Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-05-23
ROOT INVESTIGATES CHARGES
Recent Report on Federal Represen-
tatives in the Orient Looks Like
the Refuse Of a "Muck Raker"-
Accused Men Have All Held Good
Regulations in the States.
(Ry Associated Prese !

WASHINGTON. d. c.. May %
Secretary Root has started a thor
ough investigation into the charges
made by Assistant Secretary Piecre
against the former consuls In tho
Orient and the counter-charges made
by the accused men against Mr..
PIERCE.
The three most prominent cases
to which the attention of the public
| have been directed are those Of DR..
McWade, former Consul General at
Canton. China; o. +. Williams, for
merly consul at Singapore, and Rich
ard I. Greener, who occupied like
position at Vladivostok.
Injustice Has Been Done.
The inquiries OF Secretary Root
have proceeded far enough to war.
rant him in the belief that a great
| injustice was done in the case OF
Richard II. Grecner. aud it is Off.
cially announced that that man Is
! to be restored to the consular ser.
L4ice
An old Latin maxim is ex undo
disccomnes-from Que learn all
and II remains to be seen If II will
apply in all three cases Those who
know the three principal victims of
| the Peirce report are unable to nc
count for the radical change which
has come over ihnm according to
that document since their sojourl
in the Orient.
McWade m Editor.
Dir. McWndc was for nearly quar-
ter Of Il century editor of the Phild-
delphia Ledger He was the founder
Of the Permanent Relief Society OF
the Quaker City. an organization
which has expended upwards OF sl5.-
O00,000 in the prompt relief of such
sufferers from calamities as those of
Johnsotwn, Memphis, Galveston and
San Francisco. He was elected per.
manent secretary of the society. and
up to the time Of his appointment
TO the consular service his reputa-
ton was as high as that of any
citizen Of the Quaker CITY.
| Mr.. Williams. OF Rochester, ~ Y.
another of those against whom Mr..
PIERCE has made such serious charg-
es, enjoys the respect and confidence
of his fellow citizens of Rochester.
and, it is said that the general dis.
position among them Is to believa
that Secretary PIERCE has been griev-
ously misled in his case at least.
Greener Is Negro.
Richard r. Greencr Is colored
man. He was born in South Caro-.
| lima and was educated at Harvard
He was the first colored man to be
graduated from the Cambridge il,',
tuition. For sometime he was law
clerk in the Office of the Comptrol-
Ter of the treasury. and afterwards
was appointed secretary of the New
York city civil service commission
and secretary Of the Grant monu
ment fund.
Both In Washington and New York
he enjoyed the entire confidence of
''sGi9 oHc WIFI WnUlli ne CdIlle III COli-
tact. His integrity was never ques-
tened. and so far as being "boorish'
in his demeanor he was, OH the con-
'rary. a man Of the most gentleman
ly bearing that is. before he went
TO Viadivostok.
PIERCE Muck Raker7
| The fact Is that Mr.. PIERCE seems
to have set the example followed bY
Ponltney Bigelow in his investigation
into the. condition of affairs on the
canal zone. He seems to have be.
lieved all he heard and to have
made little effort towards "investiga,-
ing for himself The Orient is full
of graft"
The free ports of China and the
ports of India are filed with men
who have schemes to put through.
American consuls might aid them