Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-01-26

II
j to Panama Canal sffairs has gotten it
y self into bad tangle at the very out.
, set OF Its labors. Ii has a recalcitran I
witness on it's hands in the person of
Mr.. Poultney Bigelow, a magazine
writer OF some reputation. Mr.. Bige-
low was college classmate of EN-.
peror William of Germany. and close
friend of President Roosevelt be side
being a traveller, a good all round
sportsman aud writer OF international
repute. Mr.. Bigelow, it will be re.
mem bered some time ago wrote maya !.
zine article saying number of un-
pleasant things about the Panama
situation. He was singled out by Sec
Rotary Taft as the one writer among a
great many who had been saying un.
pleasant things about the canal, for a
spirited reply. The Secretary alleged
that Mr.. Bigelow had only been on the
lsthmus 70 hours aud knew nothing of
what he Was writing about. However,
that is more or less beside the mark.
Fouitney BigeloW's article was no
more or less severe than a good many
Others had been but be was an author
OF some reputation and therefore a
good man to make an example of. The
Senate committee undertook to CROSS
question bin as to his source of in
formation and why he should dare to
write anything against the canal.
NOW, being friend of the President,
1T is not likely that Mr.. BigeIow was
actusted by any personal malice iu the
things be wrote. And it has been prov
ed good many times that newspaper
and magazine writer's are not given to
betraying their sources of Information
under compulsion. The Senate has
been up against this sort of recalci
trance At least once in the past few
years IN the case of the Sugar Trust |
investigation. There it had two
newspaper men, John Shriver and
Chas. Edwards whom it undertook to
put Oh the rack and force to divulpe
the names OF their informants in GER
tain matters they had written about.
The writer's baked and claimed that
the things told them were as much
privileged as the statements made pro-
fessionalIy to q priest of a physician.
The Senate certified them in contempt
and they were constructively convict.
ed but their trial and conviction was
farce and they never saw the inside of
a jail. Whether they were right or
whether Mr.. Bigelow was right in the
things they published became minor |
question beside the larger one of the {
right OF congressional committee to &
haul up any author and compel him to &
dlyulge the names OF any people he has 1
talked with in gathering material for 1
An article. The committee has divid
I'd On party lines, Senator German and
Senator Simmons holding that 1t is un-
Wise TO push Mr.. Bigelow to extremes.
While Senator Knox and his colleagues f
ieclare that he should be certified to u
he President of the Senate and punish. i
I'd for contempt. Senator German has k
AIKEN the common sense view of the q
ase whatever the law may be. For to lc
ingle Mr. Bigelow out for punishment b.
would be to make martyr Of him tt
efore the public and to freeze up any "
ther witnesses the committee might u,
7ans to examine. The Capitol is con OF
lderably stirred up over the affair for is
involves the whole question Of the in
ress. 1t is not likely that it will have al
ny serious consequences for the writ. d.
r, but 1t certainly has put the Senate vi
ommittee in an embarrassing position til
the outset of its labor. W,
The appointment of Luke G. Wright th
first ambassador to Japan to sue. to
'eu LLOYD Grlsc0m, is something of q S2
irprise. Judge Wright is a Tennes. ed
70 man and has had six years of hard stt
ork in the Philippines where be was ms
nj as member of the first Mckinley W.T.
mmisslon. 1t will be recalled that pc
&c announcement of the commission ex'
IS not hailed with any great en-. bu
uslasm at the time. Commissioner
ut was an unknown quantity. Luke Wi
right: while he had held the office of an(
torney general Of Tennessee, was a Hi
little known outside his own by
tie and was thought to have been mil
own in merely to give the commits.
N bipartisan color. Henry Ide of
was about equally well
own. But as it proved, all three of Oh
'se little known men did excellent and
TX. Commissioner Taft was even dels
lily called to the War Department visi
Secretary. Judge Wright, after por
ming the affections and confidence trat
he natives, has now been made an II
Dassador. and Commissioner Ide ia hav
' governor general of the Philip. Rail
es, which position he viii hold for fore
me at least as an honor before COM trac
home to enjoy a we'll earned rest. the
ne Keep Commission 3 long expect. RI
eport on the Department of Agri. piles
ure has been published and Secre. Mret
: Wilson had made at least a par. hon,
reply. The report, as was sur enge