The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-30
Building Up a Most Cor.
rupt Machine in North
Carolina.
II the Revenue Crowd Can Knock Out
Officials Who Insist Upon Doing
Their Duty,;Yerkes viii Be "A
Bigger Man Than Old
Grant,

Especial to News and Observer.)
Washington, ID. c., April 20
There is considerable amount of
episodes that have taken place in
North Carolina and many Republicans
of prominence are doing some talk
ing that may mean much before il is
all over.
This talk is not confined to subordi-
nate department men, but several
United States Senators are known to
be very much disturbed over the un-
savory record of the office of the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue and
these Senators are men who stand
high in the counsels of the party in
power and have influence with the
President.
A very prominent Republican, who
holds a position of great influence UNI
der the administration, in speaking of
the matter today said: 1T has just
come to this that the charge that the
Democrats have been making all along
as to the Internal Revenue Bureau
being nothing but a political machine,
is proven true by the preSen notorious
conduct of Commissioner Yerkes. He
has possibly gone farther than any
ing all over the South. in every State,
political machine of revenue men:
and President Roosevelt can rest as
sured that as long as he keeps such
a man at the head of this bureau he
does not stand a ghost of show OF
building up a respectable Republican
party in the South"
A gentleman connected with the De
partment of Justice stated to me the
other day that that department knew
very little of the cOrru~t practices
charged against the Revenue Bureau.
cit seems that the President" he de-
clared, ''in his zeal to build up re-
spectacle Republican party in the
South by appointing men of known
character to judicial positions, has
been guilty of shortsightedness, for
it matters not how faithfully a jul
dicial officer may be he cannot en-
force the law successfully when the
agents of the revenue service are
present to make deals and cover up
the crimes of the political hench-
men,"
The milk in the cocoanut is this
Yerkes has the President hyDnotized,
and is organizing without the Presl-
dents knowledge the most corrupt
crowd that can be found ia the Re-
publican party in the South, through
appointments in the revenue service,
with no other purpose than to control
the Republican vote of the South for
Fairbanks for President and possibly
himself for vice-preSident. He is eX-
ceedingly egotistic, and, to use the re-
mark of a prominent party man made
today in my presence, he thinks ne
has more brains than any man III
Washington, except the President, and
he excerpts the President simply be-
cause he knows he had better do 1t.
/ understand from subordinates here
that the same state of affairs that
has been brought to light in North
Carolina exist in every Southern
State, that NorlN Carolina is not alone;
only in the matter of graft does NORTH
Carolina go ahead of the others.
do not believe that Yerkes would take
money corruptly by reason OF hl'
position" added the aforesaid party
man. but l know that he is today al
the head of the most corrupt political
machine in this country and that his
subordinates can pile up fortunes
which some are doing; all Yerkes de-
mands as his part is their polltlca
serfdom. / know of a revenue officer
that has for about four years received
as a salary about 81 200 who is now
worth $4,000 when he didn't have
cent at the start, and this is only one
instance among many.
| have learned enough to know tina
unless this political machine Is DE
stroyed it means the nomination o
Fairbanks and the absolute sway o.
the LIQUOR power in the South. Ii the
revenue crowd can just knock on
those officials in the South who 1nsls
on doing their duty. the field VIII pc
long TO them and to anyone whom MI
varLac faUnrS