The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-17
A FRIENpLY INvEsTIGArIoN.

l For weeks the Democratic minority during the last session of Congress harii-
 mered the majority for a root and branch
 investigation of the Postoffice Depart
 ment. It was tried in the House and | in the Senate to secure the passage of a
 resolution to turn on the light There had been much talk of scandals existing in the postoffice, that there were num- 1 Der of branches needing investigation be-
 sides those with which Perry Heath,
 Machen and Beavers were connected
 by flat refusal on the part of the Re-
 publicans. Lodge in particular secuted
 the idea of a Congressional investigation
 ever amounting even to a row of beets,
 Everybody knew, he said. that Congress
 sional investigations are ordered when it
 is desired not to find out anything. He
 gave no reason for this. There is no
 reason for it. Such an investigation can
 be made as thorough and its findings can
 be just as reliable as if the witnesses
 were made to confront a judge and jury Some investigations prove fruit less and especially when all the investiga- tors go round with unlighted lamps pre- tending to search when in fact they are trying not to see. But nobody doubts that committee bent on getting at facts can get at facts, just as well as a court could.
 The Republican majority in Congress decided to pooh-pooh committee investiga- tions and refuse to raise committees to look into the condition of the postoffice For one thing they anticipated other de- partments were there to be examined. The War Department has been the sub- ject of intending talk and gossip and 1t seems altogether likely that the prosecu- tion of the little struggle with Spain and the government and exploitation of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines have fur nished congenial soil for the growth of graft. If the Postofilce Department was to be gone into, why not the War De- partment? Why not the Navy? Where were these ugly and clamorous Demo- crats to be stopped? Certainly the best way is to cut them of altogether. And cut off they were.
 It was not a good figure the Republi- cans cut ih refusing all investigations on the part of Congress. They must make some sort of pretense. We will investigate in our own time and in cur own way declared Senator Lodge. What did that mean? We now know. The administration is going to investigate the administration. Roosevelt was unwill- ing to go to the country with a fiat re- fusal to look Into the, existence or non- existence of scandals in any department and especially the Postoff1ce Depart ment dirt and plunder having been found the order of the day everywhere that branch of the government had been touched and exposed. Go to, let the administration investigate the adminis- tration. The people know us. We be- | lieve fin clean public service. So Robb is appointed special Assistant Attor- ney General and he is charged with the | duty of over-hauling the postof1ice in all its branches. He Is to go to work at | once. When will he report? Will 1t | be the next week or the next year? Con- fding reader. all too confiding voter, do | not expect Robb's report next week or the next month or the next three months. | You must wait until after the election certainly and you must vote right or you may never hear of Robb's researches again. Was there ever more palpable fraud than this? The people will not trust Democrats to assist In this investi- gation. They will trust in Republicans absolutely while we investigate our selves. That is the argument.