The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-08-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETT ER

sprung on the Geological Survey will nee,
essitate a thorough probing of that bu
reau and that the mere connection OF
some officials with mining paper IN the
west, while admittedly improper will not
be the most serious thing that will be IN
earthed. The charges against the Wealth
sr Bureau are stated inon equally we'll
founded part;zan evidence to be 'entire-
Is absurd" and capable Of full substan-
tstlou." l. is likely that both bureaus
viii; receive tie attention of the Keep
Commission aud how much turns up or
how much remains hidden, is matter OF
the future. There remains yet the Navy,
" ar and State Departments to be caught
in the drag net and then the round of the
departments will be complete. To be
sure the State Department had little
scandal of its own some time back, but
the charges in the Bowen LOOMS case
were dismissed as unfounded and it has
been considered rather unsafe thing to
criticize high state Department officials
since then. 1t is quite possible, however
that if thorough investigation of the de-
partment we're made some queer things
might be turned up in the line OF visits
to inspect consulates," and other relics OF
previous administrations. This is only
thrown out as a suggestion. The Army
and Navy have been singularlY free from
serious scandals that Of Captain Carter,
being the only time an Engineer an off
Ger was ever known to 60 wrong, while
the chances for graft in the navy are linn
tied 80 far as the actual service is con-
cerned though there are some phrases Of
warship construction that might stand
looking into.
The investigation in the Agricultural
Department has taken rest for the time
being. Elk Statistician Hyde has announc-
ed his intention of returning from Eng
land and this is taken as an evidence of
his ignorance and honesty. He was Sc
verely censured by his friends in Wash
ington for run ming away on the very eve
OF the investigation, and it was believed
to be at the personal instigation of the
Secretary of Agriculture that he decided
to return. A clever man would hardly
have put himself in such position for
criticism and knowingly dishonest one
would have strayed abroad once he got
safely there Meantime Secretary Wilson
has announced his intention to forego
vacation this summer There is compar
atively little Of the summer left for such
a large job. 1t has apparently been
proved by out side evidence that there
was nothing wrong in the Bureau of
Animal industry in CO injection with tho
meat label business, but there will proba-
bly, will be number of disagreeable
things unearthed when it co mes to invest
igatng the whole of the meat subject in
the department. 1t is claimed by some
of the smaller competitors of the Beef
Trust that they could not get meat inspec-
tors assigned to their plants by the De-
partment and were therefore prevented
from using the Departments certificate
label and put at disadvantage especially
in the export trade where such label is
a necessity. At the same time Dr.. Sa lmon
the head of the Bureau Of Animal Indus
try states that he was not given money
enough to pay the meat inspectors, that
the business of his bureau is now run min G
sc, 900 70 IS, 900 month over its Ii NIT and
if there is not some radical action taken
by Congress he will not be able to carry
on the inspection wo rk next year.
That is Just where the hitch has come
between the executive de partments and
Congress and promises to raise consider
able trouble at the coming session. Tue
action Of the Bureau Of Animal Industry
in running ahead Of its appropriation is
only sample Of what Is going on very
largely in all tle departments. 1t is a
practice bitterly resented by the legisla
tive branch Of the govern ment and is one
bound to cause trouble when the appro
priation bill comes up at the impending
session.
The supporters of the administratio n
are still busily explaining the attitude Of
| the executive toward the coming reel
| procty conference. This is very sore
subject both at the White House tempo.
rarily installed at Oyster Bay, and in tht
various departments where the member
of the cabinet preside. The fact is thai
the administration while pledged to reel
procity and tariff revision, has been bad
ly snubed by Congress on the subject Of
reciprosity treaties and is afraid Of got
ting tangled up with an unofficial de-
minstration that however much it may
believe and assert itself to be strictly non
partizan, is likely to develop strong
political bias before the last vote of
thanksis rendered The country decided
ly needs both scaling down OF the
tariff walls and sensible arraugeme mt
with foreign countries on which recipro
| city treaties could be negotiated. The
matter is being delayed and put off and
probably will not be touched till as late
| as possible in the coming session. But
the movements of foreign countries in
the line of discriminating duties makes it
imperative that the situation shall be me,
in the near future, and it is simply a
question of whether the highly protected
interests will allow congress to make
the necessary concessions or whether tt {
country is going to be plunged into 9
,,kk h.