Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-19


have acted in too great haste i'm the re-
moval OF United states Marshal Mathews
Beatrice Times The summary removal
Of United states Marshal Mathews from
officc 10y the president for letting a couple
Of rank government land feuccrs serve
their six hours confinement with their
attorneys seems hard on its face. 1t b.
comes necessary, however, to make occa-
sional horrid examples
Albion News: Mathews is brother-in-
law OF r.. -. Schneider a member OF the
national committee. who is supposed to
have a big political pull 1t is evident
that the president means exactly what he
says in his policy ot let no guilty man
escape More and more are the people
regrctting that Roosevelt will not accept a
reelection
Chappcll Register: President Roosevelt
did the proper thing when he let out United
states Marshal Mathews for not carrying
out the sentence of the court in the case
Of Richards and Comstock. sentenced to
six hours in the custody of the rarshaI.
but the president did not quite reach the
man that most deserved to be punished.
The judge that imposed such "A sentence
let down the bars. and because Mathews
to shoulder all the blame.
Lynch Journal: The removal of Marshal
Mathews from Office has aroused quite a
little protest i'm this state as he has always
been considered fine man, a worthy and
competent official While his handling Of
the land fencing prisoners was not just
what it should have been the general be-
lief is that his sentence was far greater
y,,
farce of a sentence. However. the lesson
it contains for officials everywhere will
not go unheeded.
st. Paul Republican,: T. l.. Mathews,
recently depOsed as United States mar
shall, seems to have suffered for the sins
of other federal officers as well as for his
own slight transgression. The punishment
of Bartlett Richards and W. c. Comstock,
cattle kings convicted of fencing thousands
of acres of government land was a farce
from start to finish. Six hours imprison-
mont and $500 fine is mere bagatele for
criminals of this class The goyepment
would have reserved it's dignity il 1t had
permitted them to go scott free instead.
Mathews did wrong in turning the men
over to their attorney and permitting them
to spend six hours in palatial Omaha
club. thus emphasizing the travosty on
justice. But he had plenty of precedent
for such leniency, and doubtless feels that
he has been made vicarious sacrifice for
worse sinners.
Stanton Picket: National Committeeman
r. Il. Schneider has gone TO Washington
to try to secure the reinstatement of his
brother-in-law, I. l.. Mathews, United
States marshal. Don't believe he can do it,
Mathews did wrong. The sentence Of
Richards and his companion, both big cattle
men, convicted of illegal fencing. to six
hours in the custody Of the marshal was
a farce legal outrage. Marshal Mathews
practically ignored the sentence when he
turned the men over to their attorney
without awaiting the expiration of the six
hours. Mr. Mathews is not a mental
weaklng. lie knew that he was doing
wrong. He ought to have known that
President Roosevelt with his high sense of
justice would not lightly pass such an
act One editor has said 1--WE are sorry
for Mathews" So are we in the same
sense that We are sorry for any man who
does wrong.
Grand Island Independent: The Ne
braska contingent in congress both houses
is reported from Washington to be a unit
in its demand for a hearing for Marshal
Mathews, who by executive order has been
deposed And it is to be regretted per-
haps, that an otherwise able record should
be thus terminated. But, as The Omaha
Bee well points out there has been gross
neglect of duty. That such a neglect of
duty was precedent can scarcely be urged
as a justification for a gentleman of Mr..
Mathews judgment as between right and
wrong, as between propriety and absurdity
And it would seem to us that, with particu-
lar reference to the land frauds and the
punishment of those violating the land
laws in this respect, there has been plenty
of time to learn that it was the determina-
ton Of the Department Of Justice at Wash
ington that the laws must be obeyed. and
that they are not considered an object
about which to build up farce comedy.
The righteous Indignation of the Nebraska
contingent in congress. therefore, is not
without its ridiculous feature.
York Times: United States Marshal r.
l.. Mathews has been removed from office
ostensibly because he was not rigorous
enough with the men who were convicted
of Illegally fencing government land. The
sentence of the court was that the con-
victed men should remain six hours in
the custody of the marshal. He was busy
and turned them over to Attorney r. S.
Hall. We do not know just what Dick"
did to them, but we are sure he was not
very severe. He is the kindest hearted
man in nine states and can not brook suf-
fering of any kind. When Dick Hall goes
hunting, which he frequently does, he takes
kodak instead of gun and when he
starts a deer or grizzly he TAX IS a snap
shot at it and let's it go on at that. If he
found a rabbit chewing bark of cherry
tree in his yard he would request it to
go into the back yard and eat grass. A
man with heart like that would hardly be
expected to make life very burdensome
for those in his custody. However, this
charge against Mr.. Mathews seems trihing
to us, but it may be more serious than
we suppose Our guess is that somebody
has got his hide.