Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-10-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent


don't like to do the II told you
so act," but the recent collection of
$25, 900 in fines from four represen-
tatives Of q big beef house in Chi
cago, for violation of the Elkins'
Law against railroad rebates, puts
me in mind of the fact that in sever
al of my letters l have said that
there was law enough on the statute
books at the present time to raise
the shippers who have been parti-
cipating in these rebates If it were
enforced. This little Chicago in
cident proves it. 1t is true that
the offence was committed some time
ago when the paying of rebates was
quite the fashion. Since the railroad
rate agitation has been on the go fash
ions have changed and railroad CON-
panies not paying are rebates as q
rule. Demagogues may still tell
you they are but the facts are agin
'em.
You may have noticed that the
fellows who paid the fines were en-
ployes and not members of the firm.
The big fellows got away just as big
fish Morton slipped off the hook
after the Presidents investigators
of the Atchison, Topeka il Santa Fe
case had safely hooked and were
ready to land him. 1t strikes me
that these little fish gave up hope
less fight and were landed safely in
the government attorneys creel so
as to call of attention from the big
fish that the government was nomi-
nally after, but who so far it has
failed to land. Between you and l,
I don't think they will fish in that
hole much longer. Teddy has man
aged to secured little political CAPT.
tai for his Grand Old Party" and
as other members of the Beef Trust
gave up $1,000, 900 to help elect him,
l am betting that they will be allow
ed to 60 Scott free, just as Paul Nor
ton was after ex-Attorney-G General
Harmon had him hooked. wouldn't
be surprised il Teddy should order
his local representative there to
help out Armour, Dawes, Swift,
Morris, Cudahy and the rest of the
bunch of big rebaters, just as he
helped Paul Mortonlwhen the rebate
business was fixed on him, and a
big fine or long term of imprison-
ment stared him in the face. Teddy
is pretty good TO his friends who
come to the front with contributions
as did the managers of the three
big New York life insurance com.
panies and the members of the Beef
Trust. These fellows who were
knod osst IN Chicago marc not on tina
list OF campaign contributors though
their principals were. | think that
the Republicans are using this in
cident for all it is worth to show
what a mighty good and law obeying
party they are.
Along last summer | wrote that il
Roosevelt was really in earnest in
his desire to have the law against
rebates enforced, he had all the law
he needed on the statute books 10
punish the offenders. He got a lit
tie more of il than he wanted in the
Morton case, and then decided it
was against corporations and not
persons that he wished to act. | |
wonder il he thinks the public is |
going to be satisfied when he has
the charters Of the Atchison, Topeka |
& Santa Fe, of the Armour Packing |
Company and of the Hutchinson Salt |
Company sent to States prison for
as long as the parchment on which |
they are written lasts. That would |
seem to be the only possible outcome
of the position he takes that you
can't prosecute men who make poll
tical contributions and must confine
yourself TO noncorporeal bodies.
They don't amount to much more
than the paper on which their char
ters are written. II he would get
q hustle on and have q few of the
men who own these charters fined
as the law provides, / think he
would make a greater hit with the
common run of people and prove
his sincerity. The chances are,
however, that the men who might
be punished, but who made con-
tributions to the campaign fund,
will be white-washed just as