The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-04-09

which Mr.. Wickersham and President
Taft have given approval.
The Philippines, like Alaska, are far
away. Like Alaska, too, they contain
enormous natural resources, chief
among them being the rich sugar and
tobacco lands While the general pub
lie is Indifferent, the great grasping
combination Of capital have their eyes
upon these resources and are seeking
to possess them, as they have sought
to possess the valuable coal lands of
Alaska.
The government has thus far aided
these combinations.
Raising anew the question as to
whether the attorney general of the
United States was ever attorney for
the sugar trust, by demanding that
Mr.. Wickersham state whether he re-
ceived any portion of the huge fee paid
by the trust to the law firm Of which
he was member, Representative
Henry T. Rainey of Illinois, in what
was in some respects one of the most
remarkable speeches made on the floor
of the House this session, reopened
the entire sugar scandal.
Mr.. Rainey's aim was to show the
necessity of a Congressional investi-
cation of the sugar trusts misdeeds.
He revealed a startling array of facts
which showed that on the one hand
the sugar trust contributed colossal
sums to the Republican campaign
funds, and on the other hand was ia
vored by the national government with
tariff legislation which enabled it to
exact millions of dollars in excessive
profits from the consumers of sugar.
Nor was this all Mr.. Rainey charged.
The men behind the sugar trust, Mr..
Rainey declared, were able to violate
the criminal statutes of the United
States by defrauding the government
of millions of dollars, and to not only
escape the penitentiary, but to escape
investigation by Congress, and that
at the direct request Of President Taft.
Referring to Attorney General Wick
ershams recent denial of the charge
that he had been the attorney for the
sugar trust, Mr.. Rainey said:
II respectfully submit that if the
attorney general desires to deny his
with the sugar trust, he
should make his denial more complete
At the time the service for the sugar
trust was being rendered in the most
important suit ever brought against
the American Sugar Refining company
by the firm Of Strong & Cadwalader,
the present attorney general was one
of the members of the firm. 1t may be
that the attorney general was not con-
suited in this suit. But the attorney
general has not yet stated how the
enormous fee the firm of Strong e. Cad
walader received was divided. Did the
attorney general refuse to accept any
portion Of it, the country would like
to know.
"The attorney general also neglect
ed in his letter to state that the part
ner to whom he refers, the member of
the Arm Of Strong & Cadwalader who
was active in the defense of the Amer
lean Sugar Refining company in these
cases, was the brother of the presi-
dent of the United States. The firm of
Strong & Cadwalader Is one of those
important New York CITY legal firms
to which great corporations appeal for
aid when they propose to violate the
laws of the land or when they have
violated the laws of the land.
'The attorney generals denial of
active participation as counsel for the
sugar trust should be considered in
connection with the letter of the at
torney general of the United States,
written June ~, 1909 to John s. Wise,
United States district attorney for the
southern district of New York.
'This remarkable letter, written in
his own hand, at midnight, was pub
lished in the Cosmopolitan Magazine
for January of this year. The anthem
ITCHY of the letter has never been de-
MED by the attorney general. Will he
deny it now?"
The letter read by Representative
Rainey was in part as follows: my
Dear Wise-Senator Root has sent me
the proof of a petition signed by Bow
ers, Milburn and Guthrie, in support of
their contention that the statute of
limitations has run in favor of Messrs.
Parsons. Kissel and Harmed. II the
only overt acts done to carry out the
objects Of the unlawful conspiracy
were those referred to in the brief, I
should think they were insufficient to
save the bar Of the statute. A strong
report will be made tomorrow IN NAV