Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-08-18
Washington Political Gossip,

washington TUiititdt uUSe'p'
The story Of graft in the federal depart
ments here is spreading worse than
Yellow fever. 1t is stated that the
lcharges sprung on the Geological Sur
vey will necessitate thorough prob
ing of that bureau and that the mere
connection of some officials with
mining paper in the west, while az
mlttedly improper will not be the most
serious thing that will be unearthed.
The charges against the Weather Bu-
reau are stated in equally well-founded
partizan evidence to be entirely ab
surd' and capable of full substantial
tiou. II is likely that both bureaus
will receive the attention OF the Keep
| Com mission and how much turns up or
how mucn remains hidden, is u matter
OF The future. There remains yet the
| Navy War and State Departments to
| be caught in the drag net aud then the
round of the departments will be COM
plete. To be sure the State Depart
ment had little scandal of its own
1me time back, but the charges in the
BoWen-LoOmiS case were dismissed as
unfounded and it has been considered
q rather unsafe thing to critize high
state department officials since then.
Ii is quite possible, however, that is a
thorough investigation of the depart
ment were made some queer things
might be turned up in the line OF ''visl' s
to inspect consulates," and other relics
only thrown out as suggestion. Ihe
Army and Navy have been singularly
free from seri Gus scandals that of Cap
tain Carter. being the only time an
Engineer officer was ever known to go
wrong, while the chances for graft in
the navy are limited SO far as the actual
service is concerned though there are
some phases of war ship construction
that might stand looking into.
The beinvestigation in the Agricultural
Department has taken a rest for the
time being. Ex Statistician Hyde has
announced his intention of returning
from England and this is taken as an
evidence of his ignorance and honesty.
Il is severely eOnsured by his friends
in Washington for running away on the
very eve Of the investigation, and it
was believed to be at the personal in
stigation of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture that he decided to return. A
clever man would hardly have put him
self in such position for criticism and
q knowingly dishonest one would have
stayed abroad once be got safely there.
| Meantime Secretary Wilson has an
lnounced his intention to foregO vaca-
| tion this Summer and to stay at home
and clean up the investigation business
| this summer. There is paratively
little of the summer left for such
large job. 1t has apparently been
proved by outside evidence that there
was nothing wrong in the Bureau of
Animal Industry In connection with
the meat label business, but there will
probably be disagreea bic things un-
earthed when it comes to investigating
the whole of the meat subject in the
department. 1t is claimed by some of
the smaller competitors of the Beef
Trust that they could not get meat in
lspectors assigned to their plants by the
Department and were therefore pre-
Ivented from using the Departments
certificate label and put at disadvan
tage especially in the export trade
where such label is "a necessity. At
the same time DR.. Salmon, the head
of the Bureau of Animal Industry
states that be was not given money
enough to pay the meat inspectors,
that the business of his bureau is now
running $6 900 to SIS, ,0OO month over
it's limit aud if there is not some radi-
cal action taken by Congress he will
| not be able TO carry on the inspection
work next year.
That is Just where the hitch has come
between the executive departments anC
, | Congress and promises to raise con
4 siderable trouble at the coming ses
/ sion. The action of the Bureau of AM
NAL Industry in running ahead OF III
! appropriation is only a sample of wha
J is going on very largely in all the de
partments 1t is a practice bitterl.
resented by the legislative branch O.
the government and is one bound t
3 Icause trouble when the appropriation
Q bill come up at the impending session.
q The supporters of the administratio
8 are still uusily explaining the attitud
e of the executive toward the comm
Z reciprocity conference. This is a yer
3 sore subject both at the White House
& temporarily Installed at Oyster Ba.
& and IN the varions departments wher
Z the members of the cabinet preside
. The fact is that the administratiC
4 while pledged to reciprocity and tarl
D revision, has been badly snubbed b
Z | Congress on the subject of reciprocit
4 treaties and is afraid of getting tangle
9 up with an unofficial demonstratit
3 that however mucn it may believe al
Z assert itself 10 be strictly non partiza
& lis likely 10 develop strong polite
8 bias before the last vote of thanks
3 rendered The country decidedly nee
3 both q sealing down of the tariff wa
aud sensible Arrangement WlGn II
elgn countries on which reciproci
ltreaties could be negotiated. The nj
: ter is being delayed and put off a
3 lprobably will NOS o. touch ID till
~ -. ,..,nnil IL. ~ Ii. f...i.Il..y spS III