The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-01-12

H1CdARO PAKK.
panied him and seconded his protest,
with the result that eventually Parr
was restored to his desk.
This in the main is PARIS own tale
of the remarkable obstacles met by
one honest official in his efforts to ex.
pose a den Of thieves. obstacles in
large degree created by or permitted
by his superior officers who were paid
by the government to protect its in
terests. His disclosures are backed up
by former Collector Fowler and others.
Mr.. Reynolds, Of course, enters a
sweeping denial of the imputations
concerning himself. but Parr insists
that he is prepared to prove his state.
ments and that he has still more to
tell. Other officials and former Off
Gals of the custom house make dis
closures that corroborate Parr and
that add further revelations to this
most remarkable scandal of recent
times. Former Appraiser Wilbur f.
Wakeman states that he laid evidence
OF sugar trust frauds before Lyman j.
Gage when that gentleman was secre-
tary Of the treasury and that Gage di-
rected him to place the matter before
Henry O. Havemeyer. who was then
president of the trust, but who has
since been succeeded by Washington
b. Thomas. Wakeman and others
have also corroborated the charges of
a New York newspaper that the sugar
trust for years controlled a large share
of the civil service appointments to
the New York custom house. getting
it's own agents or crooks that it could
control into the government service to
aid it in its nefarious work.
The Administration Aroused.
The coming of Loeb not only brought
happier days to Richard Parr, but
started a prosecution against the sugar
trust and an overhauling in the New
York custom house that promise to go
far. Fortunately the president, the
secretary of tn" treasury and the attor-
ney general are all in earnest that the
truth shall come out and that customs
frauds shall be eradicated not only IL
New York. but in all other ports of en-
try into the United States. The turn.
ing over Of 100000 by the trust.
which in itself was a practical admis-
sion of guilt. is but the beginning. AL.
ready James f. Bendernagel, the head
trust official at the Williamsburg pier.
has been Indicted and has resigned his
position. and other officers both of the
custom house and the trust are under
indictment or are being investigated.
One man close to the source of power
in Washington has said, ''ThereYl be
nothing left of the sugar trust when
we get through" Several custom
house employees have already lost
their heads and others are turning
states evidence to save themselves
from the penitentiary. The civil serv.
ice commission is incensed over the
charge of trust control Of New York
appointments and promises a thorough
investigation. To cap all it Is proba.
bic that congress will take up the
matter, and in that case important pa
pers that have long been pigeonholed
in Washington a be brought to light
If they r still in existence. The mat
ter has now gone too far to permit of
a backward step. and there is every
promise that it will be probed to the
bottom.
Trust Hard Pressed.
As for the sugar trust, these dis.
closures. coming on the heels of those
made by Receiver George H. Earle IL
relation to the buying out and shut.
ting down of the Pennsylvania rein.
cry, put it in a bad way. The case
brought by Earle was also settled out
Of court. although it cost the trust
many millions to make the settlement.
The government will be satisfied with
nothing less than criminal prosecu-
tons. The decision of a federal dis
trict judge holding that. five years
having elapsed. the guilty trust Off
Gals could escape through the statute
Of limitations will be appealed. At
last the public is assured that there
is one case against the big malefac.
tors which will be pushed to the limit.
If it is indeed SO it will mean a bet
ter day in the nation and will give
hope that the era of honesty in
high places is at last ushered in.