The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-10-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,

t ina to deal Win the SITUATION III (uoa
The letters and kilograms which have
passed between the State Department.
Consul Stenheart of Havana. and Presi-
dent Palma, since the 5,h of September,
show that this government was asked to
intervene weeks before the fual step was
taken, and Gear out the old Porto Rican
saving that Palma is "a msn without
teeth" What the ultimate outcome will
he it is hard to say. Ofticisl aivices state
that disarmament is proceeding satsftc-
toriiv in nearly all the provinces. while
unofficial. dispatches say that it is pro
ceeding satisfactorily in only few of
them. Governor Magoon was selected at
the eleventh hour as provision Il governor
of Cuba, owing to his familiarity with the
Spanish laws. which were worked up in
the War Department into code for
e uta before this government let go lis
hol d in Havana and turned this manage
ment over to the natives. The record Of
Governor Magoon is that he is just man
aud good lawyer. Cubans are used to
neither one nor the other in public office
and it is doubtful if they can comprehend
any arrangements that he may make for
the holding of fair and impartial elections
in the island. They are used 20 corrup-
ton in office, they expectit from all office
holders, and they have never been disap
pointed, except during the brief period
OF American occupation. There is little
doubt that the maj ority If them would
welcome annexation aud II strong handed
administration by this government if it
could only be assured, but it will be i'm
possible for the United States to do more
at this junctur, than set the Cu5ans on
their tottering road and annexation, ii it
com, 8, will have to await the ncxs smash
up.
In this connection one story nav be al
missable Is showing just the mud sur
prise felt by the nhsbitants at the com.
paratively just and decent government
given then: during the American occupa
ton. General Wood selected Gu
ban as Mayor of Santiago as soon AS he
inconvenience themselves in order to
strew tacks in the path Of ;the meat in
spection automobile. Twice since the
new law has been put into effect has the
Department been forced to amend its
rules under which the law was operating.
In the first case it was found that ships
destined for foreign point were being
held up from twelve to twenty four hours
because the meat certificates which the
was appointed Governor of the province.
The Mayor took Office gaily and among
other municipal assets was supplied with
large consignment of kerosene for
street lighting. There had been street
lamps for long time, as the erection OF
lamps meant graft for the Spanish Gov.
ernor, but for the first time in years they
were cleaned up and lighted while the
Americans had ,harge of the city. Every
thing was illuminated and lovely for
about a week. and there was such an
overplus of cheap kerosene in private
houses as had never been known before
After about week the street lamps went
out, and when the Mayor was called to
time by the American authorities, he ad-
mitted, confidentially Of course, but at
the same time with child like innocence,
that he had been selling the municipal
supply to every corner grocery in town
at cut rates. He did not see that there
was anything wrong in it because every
other Mayor had done it, and the mere
fact that there was no oil for street lamps
was minor consideration with him and
not growled ut particularly by the popu-
lace. People who have been used to this
SOFT of government will take a long
course of training before they realize that
BILE from any government.
1t looks as though the revelations
brought out by the Interstate Commerce
Commission in connection with grating
in the Pennsylvania Railroad will be dis-
counted by some Of the facts that have
been unearthed by the Commission in its
recent Investigation with the western
coal roads 1t will be remembered that
the investigation Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission and that Of Bureau of
Corporations in the Department Of Com.
merce and Labor, into the coal and oil
carrying roads OF the United States, over.
Tapped at a good many points and there
was some question when the Interstate
Commerce Commission finished 1t Was
determined, however, to send Judge
Prouty te Omaha to continue the coal in.
vestigation and he is now on his way
home. having. it is alleged, unearthed
the most stupen dous frauds committed in
recent years against the government. Iu
these are involved the acquisition of coal
lands by the transcontinental roads of the
Hartman group by the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Co. and the Utah Fuel Co. Just
how the lands were acquired or what
prosecutions may be necessary has not
yet been explained. but it is said that
thousands of acres of rich coal lands have
been taken from the Government by fraud
and that the graft and corruption shown
in the Pennsylvania Railroad will pale
into sign ificance in comparison.