The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-07-29
Scandals in Washington.

Following charges of leakage in the Bureau
of Statistics concerning the acreage and con-
dition of the cotton crop, are charges affect
ing the reliability of the reports on the tobacco
crop. Congressman Trimble, of Kentucky,
in an interview with Secretary Wilson, said
there we're countless errors in the June report,
both as to acreage and condition. In some
large tobacco growing counties in Kentucky
the Department of Agriculture, said Mr..
Trimble, had no representatives, and in
another county, Bourbon, one of the agents
is a tobacco buyer, interested more in the low
price of the commodity than in the accuracy
of his reports In the cotton scandals the
chief offense seems TO have been the furnish
ing 10 certain cotton brokers the cotton reports
in advance of their official publication, by
which the favored brokers reaped large profits
and the official who furnished the advance in.
formation received large sums for his peridy.
The grand jury has begun an investigation Of
the cotton scandal, and it is quite probable
an investigation of the tobacco reports will
be made by the Department. A tobacco
SPECTATOR is certainly unfit TO report on
the acreage aud condition of tobacco, and
the large tobacco growing sections should have
reliable representatives to report to the De-
partment of Agriculture.
1t is singular, too, that Secretary Wilson
has not more closely watched and guarded the
Bureau of Statistics. He mus, have known
that brokers and dealers would pay well for
! r r. l..
official bulletins. and that the temptation 10
clerks would be great. He should have had
knowledge Of the personnel, capacity, and
reliability of the Departments agents, and
that spectators and buyers of agricultural
products were unfit for their positions.
President Roosevelt has ordered an inves.
tigation of the business methods and workings
of all the Government departments, but
whether he has acted wisely in appointing
commission of department officials TO prose
cute the work remains to be seen. Officials
will be 10th to report incompetency, ui!sman
agement, bad methods or erimiHality in de
partments where they are employed, aud an
investigation by wholly disinieresied persons
would seem to have been a course TO pursue
that would have promised more beneficial re.
suits. Newspapers and individuals, so far,
have brought to light all the graft and rascal
ity known, and Cabinet officers have been
slow 10 take up the charges and allegations.
The graft in the Posioiice Department was
published al intervals for several months be-
fore official action was taken, and more than
year elapsed before some Of the guilty were
brought to justice.
1t is not likely that oil the graft, Irregular
ties and rascality is confined 10 the PosIotfiee
and Agricultural Departments Strong sus-
picions we're uttered against the War and Navy
Departments during and after the war with
Spain, and even the State Department has
recently had a small scandal, resulting in the
dismissal of one minister and the inculpaton
of the second officer of that Department
Every department of government should be
above suspicion. Incompetent, dishonest aud
unnecessary employees should be dismissed !
and antiquated methods be replaced by more
efficient systems While the Investigations
ordered by the President may result in much |
improvement, still the probing should be done /
by other persons than those appointed. For 4
political effect there is likely to be a silent |
and almost irresistible inclination to pass over
or sti1e so far as possible glAring facts, and I
it is not probable thorough overhauiiug Of all |
the Departments will be made until there is /
an entire change in the whole Administration 1
at Washington,