West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-06-29
OUR washington LETTER
The President Shields His Secretary
OF War and Assistant Sec
rotary OF State,
Allows the Rail Roads TO 60 Free
After the Government Works
Up Case Against Them.
rom Our Regular Correspondent

From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., June 40, 1905
There can hardly fail to follow severe
criticism of President Roosevelt be
because of his failure TO permit the
special counsel retained by the
Government to conduct the prose
cution of the rebate case against the
Santa Fe Railroad to prosecute also
Paul Morton who was vice presi.
dent of the road and had special
charge of all freight arrangements
when the rebates were granted by
his sub-ordinates in fragrant VIOLA
ton of the law. Messrs. Harmon
and Judson, who were retained as
such special counsel, wrote
the Attorney General a letter on
June sth, which clearly establishes
the soundness of their reasoning
which is, that if prosecutions of this
character are confined solely to the
corporations the Government can
have hope to put an end to the
abuses. They argue that unques-
tionably certain amount of blame
must have devolved upon Mr.. Nor
ton, for not preventing, even if he
did not instigate, such violation by
his sub-ordinates. They claim,
moreover, that while they would
compel him to come into court and
there prove, if he could, his limo.
cence of the blame which appears
to rest on him. Inferentially they
argue that unless the officials of
large corporations are made to APP
preciate that they may refrain from
directly instructing that the law be
violated, they will not abstain from
commenting the agent who brings
in the largest amount of business
and will not inquire too closely into
the methods by which he obtained
it.
The attitude of the President is
chiefly that Mr.. Morton has assured
him that he was in no way response
BILE for the rebates and that he does
not for a moment doubt the word of
his Secretary of the Navy. The
President adds however, as if 1t
condoned the present course oil the
Department of Justice, that it has
not been the custom of that Depart
ment In the past to prosecute the
ofhcers of a corporation caught vio-
lating the law unless there was some
evidence to show that such officers
were directly responsible. The
President ignores, of course, that he
is in this instance merely adding one
more case to establish a pernicious
precedent. The President also
maintains that Mr.. Morton came
willingly before the Interstate Com
merce Commission and there gave
evidence which proved of the ut.
most value to the government in
enacting effective laws against the
rebate system, that he should be
shown somewhat more than ordi.
nary consideration.
The President is also certain to
come in for criticism for his course
with regard to the Bowen-Loomis
affairs. 1t is true that Bowen did
not establish his ase against
LOOMS and that he unquestionably
deserved dismissal for his course
with regard to his superior officer,
the Assistant Secretary OF State.
But it is equally true that Mr..
LOOMS was shown to have been
guilty of an indiscretion which an
unpreiudiced judge must have re.
garded as ample to warrant his sew
erance from the diplomatic service
OF the Government. 1t was, accord
ing to Secretary Taft. clearly estab-
lished that Secretary Loomis pur-
chased interests which, had he not
been recalled from Venezula, he
must have represented before the
venezuelan Government in his ca
pacity of Minister Of the United
States. Secretary Taft does cen
sure this course on the part of the
Secretary but If the President had
preserved his usually severe course
of dealing with anything savoring
OF dishonesty on the part of officials
of the Government he must have
suggested TO Mr.. LOOMS the pro.
priety of his quietly reslgning.
The administration is once more
face to face with one of those prob
lens which must inevitably, fire.
quently confront "world power. ="
This time It is an invitation from
the Sultan Of Morocco to partici
pate in a conference of the powers
TO determine what course shall be
pursued with view to remedying
certain evils in Morocco. This is
the conference instigated by the
Kaiser with the purpose Of defeat.
ing the policy Of France in Morocco
and which is so seriously opposed
by both France and Great Britain.
In times gone by the United States
would have calmly observed such
proceedings from afar with the as.
surance that whatever might be the
outcome il could in no way affect
the interests Of this country. As
matter Of fact the trade Of Morocco
with the United States does not
amount to anything now but there
seems to be every likelihood shat,
making the trade the excuse, the
United States will send a represen
tatiye to the conference il one act
ually occurs. Such a policy may
be mistaken but 10 is one Of The M
ewtable penalties OF being a world
power.
a good story is going the rounds