The Washington herald., 1911-08-27

sceond-rate dramatist would spurn 1t as
a means of clearing up a plot, demon
strated many things, and was well worth
the cost of the Observation-Disclosures
that was. And when Secretary Of State
Knox, irritated to the breaking point by
the insistence Of the probers, finally
turned around TO the chairman of the
committee and said. You're grand stand
player, Mr.. Chairman. and 1 congratulate
you on the way you have staged the
show the true humor Of the affair
reached its climax.
Bat there were no stormy scenes in
the State Department investigation to
compare with the others which came
later. or course, Lorimer had to be re-
investigated. because new evidence de-
veloped. and the sentiment of the country
seemed to be overwhelmingly against
the Illinois Senator.
With the further exposure of rottenness
in the Illinois legislature, and the breezy
nonchalance with which Edward Hines
treated the charges against him, the
second Lorimer investigation easily ex-
ceeded the first in interest The Demo-
cratic and insurgent Senators showed a
vigorous initiative in getting at the facts
which was entirely lacking at the first
probe, and volumes upon volumes of tes-
tlmony were taken, to be continued when
the committee reconvenes in October
However, the public interest in LorImer
and Lorimerism now languishes, since
every one has been surfeited with the long
draWn-out exposure, filled with conflict
ing testimony of all sorts.
Senator Stephenson Next.
Just to show his skirts were clear when
his political enemies began crossing their
fingers at him, Uncle Ike Stephenson
of Wisconsin, broke in with a ditty en-
titled. II Want to Be Investigated, Too"
He will be next December
While the Democrats have been ex-
ceedingly busy in opening investigations,
they have been reluctant to press them
to conclusion. Nearly all of them are
labeled Ito be continued in our next"
Whether the motives are political or not,
1t is a fact that all of the probes will
be pressed with even greater enthusiasm
at the next session Of Congress, on the
eve Of the Presidential campaign.
They will not be idle during the next
three months. There Is now an expert
investigating the various departments of
the District government, looking for ma
terial upon which the House District
Committee can work when 1t gets to-
gether next December Louis D. Bran
deis, who has probably been in the front
of more attacks upon the Taft adminis-
tration than any one else in the country,
IS now at work upon the Controller Bay
situation; and several other well-known
investigators" are priming the Demo-
cratic guns for next December.
Then investigation Of the Alaska sit
uation is. bareback Of the bitter fight
on Richard A. Ballinger, when that gen.
nf he Tn
The investigation of the Interior De-,
partment, Of which the Controller Bay
probe is the most important phase, is all
based on the assumption that the Taft
administration is leagued with the Gug-
Morgan interest in an attempt
to gain complete control of the immepse
natural wealth of Alaska. The now IA
nous "Dick-to-Dick" letter is ostensibly
the only strong piece of testimony the
Graham Investigating committee has in
it's possession. although this mysterious
such a wave of denial and contradiction
that its real value as evidence is g. mat
ter of great doubt.
The "Purloined letter.
Like Edgar Allan Poe's Mystery of
the Purloined Letter." the "Dick-to-
Dick" communication threatens to gol
down into history. Did Dick Ryan
write some very spicy words to "Dick"
Ballinger, or didn't he? While the fate
Of the nation does not hang on this
thread. there are a great many men in
who would like to know the
answer to this question.
That the Democrats intend to carry
''Ballingerism' into the 1912 campaign is
evident. Although Ballinger himself has
been driven out Of the Cabinet. 1t Is
asserted that some of his methods re-
main; and II case can be made out to |
show that President Taft Is hostile to
1t will be an effective cam |
paign cry in many sections Of the
country.
Both Sides are now tightening up their |
lines In the Controller Bay AFFAIR. The |
are confident that not the |
suspicion attaches to President |
Taft for his course, and point 70 the