The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-06-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

ence in the capital OF the United State
will doubtless prove a source of.sfatifica
ton to all loyal Americans seven though
they appreciate that there are some dan
gers entailed by the suddenly enhanced
Importance of Washington as diplomat
ic center. In itself the decision implies
compliment to this country for the reason
that it is testimonial to the pei feet neu-
trality which the United States has main
tanned throughout the struggle of Russia
and Japan for the supremacy of the far
east. Japan feared the partisan interests
of Europe and persistently objected to
meeting the Russian commissioners in
any European capital save that of its ally,
England. Russia objected to London and
would not listen to the suggestion that
the peace negotiations he conducted near
the seat of war, or, in fact any where in
Asia. Consequently the United States
became the natural place in which to
seek a compromise city and when this
was made clear to the President he i'm.
mediatelY proposed Washing ton, although
his previous influence had been in favor
of the Hague, for the sentimental reasons
surrounding that birthplace of Internal
TOTAL arbitration and universal peace
movement
Once the preliminaries to the formal
conference of japanese and Russian plen-
ipotentaries According to custom it is
incumbent on this country to play the
part of host and provide a place for the
meetings of the delegates, but there is an
abundance of such places in Washington
so that obligations present few Difficult
ties 1t has been suggested by the Presi-
dent that, if Washington in August
proves uncomfortably warm the plenipo-
tentaries may easily adjourn to some
cooler city for a time to return to Wash
ington later in the season. The President
has even said that if this course is deter
mined upon he will place two naval yes
sells at the disposal of the conferees to
take them to some place like Newport or
Bar Harbor presumably the dispatch
boats, the Dolphin and the Sylph. There
is no doubt, however, that the penipo
tentaries will succeed in effecting peace
convention, and the President is certain
that they will that it will be signed in
Washington and will ga down in history
as the treaty of Washington. being the
first convention OF great international
importance ever signed in the capital Of
the United States.
People in Washin gton are watching
with great deal of interest for the prom
ised explanation of the resignation of
Messrs. Judsou and Harmon who were re
tanned by the government as special coun-
sci in the prosecution of the re-
bate case against the Sante Fe
RAILROAD. All that is known so far is that
these attorneys have resigned because of
a difference of opinion with Attorney
General Moody, but it IS suspected in
some quarters that this difference arose
with regard to the possible prosecution of
Paul Morton, Secretary of the Navy.
However. the Attorney General has
promised to publish an explanation which
will accord with the views of himself and
the distinguished counsel and the conser-
vative public will await that explanation.
Attorney Gen. Moody has recently voic-
ed complaint against the newspapers of
this country because, he says, they want
the Department of Justice to try its cases
before the tribunal of the press, as he ex-
presses it. It other words, the Attorney
General maintains that the newspapers
insist on knowing and on publishing the
discoveries and plans of the Department
before they are revealed in the courts and
that in this way the cases of the Govern
ment are weakened by their revelation in
advaIc to the attorneys for the defence.
While there may be some ground for
this complaint there seems to be little
reason why the Department should not
refuse to reveal information when such
revelation would weaken the Govern
ment's case and the newspapermen
charged with the duty of reporting the
work of the Department have never per-
ceived any reluctance to suppress infor-
nation when it pleased the Attorney Gen
eral to do so.
Attorney General Moody made one
in conversation with your cor.
recently which deserves con-
sideration and even support by the law
abiding people of the country. He said
that with view to preventing an inno-
cent man from suffering the law makers
had gone to radical extreme in placing
obstacles in the way of prosecuting Grim
mails, or men charged with crime, and
that it was, under existing statutes mat
ter of years to merely bring to trial a
man who was under indictment irrespec.
tive of how conclusive the evidence was.
The Attorney General referred especially
to the case CT State Senator George E.
Green of New York who was indicted
more than two years ago and who is still
free awaiting the decision of the Supreme
Court on his habeas corpus suit, which
decision cannot be rendered until aut umn
The Attorney General bespoke popular
support for his recommendation to Con
gress that a statute be enacted providing
that any person indicted for violation of
a United Statute might be brought i'm
mediately to the District Of Columbia for
trial without any intervening legal pro-
ceedings. 1t is to be hoped that such "A
statute will be enacted next session.