Evening journal., 1905-07-19
INVESTIGATIONS
ARE PECULIAR
One Is Now in Progress at
the Government Printing
Office
TYPtSETIING MACHINES INVOLVED


the most peculiar investigations" ever
seen in this city is now in progress at |
the Government Printing ONCE where |
the Keep Commission is endeavoring !
TO determine whether a contract for
soventy-two Lanston typesetting ma
chimes were let on the merits OF the
machine or because of undue inilu- |
ence' in the shape OF profitable invest |
ments IN the stock OF the company. |
Every precaution Is taken to surround |
the proceedings with an impenetrable !
secrecy. Every witness the government |
warns not to discuss his testimony
under penalty Of dismissal; the COM
missioners are silent and the attorneys !
have been requested to say nothing !
The result of all these efforts are that
every day columns are published giving
voluminous reports OF these so-called
Secret" hearings. The fight is between
the Mergenthaler and the Lanston
machines and as much OF the testi-
mony relates entirely TO the merits Of
one or the other machine it is natural
that It should not be buried IN the
breasts of the officials or the attorneys.
All this makes the secrecy" feature
of the investigation look extremely
farcical. simultaneously tongues are
wagging as TO the outcome Of the
scandal IN the statistical bureau of the
Department OF Agriculture. The case
I is i'm the hands OF the u. S. Attorney
for the District of Columbia who ISL
trying 10 find a way to prosecute the
man who sold and the men who
bought advance information as to the
government reports on the condition OF
the cotton crop.
Running back a few years we had
the Bdstow investigation OF the Post
Office Department which resulted In
number OF indictments. a few trials and
stil fewer convictions. Before that was
the various Investigations growing out
Of the Spanish war. III a mention Of
these investigations, past and present,
be made, it is only for the purpose of
lcaling attention to the various methods
employed and the results obtained. The
war commissions proceeded in public
and everyone was satisfied with the
result; the scandal at the Department
LOT Agriculture was prObed by the
secret service and action was prompt
and effective. on the other hand the
Brlstow investigation was "a Sweat
box affair and substantially an that
ever reached the public was an ecparte
Presume Of testimony taken I'm secret.
and the comments OF President Roose-
welt on this exparte report. Old Cen
leral Tyner died of a broken heart after
a lifetime in the government service.
ldenied a kindly word by his prose-
lcutors even after a full trial and aquit-
tai 10y jury. His nephew, also ac-
quilted, lost his practice before the
department and was compelled to ex-
lpend his entire savings to clear him
self Others have been tried and
acquitted while still others have spent
thousands OF dollars in preparing their
eases and obtaining postponcments OF
their trials. What the cost has been
to the governments can only be approxi-
mated, but II cannot be far short OF a
million dollars up to the present time.
And yet the net outcome has been TO
shake a few rascals out OF their posi-
tions and sentence still fewer 10 the
lpenitentiary for a short period, while
accompanying this WAS trai bestrewn
with blasted regulations and ruined
men, many Of which, not having been
convicted. must be presumed to be in
nocent Nor should the late investiga-
tion by Commissioner Garfield into fhe
Beef Trust be forgotten for the report
NHlcn was the outcome or this secret
Investigation, suited nobody.
A conclusion based on the result Of
these secret Investigations as COM
pared with those conducted in pubic.
Is that the people are better satisfied
when inquiries into public affairs are
conducted in the open light OF day. Ii
Is doubtful II any valuable informa-
tion is obtained behind closed doors
that would not be forthcoming before
a public tribunal. while the oppor-
tunity to distort testimony thus taken
to serve the private ends Of parties to
the controversy IS unlimited and no
lmatter how highminded the inquisitors
may be, the suspicion must invariably
attach that something is withheld,
twisted or misrepresented and that the
witnesses or the parties investigated
did not get a fair show.