The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-06-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.

1t is an occasion of the gravest regret
and disappointment to all of the Presi-
dents friends and admirers that he
should have adopted position generally
regarded as entirely untenable and incon.
sistent with regard to the proposed prose
cution of Paul Morton, now Secretary OF
the Navy, for his connection with the
Sante Fe rebate case. 1t is only just to
the President to say that he has such
implicit faith in Mr.. Morton as to lead
him to believe, beyond any question of a
doubt that the Secretary was not in any
way responsible for the granting of the
rebates, chiefly because the Secretary
says that he was not, but persons who
are inclined to regard affairs of this kind
from purely judicial standpoint cannot
escape the belief that the President has
gravely erred and that he has established
a precedent which must prove embarass-
ing to the administration in its prose-
cution of rebate and trust cases, that he
has adopted course which will impair
his influence for good, because it will
shake the confidence of thousands who
have hitherto entertained the highest
confidence in him; and, that he has given
his enemies weapon which they will
use with desperate effect to prevent his
attainment of some of the most worthy
ends for which he now aims.
~
It must be understood, of course, that
the President, speaking through the At
torney General refused to permit Messrs.
Judsou and Harmin to prosecute Paul
Morton for completely in the violation of
the law and of an express injunction of
the Court by the Sante Fe railroad when
it granted rebate to the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company and that Messrs.
Harmin and Judson, who have been re-
tanned as special counsel to prosecute this
case for the government, resigned when
denied the liberty of conducting the case
in accordance with their best Judgment.
~
In 1907, Mr.. Morton appeared before
the Interstate Commerce Commission
and testified regarding the granting of
these rebates. w. P. Biddle, the freight
traffic manager under Mr.. Morton, has
confessed to having granted the illegal
rebates. Asked his opinion regarding
Mr.. Biddle's action, Mr.. Morton said,
"What Mr.. Biddle did was exactly right
in my Judgment. Everybody did just as
we did, and they had to or go out of
business" Mr.. Morton further said, in
reply to question concerning other
illegal contract. Eyes, sir; it was an
illegal contract. 1t was illegal when we
made it and we knew it" Despite this,
however the President declares that there
is no evidence of Mr.. Morton's having
been responsible for the practice and says,
in public letter to Mr.. Morton, 81 do
not think that You need pay any further
heed to the accusations that have been
made against you." People who cannot
accept the view OF the President are
asking, ''If Mr.. Morton was innocent
why was he not permitted to establish
that fact in the courts? Someone must
have been blameworthy and it would
seem that the officials in charge of the
freight transactions of the railroad were
the ones who should be held responsible
until they had established their innocence
~.
Messrs. Harmin and Judson, in their
plea to the Attorney General to be per-
United to prosecute all The officials Of the
sfn'e Re present an argument which i'm
pfesses many capable judges as irrefuta-
bif 1t is, in part. as follows: It neces-
safily follows. therefore. that when there
ifroof OF the violation of the Courts or