, he
was placed under arrest by Governor
Taft He AYERS that this act was an
outrage, and that the investigation
aud trial ended in a complete vindi-
cation, says the Spokesman Review.
The Philippine experiences have
told visibly on Mr.. Sinclair's health
and he has aged materially since be
was in the Occur d'Alenes four years
ago as the personal representative of
Governor Steunenberg during the
miners riots.
within the last ten months, said
Mr.. Sinclair, II have had more than
my share of sickness, even for an
American, in the Philippine Islands.
was first down with typhoid malaria,
then an operation for appendicitis,
then deneue fever and finally, a
second and severe attack Of dysentery.
II fell away 70 a shadow, but feel
better than | nave in months.
But sickness, said MIR. Sinclair.
was not my only trouble. When l
found that conditions were such that
neither Mrs. Sinclair nor myself
could much longer live in the tropics,
II resigned the treasuryship of the
province had held for fifteen
months. aud requested an exsmina-
tion. as provided by law, of the
records. The thing called an ex-
animation. put me Ia debt to the
Office for upwards Of $40, 900 local
currency. Without giving me the
slightest intimAtion of what was
going on, the examiners reported the
matter to Taft, the governor Of the
! archipelago, who, without a word OF
| notice, ordered my arrest for en-
bezzIement of that amount. | saw
him accidentally before the order was
put into effect aud demanded a hear
ing, the Justice OF which appealed
even to him. of all mel the most
fiippant and arbitrary in ordering
r peoples arrest. This second ex.
animation utterly destroyed the
! embezzlement charge and put the
. question of the alleged discrepancy
, in a new light.
D Not having courage To make q
full acknowledgement Of his blunder,
o Taft ordered another charge to be
{ filed against me OF carelessness il
b office. His attorney general at tho
I time told him and me there WAS nj
e evidence of any kind to support such
n charge aud urged him to drop tn,
a matter,
e From that time on the proceed
e ings were purely personal between
Is Taft aud myself. The government
e had no interest in it, as. if shortag,
Is had been proved, | was under bone
enough to cover many times Taft
Il claim and acknowledged by all hand
e in any event to be perfectly innocent
d demanded a trial at once ant
4 assured Taft that my sickness wOult
II be no excuse for a delay. Taft die
= not see it in that light and held m
!, in the islands under bond of 500,
C for nine months. He knew my en-
n feebled condition, and my desire 70
Is some kind of hearing, being assures
: of the situation 10y the attorne.
- general. time and time again, yet h
re so arranged that the thing dragged Of
!, till my light had about gone out.
If MY trial for carelessness was
Ie mere farce and ended, as Taft wa
:, informed by the attorney general an'
10 knew 1t would end. in my complet
N vindication. Considering the fearful
obstacles ia my way at the time o
81 taking office IL would not have bee
II strange if great discrepancies ha,
Is appeared. and the examiners ar
~ hardly to blame for not comprehend
h ing their duties. These obstacle
er were we'll known to Taft and n
id human being could have gotte
he around them. But with all hi
to boosted vigilance, his driving of th
e, court, aud his vioiousness, not cen
as of shortage was established beyon
er what faithless bookkeeper, impose
he upon me by Taft, confessed, SUI
i. less than $500, and many time
lis covered by bond, IL was a mos
- heinous proceeding.
''of course" said MIR, Sinclair