West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1904-03-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Treasury and Interior Depart,
nents to be Investigated
Bills Passed TO Make Positions for An.
ether Array OF Hungry once
Hunters.


uerS out rs not extinct. "A lurid
cloud hangs over the House. which
omitted suudy lightning flashes
yesterday when it became obvious
that the Mccall Investigating Com
mittee would not carry a bucket of
whitewash and would exonerate
from the hateful charges not much
more than half of the Republican
members. OF the sixty or seventy
charged with official improprieties,
several are leading members Of the
House, and the fact that half doz-
en- are Democrats does not seem
to assuage the pain or allay the
wrath. 1t looks as IL there would
be another volcanic eruption when
the the report is formally laid be-
fore the House.
Two prominent demands are be-
ing formulated; one, that rules shall
be adopted defining the relation
which member of Congress bears
to the Executive Departments of
the Government sort of code Of
official ethicsi second, that gen
eral investigation into the Fxecu-
tive Departments shall be had to
ascertain what they do with the
money that is given them. The
Treasury Department under Mr..
Shaw and the Interior Department
under Mr.. Hitchcock, are the ones
against which the gravest allega-
lions ale made. Both are charged
with having recklessly used the
money appropriated for them with
out referenc to the commands of
Congress, and in deliberate viola
ton of law. Millions of dollars
appropriated for specific purposes
have been diverted to other uses,
and scores of clerks have been APP
pointed in violation of the law who
never passed any examination what
ever. This, in official momencla-
ture, is called getting clerks by Gun
derground route" Both the Cab
met officers named, in addition to
the Postmaster General, will have
to defend themselves before the
committee. 1t is just revealed that
John w. Petit has been carried on
the Baltimore postofiicc ray roll
for four years without rendering
any service for his salary, of 81, 400
ayear He was appointed by Perry
S. Heath, First Assistant Postmas-
ter-General, and Secretary of the
Republican National Committee.
Congressman Cochran of Miss
ouri, said on Tuesday that the pos
tai scandals served the useful pur.
pose of pointing out defects in the
American system of administration.
In all Departments of the Govern
ment shocking abuses have arisen.
Why should such abuses not arise
he asked when the President of the
United States finds it necessary TO
inappropriate public money in
using government vessels as his pri-
vate yachts 2 The Maynower and
the Sylph, the latter fitted out anew
at an expense Of sIoo, 900. with
this irresponsible use of pnbIlc
money before them as an example,
is there any reason why the under
strappers in the Departments should
not feel authorized to overstep the
boundary"
Congress is very sore indeed over
Bristow report, and, though the
CONSERVATION and havoc which It
caused do not seem to diminish,
the members will probably vote to
investigate the Department for the
purpose Of diverting public atten-
ton, II for no other reason.
III
The long waited for decision of
the Supreme Court in the Northern
Securities r. r. case rendered on
Monday Is the one topic Of discus
sion. The Prohibition Of the mer
ger is received with lively satisfac-
ton at The White House, and versa
tile minds are busy with propositions
how to make politics for the coming
campaign out Of the verdict. Sem
stor Elkins says ultimately Con
gress will have to take cognizance
Of the fact tina, railroads are com
mandcd to maintain rates on the one
hand and rejoined from combining
TO maintain them on the other hand
"a soIecism which must be cor
reeied."
There are those who intimate
that the President Is to be as gentle
as a lamb concerning antitrust
legislation. It is even limited that
the Merger decision has reconciled
the Rockefeilers to their unfortunate
position and lhai hey will cnnlri.