Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-04-06

Railroads Find New Way Of Evadins thu
Law-Local Courts Win Be Left to PunIsf
the Mob That We're in Contempt of thu
Higher Court.
tFrom our regular correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, d. c., March %.
The War Department has just deliv'
cred itself of u long announcement
anent the Mt. Dajo fight or massacre
whichever one chooses to call it, in the
Philippines. 1t is not written by any
of the officers who were on the spot at
the time of the fight but was prepared
at the cabled suggestion of Gen. Wood
by Major Scott of the 14th Cavalry,
one time Governor of Jolo and now on
duty in Washington. 1t is not pre-
tended that the report throws any
light on the real action at Mt. Dajo,
but it described conditions previous to
the fight and points out by inference
that no matter what happened to the
MorOs who were the victims of the
battle that they had earned all that
was coming to them. 1t is q remark.
able political document from the fact
that it is an apology in advance for
the action OF Gen. Wood who is natur.
ally the darling of the administration.
II is said that anyone familiar with
the situation in Jolo could have seen
the massacre coming for long time,
that it was the result of a Moro run.
ming amuck in North Borneo, Brit
ism possession, some months ago. The
Moro in question took refuge in Jolo
and the case is made out for the mas
sacre that it was punative expedi-
ton. "Punative expedition" is term
that the British are very fondof, and
was necessary to prevent complica.
tions with friendly power. All this
may be true in way, of course. But
it is quite remarkable that the War
Department should have thought it
necessary to issue such q remarkable
defense Of an action obviously to head
off hostile criticism that it knew was
coming to it.
"Uncle Joe" Cannon is out with a
boom for the Presidency. This is no
great wonder to those who know the
versatility and the ambition of the
present Speaker. The boom is . par.
lor growth, as it were, and has not yet
gotten extensively into print. But the
fact that it is more talked than printed
makes it all the more significant, at
this stage Of the game. The names
that show yearly in such q race are
rarely ones that have to be seriously
reckOned with at the finish and it is
thought that Fairbanks. Foraker, Shaw
and even Taft all belong to this class
that will be killed by early publicity.
But the Cannon boom is more OF the
dark-horse type. 1t is said that the
Speaker regards himself seriously in
connection with the position. This is
not startling. There is no Office within
the gift OF God, or the people. Tor which
he would not regard himself seriously,
if occasion offered, and one of the
most significant facts in this connec-
ton is that there is just now sprung
the proposition to make Secretary Of
State Root union Senator from New
York in place OF Senator Depew which
would take another little mentioned
but very real Presidential possibility
out of the running. Secretary Root
has already expressed his distaste for
the Presidency, but when il comes
down to the final choice, there are not
many men who can be recalled to have
put that possibility aside. He is one
Of the factors in the fight seriously TO
be reckoned with, and the effort to
shelve him in favor Of Speaker Can.
non makes the situation at this stage
all the more interesting.
It appears from report of the In
terstate Commerce Commission this
week that there is more trouble on the
railroad borizon. The Commission
has set for hearing in New York OF
March %, q complaint affecting num-
Der OF the big Eastern roads. 1t is that
they have been granting rebates to
favored shippers under . new guise.
They have billing freight carried at a
lower valuation than the merchandise
warranted and thus in effect paying a
rebate to the shippers while nominally
sticking to the published schedule.
This Is q new dodge in the railway
world, but it is of course not un.
expected. As fast as there is o way
found OF enforcing a law, the corpora
tions it is meant to restrain find a way
of getting around it. More interesting
than the mere fact that rebates have
been granted is the decision of the
Commission ct this stage to prosecute
the offense. 1t indicates that the
Commission is getting into traininS
to enforce whatever rate legislation is
ultimately enacted and makes the
prospect ahead for the railways little
more dismal for the railroads, in as
much as it seems they will be expected
to respect the law, thing they have
never heretofore attempted to do.
Little attention need be paid to the
rumors that the Supreme Court 10.
tends to proceed against the parties
who lynched the negro. Ed. Johnson,
at Chattanooga recently. The negro
was nominally under the protection of
the Supreme Court, a stay of execution
having been granted when the citizens
became impatient at the delay and
took the law into their own hands.
OF course the members of the Supreme
Court we're very indignant and there
was talk of direct proceedings for con.
tempt OF court. But it is said now
that while the Department of Justice
has been directed to inquire into the
case, it will be left to the local courts
to punish the perpetrators of the
lynchiug if they can. It is more than
possible that the whole matter will
resolve itself into quiet warning to
the local courts not to infiame local
opinion by stays and delays that will
bring on lynchings in the future and
thus put the supreme tribunal in the
ridiculous position OF having its orders
ignored. Dem.