West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-08-17
OUR washington Letter
The Ship Subsidy Business Gets
Another Black Bye-ThiS Time
From South America.
The Chinese Are Now Getting Even
With Us by Boycotting
Our Goods.
From our regular correspondent.

From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. IS.
The work of the Grand Jury prob
ing the cotton and other scandals
in the Agricultural Department has
been suspended for a week or ten
days, but there have been runner
Gus conferences of the District At
torney and the head officials of the
Department Of Agriculture and of
the Department of Justice. The
latest witness that is rumored to
have been summoned IS another
woman, the wife of Mr.. Peckham,
who was prominently mentioned IN
the case in its first stages. Mrs.
Peckham is described as bright
business woman who runs several
enterprises of her own and laughs at
the efforts of The District Attorney
to involve her in the scandal. 1t is
said at the same time that she has
some papers in a safe deposit box
in Chicago having an important
bearing on the investigation and
that she will be forced To testify be
fore the grand jury whether she has
anything important to divulge or
not. 1t looks as though the Depart
ment of Agriculture were getting a
little tired of the investigation bust
ness anyhow. 1t was thought at
first that DR.. Salmon would be at
least suspended while the investiga
ton of his department, the Bureau
of Animal Industry, was going on,
but it appears from the statement OF
Secretary of Agriculture today that
this will not be done un-
less, as it was put at the Department,
something turns up to warrant such
action" It's hardly likely that the
active head of a big government
bureau would have anything of the
sort "turn up" in his department if
he could possibly avoid it. The
charges against the Bureau of SOILS,
1t was stated today, were not being
pushed at all and it is quite possible
that the matter will be allowed to
drop. The same may also be true
of the proposed investigation in the
Geological Survey. But such a
scare as was thrown into that bu-
reau by the mere proposal of an in
yestigation was ludicrous. 1t s
possible that there may not have
been anything actually wrong with
the Survey, but it is certain that
there has been a great deal of loose
ness in it, Assays were being made
for private parties with pull by the
government analysts and il was re-
ported that some private prospect
ing parties actually went into the
field equipped with government in
struments and in some cases with
! government horses and mules.
Whether or not these charges could
be proved in an investigation is not
known, bu, there isa great deal OF
terror manifested in the Survey
lest such an attempt should be
made.
The enterprising gentlemen, prin-
cipally in the Senate and some OF
them in the House, who wait a,
every turn to spring the ship sub.
sadly question, have received rather
black eye from the report OF the
/ government experts sent TO South
America to look into this very qucs.
ton and its relation TO the foster
ing Of American trade. Mr. Lin.
coin Hutchinson, who has been
down in South America looking up
trade relations, says that a subsidy
for a fast line Of steamers between
the United States and South Ameri-
can ports would do nothing toward
helping the trade situation. Il is
I tho old rry en- f.v az o.. t..I. H.