The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-02-19

fHn President u'rfiWlN tufnH ihN IHII'r
urnn the Senate ne sent f0f the iu.
formation .n fhc possession of Herbert
Knox smith. Commissioner of toVon-
tious. locked BE- up Boo the White House
Offices. and is dofunu The Senate Ju.
dietary Committee.
In turn. The Judiciary Committee
throws ii. doors wide open aud allows
the pul Doc to enter aud hear The cXumi-
nation of Witnesses. II hailed George
W Perkins. of the New York firm Of
y. r. Morgan a Coz, 90 its presence,
and be- is one OF number Of very en-
PERTAINING Dat reluctant witnesses who
hnvc been heard in recent days. The
inquisatorial Senators have already
dragged ont the information that there
was stock brokerage concern inter
csicd 100 selling the Tennessee Coal and
Iron Company TO the Steel Trust, in
spite of the fact that II. G.. Frick and
T.. II. Gary, in the midst of HE panic
of October. 1907, came to Washington
and pleaded with the President to per
nit of the consolidation because IL
would save number of big financial
institutions.
Panama Investigation May Come.
IT seems as though the House will
start up another Investigation, although
| Speaker Cannon is very loath TO give
! the word. William Nelson Cromwell is
pressing him to do so, aud the Speaker
| is almost on the point of yielding. That
/ is On an investigation of the Panama
| Canal For the House has been more
or less stirred in recent days by
sweeping charges from Representative
| Henry T. Raney, an Illinois Democrat.
In a long and emphatic speech, which
he had prepared carefully aud which
was supported in some part by docu-
ments, Mr.. Rainey charged that the
administration was not making as good
success in building the canal as the
people of the United States have been
| led to believe. He went much further,
and accused Mr.. Cromwell of having
| been for years in close cooperation
with Senior Obaldia, the new President
of the little Republic Of Panama. He,
| by implication, accused Mr. Cromwell
of being party to ambitious schemes
| for despoiling the young republic. Mr..
| Rainey claims to have knowledge of the
| organization of "A company to secure a
| charter for railroad of 400 kilOmeters
in length on the Pacific side of Pana
ma, for the construction of which a
! large part of the valuable timber lands
| of that portion of the country are t.
be given free; and also Mr.. Rainey
claims that another company is seek
ing concession from the Panama
Congress to gobble up all the valuabl,
timber lands on the Atlantic side OF
the isthmus. He used the names OF
Mr. Cromwell and his secretary, an,
also of G. p, Taft, in connection will
, those efforts, saying that Presiden
Obaldia told some Panama Congress
men late in December that those mel
were back of the efforts to secure TIN
concessions
Mr.. Charles p. Taft has denied an,
part or any knowledge of the scheme
in most emphatic terms. He says HI
never had any business dealings Will
Mr.. Cromwell But Mr. Rainey ais,
accuses the President elect of havin,
aided Mr.. Cromwell in furthering
big deal by which the latter's oil,
enemy, Obaldia should win the Presi
dency of the Republic and thus be abl
to exploit and despol the country
whose people are not alive to the valu
or Importance of its timber and othe
natural resources.
AS part of the Rainey charges, i
was asserted that Senator Lodge o
, Massachusetts had been party t.
framing legislation by which the pur
chase of two boats, the fremont an,
Shawmut, owned by n Boston Compan,
and operated on the Pacific Ocean. wa
forced upon the government Thi
stirred some of the New England con
tIngent profoundly and dcnials abound
ed. There were two or three DAYS o
heated debating at the House, at in
tervals, and probably the last of tn
fracas has not come yet.
Meanwhile Mr.. Cromwell is clamorini
for an opportunity to show that Reu
Tesentative Rainey is four flushing ii
Is laundering at the doors of Sprakc
Cannon 5 offices and claims to hav
papers and documents to back up all h
has to say. Mr. Rainey, on the othc
hand, is meeting all the denials wit
assertions that they do not touch tn
vital points of his charges. They a,
cnscd him of having gotten his infoTmi
ton from New York newspaper, th
President is trying to get indicted fl
libcling the government, but NJ
Rainey retorted that that was III
equivocally and unQualfedy false j
every particular.
There is little doubt among the wis,
men in Congress that the Panama Cam
operations of recent years will stan
the fullest investigation. They are NJ
quite so sure of the result of invest
cations touching the Republic G
Panama for the governments of Cel
trail and South America will not alway
stand being judged by the standard
that prevail in the United States. Their
fore the Speaker is very loath to graz
that part of Mr.. Cromwell s reques
The latter has been very prominent
arranging and conducting Panama Can
matters for years. He has been fr
quent visitor in Washington and ha
beyond question, been very close to II
administration of President Rooseve
and to the management of the Panan
Canal, while Mr.. Taft was Secretary
War. He has generally defied comm
tees of the Senate in their efforts
secure information about his operatio
and consequently has been the targ
of numerous fierce newspaper attacl
He has smarted under these so lO
that he is now very inSistant unnn So.