The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-21

The violations Of law. admitted by
be now on trial for crimes against
the law of his country rather than
to he selected as the man to stamp
rebates and graft and the like out
of the Equitable The conduct of the
administration with reference to these
charges against Morton constitutes
public scandal and tends to discredit
Mr.. Roosevet's good faith in the pro-
secution of parties taking rebates
'"The incident is frauSht with danger,
says the New York Evening Post, for
President who has justly acquired
of late very enviable renown for his
readiness to prosecute not merely the
bad trusts, but all corporation Of
tenders His zeal in this direction
has made him appear TO thousands
upon thousands of citizens a knightly
defender of the rights of the people,
ready to break innumerable lances IN
their behalf upon the armor of the
trusts and public service corporations:
If it should appear, therefore, that
he was unwilling to expose member
of his own official family to deserved
punishment, the disappointment in
him would be widespread and great
Not even his well known loyalty to
his friends would excuse a failure to
deliver Mr.. Morton to the prosecuting
auth critics and the courts. 1T would,
moreover. increase the doubts as to his
earnestness in fighting for the rate
making power which are apparent in
diverse quarters since the practical adj.
mission that there is to be no extra
session of Congress for that purpQse, 4
Il, 1t sis3 on Maff estai3ii$hed7 that It'd
son Harmon and Frederick N. Judson,,
the two distinguished lawyers employ
cd by the Government to investigate
the giving of rebates by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway TO the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company,
have withdra wn from the case because
the Attorney General refused them
permission to prose, ute Nj. Morton
for giving secret II cats. These able
attorneys are unwilling to prosecute.
little fellows when Mr.. Morton's guilt
shows that he should not escape prose
cut.On. If he can escape because he
is member of the Cabinet and the
man selected by the Wall street inter-
ests to manipulate the Equitable, then
the administration is denying "a
square deal in the most important
matter that has vet come before the
administration. The people are just
~ tired of seeing the little fellows
punished and the high rollers, who
are the real guilty parties, protected
by public officials. as the attorney
General seems to be doing in this in
stance On this line of the case tht
New York Evening Post we'll says
Now, to allow such plain VIC
lation of the law to escape punish
ment wCul'l hc bad enough from the
point of view Of The Administration.
but it would be even worse from that
of the people. 1t would confirm a
very widespread belief, particularly
strong in the West, that corpora
ton rascal can escape every time
where small thief gets a long time in
Jail Our Hydes and Alexanders go
scot free after abusing their positions
of trust; it s'the Equitable clerk who
| steals $4,000 of the policy-holders
| money that finds himself in Jail. As
we have frequently pointed out, all
the trust prosecutions in the world
VIII not reach the real evil II the men
behind them, those who violate the
laws. grant rebates, take unfair ad-
vantages or corrupt public officials,
are to go free When that eagerly de-