Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-07-05
FROM WASHINGTON.


c,.,es. the Hon. T. Roosevelt, is
,,a,,ipc himself disliked by the
,bick and thin party papers that
t.ye always hitherto stood for any
Inc that the Republican admins
ton ever did. IL all comes up
oror the rather remarkable cor
osoondence recently made public
..,reen President Roosevelt, Sec
.,.rv Morton of the Navy, Attor-
aov.General Moody and the special
ao.nsel designated to investigate
,be charges of rebate paying
sn.;nst the A. +. < ;. +. X. r.,
til President Roosevelt's direct
r,fusal 10 allow the prosecution of
AZ Morton for his participation
= that rebate paying, bears out
rbat have said in this correspon-
donce touching on the sincerity of
,ho President regarding railroad
rate legislation. 1t proves to my
mind conclusively that the whole
thing Is a farce. and that the Pres
dents strenuous announcements,
that he proposed to put freight
rates. under government control,
and make that an issue of his fall
cqmpaign. was either mere blind
IN stave off tariff revision cor else a
sbrewd piece of work TO create an
Issue with which to further the in
,erests of Secretary Taft as a
Presidential candidate, and If sue
cessful. to be used in building up.
an impregnable Republican ma
chine.
The remarkable bill OF health,
which he gives to Mr.. Morton in
his letter of June l2, has stunned
railroad men. Nothing else. Every
railroad man knows that If rebates
were allowed, as between the \. T.
& :. f. X. Il. and the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Co., Mr.. Morton as
traffic manager of the road must,
Of necessity, have been cognizant.
Ii could not be otherwise. The
red tape of railroad offices is
scarcely less than that of Govern
ment bureaus. If rebates were
gwen to the fuel and iron com
pany, or anybody else, the checks
and vouchers therefor, must, per-
force, have passed through Mr..
Morton'S hands. 1t is simply in
conceivable that such things should
obtain in the management of a
railroad without the knowledge of
the man who is at the head of the
tariff department, as Secretary
Morton was. Either the statement
made by him 10 the President, and
on which President RooSevelt's
whitewashed letter was based is
untrue, or Secretary Morton was
not good railroad man, and that
never has been asserted at any
time in the many years he has
been connected with the railroads.
As matter of fact his reputation
among railroad men as rebate
payer was paramount to any other.
That these rebates have been paid
by officers of the tariff department
under Mr.. Morton without his
knowledge and consent, and con-
trary to his direction, is simply
impossible.
Such thing could not happen
IN any railroad Office in this coun-
Try and every railroad man is sat
IShed of 1t. Another thing which
tins remarkable correspondence
develops Is the fact that the posi-
ION of the railroad companies, that
existing laws are sufficient to pun
iSh any infraction of them, is cor
rect, Is made evident to any one
VINO Is willing to see that fact.
MeSSrs. JudsOn and Harmon have
proved this SO conclusively as to
call Tor executive interference in
order to protect an old and warm
personal friend. The special coun-
sci found way under the so-called
EANln S law and the provisions of
Vne Sherman Act to punish not
only the railroads but the officers
vi those railroads. And when the
way Is found, the President of the
united States steps in and says il
SnaIl not be used effectively be-
cause 1t happens to hit one of his
friends. The crux of the whole
matter, therefore. seems to be that
'"e country has enough to punish
any offender among railroad mer
VINO may make rebates and dis.
examinations in favor of individual,
UT localities lint thot Ion, - not