Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-08-03
Washington Letter.
(FRoM OUR REGULAR CONSEQUENTLY
Saturday, July 20 1903

ulcIOuuuVo uiN WPoA'SAS oAo~N~ wv
colt China if China insists on boycott
ing the United States. This Is a sug-
gestion that has been based on the
showing of the Department of Com
merce and Labor to the effect that
while we sell about twice as much to
China as China buys Of us, the oriental
imports are not thing for which the
United States is at all dependent on
China aud they could be just as well
gotten from Japan. The exports Of the
United States to China amounted in
the past year to about 100000, 900
while our imports were but $50. 100000
Still that trade could be cut off from
China entirely if the merchants in the
United States so decided and China
would feel the loss keenlY. The Chi
nese imports to this country consist
principally of tea, raw silk and hides.
Now tea is equally available from In
dia and Ceylon while the other articles
of strictly oriental sort can be had from
Japan. If China wants to play boy
cotting, it is suggested that this coun-
try is in pretty good position to take
a hand in the game and probably Chi
ma would get tired Of it as soon as this
country.
1t is unquestionable that this coun-
try has not dealt with China on the
same basis as 1t would in dealing with
any first class power aud there is
great deal of bitterness over the way
that the Chinese exclusion law has
been worked on the Pacific coast. 1t
is said now that China has stffened her
neck in the face of continued ignominy
of this sort and that when Congress is
called upon to deal with the expiring
Chinese treaty 1t will discover that
while China would have been perfectly
willing to negotiate satisfactory trea.
ty with US year ago, that she has been
egged on by some Of the powers to as
sumo naughty attitude and that now
she will refuse to sign treaty at all
that provides for the exclusion of any
of her laborers from the Pacific coast.
The investigation of the cotton leak
in the Agricultural Department Is
dragging on and it now looks az though
the threat that the grand jury part of
it might continue for three weeks was
going to be fulfilled. Two of the wit
nesses who have been subpoened from
New York have fatty declined to an
swer the questions put to them by the
District Attorney and it remains to be
seen whether the court will exercise its
prerogative of sending them to Jail for
contempt if they do not answer or
whether the investigation will have to
90 on without them. The recalcitrants
are two New Workers named Haas and
Peckham. They have excused them
selves from replying to questions on
the ground that the court has no right
to compel them to answer and also that
answering might incriminate them. Of
course this latter plea adds 10 the int
crest in the Investigation and the court
has given them an additional twenty
four hours in which to show ca use why
they should not be made to answer.
Until this matter is settled the investi.
cation is crippled. Both the witnesses
are we'll provided with counsel and
they show every indication of fighting
for what they claim to be their consti-
tutional rights. The District Attorney
still claims that he has turned up
enough evidence for an indictment, but
whether it will be enough for convic.
ton Of any Of the parties concerned in
the leak is an entirely different ques-
ton. The officials interested in the in
quiry express considerable annoyance
that ex Statistician Hyde has taken
this particular time for a vacation in
Europe. He has answered some ques-
tions before the grand jury but his fur
Their testimony was wanted. His con.
fidential stenographer, Mrs. Burch. has
resigned and her resignation has been
accepted. 1t is stated that the affairs
Of the Bureau of Statistics are in a COM
plete state of decentralization and that
other designations are expected.
Interest was added to the Agricult-
ural Department tangle Today by the
resignation of DR.. Geo. T.. Moore, for
emrly of the Bureau of Soils. Dr..
Moore was the originator of the pro-
cess OF nitro enrichment Of soils and i'll
addition to formulating a compound
which the Department patented, wrote
several pamhlets on the subject which
were distributed to farmers. Mean
time a company WAS formed in W,st