, 1905-04-12
No Crooked Contracts

In an article on the war Depart
ment the Washington correspondent
of the Philadelphia Press tells Of
the Bureau of Insular Affairs as a
most important division under the
direction of Colonel Clarence r. Ed
wards, of the regular army. Colonel
Edwards does not give the impression
of the rulebound, disciplined army
officer, who is supposed to be but a
cog in a big military machine. Those
who see him day after day at his desk
dealing with all sorts of subjects from
a civil service appointment in the
Philippines to the preparation of a
tariff law for those islands find a mix
ture of the business mar and states
man, the practical administrator and
a patriotic enthusiast.
TO hear Colonel Edwards discuss fl
nance with a group of bankers agents,
come to bid on an issue of Philippine
bonds, or to hear him descant upon
the natural products of that far away
possession, the value of it's natural
woods, the output of hemp or the ad-
vantage of the ad valorem over the
specific rate of duty, one would hardly
believe that he could take a regiment
of soldiers out on the White lot and
put them through prescribed military
maneuvers. The Colonel, despite his
present business position, is a West
Point graduate and knows the duties
of the soldier from the ground up. He
has had a full share of field duty, hav-
ing been in active service in the Phil
ippines under Lawton.
There are a good many people who
believe that the Bureau of Insular AT
fairs, of which Colonel Edwards is the
chief, is big enough to be a depart
ment by itself. All matters pertain
ing to the civil government in the in
sular possessions of the United States
and which are subject to the jurisdic-
ton of the War Department must be
considered in this bureau. 1t has
charge of all the civil records of the
Philippines; of the late government of
occupation of Cuba, and of Porto Rico
during the time the War Department
had control of affairs in that country.
1t reviews the eX Expenditures and re-
ceipts from the Philippine Govern
ment; makes the purchase and ship
ment of supplies in and from the
United States for the Philippine Gov
eminent.
The crooked contractor has run up
against Colonel Edwards more than
once, but the lessons he has received
have had a good effect. Early in his
administration the representative of a
firm that was after a contract in the
Philippines, called to see the colonel
and after presenting his proposition
dropped an envelope on the desk and
vas about to leave the room. The
colonel quickly opened the envelope
and found on the inside a $500 bill.
The would-be briber then and there
received a dressing down that he will
remember to the end of his days.
This incident recalls the action of a
former chief of engineers of the army
in regard to the letting of a contract.
A contractor called upon the chief and
early in the conversation let a $1,000
bill drop on the desk. The chiefs
manne became more affable and the
contractor believed that he had ac-
complished a shrewd piece of business.
The army officer talked pleasantly
with the man and as the latter was
about to leave offered him a cigar.
This the contractor accepted and the
officer, twisting a piece of paper, which
he picked up from the desk into the
form ola lighter, touched it to the con-
tractors cigar. He then took a cigar
himself and picking up the $1,000 bill
twisted it into a lighter and proceeded
to ignite his cigar.
MY goodness" cried the contractor,
aghast at the action of the army of
ficer. "Do you know that you are
lighting your cigar with a $1,000 bill?
"Yes," replied the officer, land do
you know that you have lighted your
cigar with a letter accepting your bid
for this contract which was written
before you came into this Officer"
-s34s-
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