The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-07-28
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

W II w AO In" YIN LIZ L A1As.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
Mr.. ED1ToR-The indictment of the
cotton grafters in the Department OF Az
riculture seems to be an approaching pos
sibility. In view of the fact that it is re-
ported Holmes made half million out of
his crookedness, it would seem that trial
of some sort is in order. 1t is quite like
ly that the Secretary of Agriculture would
have been satisfied with Holmes dismis'
sal from the service, but he has prodded
by the Executive; and the acting Attor-
ney General and the Attorney for the
District of Columbia have been in pom
derous conference and now 'think" they
may be able to proceed with criminal
prosecution that may include more peo-
pie than Holmes. A Washington broker
who knows the ms and outs of the cotton
market, said in an interview today that If
he had had the advance information in
Holmes possession, he could have made
million for himself in the market and Civ.
added with an unctious smile that Of
course he would not have been guilty of
any such crooksdness, but the possibili-
ties open to Holmes are patent from his
statement and it is probable that public
opinion if nothing else will force crimi-
nal prosecution of the case
One of the results Of the cotton leak
has been a reorganization of the Agricul-
tural Department as far as the statistics
arc concerned. The preparation OF the
crop reports are to be placed in the hands
of a board. As soon a. the returns from
the field come in, they will be locked up
in vault by the Assistant Secretary. who
will be the chairman Of the board. On .
given day he will hand the reports to the
other members of the board who will be
four division chiefs and let them figure
aver ages. An average will then be taken
of their averages and the report issued.
The work will be done in an inside room
of the Department and Secretary Wilson
is responsible for the assurance that a
leak of any sort will be absolutely i'm
possible" The late Statistician Mr.. Hyde
has been giving that same sort of assur-
ance for at least five years past. Possibly
however, the Secretary's assurance will
be more assuring.
The government is on the point Of op-
ening bids for the importation of the
coolly laborers to the Isthmus to work on
the Canal that will be built sometime
with the permission of the Chagres River
and the trans continental railways.
There will be between 5000 and 10000
able bodied coolies Hindus and the like,
landed by the contractors on the Isthmus.
The laborers will be selected in their
homes and shipped to the Isthmus by the
contractor. He is expected to make his
profit out of the transportation of the Ia
borers, which ought to assure the laborers
of palatial accommodations en- route.
The deal will be shorn of any semblance
of servitude by the comedy Of each labor
er coming up to the pay shed and asking
in wondering tone whether tho builders
Of the canal can give him a job. The
probabilities are that after being brought
three or four thousand miles for that par
ticular purpose that a job will be found
him, and he will thereupon make an in
dividual contract with the government.
After his contract term is over, if he is
not dead in the meantime, which is
probability also, he will be returned to
China or wherever he came from by the
contractor, that is If he does not immigrate
to the United States by way of the Texas
border. The chances for Chinese impor-
tation over that border are large and tho
remuneration is fully proportionate to the
risks.
China has sent an identical note to the
powers on the subject of Manchuria. No
one cares particularly what China says
on the subject Of Manchuria but the note
has arrived in Warrington and has been
forwarded to the President at Oyster Bay.
China declares she will not be bound by
any agreement entered into by Russia and
Japan at the coming peace conference
that does not recognize her sovereign
rights in Manchuria. This is chiefly in.
teresting from the fact that Japan has
loudly proclaimed that she did not intend
to do anything with Manchuria but return
it to China. China's note seems to indi-
cate lack of faith in Japan's assurances
and it is just possible that if any result is
ut all by the Russian and Japanese en-
voys at Portsmouth it may be of such q
nature as to awaken the fears of all the
powers, including the United States that
have the territorial integrity of China at
heart Chinese diplomacy is not usually
asleep at critical junctnre, and it is Just
possible that she may have gotten a hint
as the proposed japanese terms before
anyone else outside Of Japan.
The will of the late Secretary Hay has
been submitted for probate in the District
court. 1t is short document and with
the exception Of three personal BEG uests,
leaves the whole of the estate to Mrs.
Hay. The amount involved is said to be
we'll over q million dollars.
Mothers Earl