Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-01-13
TEDDY TARRED WITH THE SAME
STICK.

What will Roosevelt do when he
comes back from Africa and learns
that his favorite Pinchot has been
summarily dismissed from office for
| carrying out the Rooseveltian conser-
walton schemes? That is the question
that has been asked by many during
the past few days. The answer seems
to have been furnished in an indirect
way. Teddy will do nothing. He seems
to be tarred with the same stick that
the Taft administration is. If he does
say anything unkind the records ap-
pear to be at hand in Washington to
give him solar plexus blow The
present administration may use the
soft voice in discussing the recent
events with it's predecessor, but CON
yenient to hand is a great big stick in
the shape of facts that reflect no cred
it on Roosevelt's administration and
prove that Teddy frequently did much
| bluffing and nothing else.
Under Roosevelt there was very
vigorous Secretary of the Interior, a
puritanical. New Highlander named
Hitchcock, who seemed to labor under
| the delusive impression that the ad-
ministration really meant entirely
what it said. Hitchcock went after the
| land thieves without discrimination as
to party loyalty or party standing, just
| as Pinchot has done. But Hitchcock
soon found, as Pinchot did, that the
law was not made to apply to those in
| high position in the Republican party.
or to those who had the honor of en-
| joying very friendly relations with
the President. AS a result Hitchcock
became disguised and quit the job His
secretary has just made public copy
of the letter the retiring Secretary of
the Interior wrote to President Roose-
welt which throws a flood of light on
what Teddy will do when he comes
| uacA from his hunt. With such things
| hanging over his own administration
Roosevelt is apt to be too busy catalog-
| ing his skeletons and pelts to bother
|
what former Secretary Hitchcock
wrote the imperial Teddy on Novem-
| Der 30, 1906, about three months be-
fore he resigned from the cabinet 1t
is evident from this letter that Secre-
tary Hitchcock resigned his office be-
cause President Roosevelt did not APP
prove of his efforts to expose and
prosecute the persons who were steal
ing the public lands. Hitchcocks let
ter:
Mr.. President, entered the service
deeply imbued with the Importance to
the people of our great public domain
| 1t is the nations priceless heritage
and l feel that every available rod of
| 1t should be regarded as sacredly ded-
| icated to the purpose of homes for the
| homeless. / believe that this would
| best promote the welfare of our citi-
zens and afford the best security for
the stability of our government. | was
impressed that every law enacted for
its protection should be rigidly en-
forced, and this has been a cardinal
policy of my administration, but l re-
greet to say all my efforts to release it
| from the grip of its despoilers have
been met with every embarrassment
that human ingenuity could devise;
| powerful influences have been con-
cerned, and they have not hesitated TO
aggressively exert every agency they
could command to weaken the hand of
| the law; even local land officials have
been subservient to their purposes;
| their Vaccinations seemingly have at
| times hann Txyifh of
feet upon the machinery of Justice:
too frequently the officers of the law
| appear to have been under the bewil-
dering spell of their power; the pun
ishment imposed by the courts has in
many cases been SO conspicuously in
| adequate as to encourage rather than
deter violations of the law"
The secretary's letter, Mr.. Smith
says, followed several interviews be-
| tween Mr.. Hitchcock and President
Roosevelt and it appears that one of
the persons involved in the frauds by
the secretary's disclosures was one of
the two Wyoming senators, who was
an intimate friend of the president.
1t would seem that Mr.. Smiths pur-
pose in making the letter public is to
show that the suppression of
the facts about the land frauds
in Wyoming was the work of
President Roosevelt, for he says that
the matter did not become public
owing to the prompt steps taken by
the president to prevent any leak oc-
curing in the interior department or
the attorney generals Office and that
the reports were all suppressed and
pigeon holed and no prosecution fol-
lowed, as in other land fraud cases.
AS the matter never became public, no
senatorial investigation or call for the
papers followed"
The country needs change of adj
ministration badly. A vigorous Demo-
crat in the office of President, backed
up by efficient cabinet officers, might
lay bare many such secrets as Hitch
cocks secretary has opened to the
public gaze.
TO CURE A COLD In ONE DAY