The Penn's Grove record., 1911-05-12
s&aAsSLDAs gskz zOs
MAY EXPLAIN THE
MEXICAN AFFAIR
Ralney Asks investigation of De-
~ partment Of Justice.
GAME OF BIG CORPORATIONS
They Want United States to- Extend
It's Authority over Slice OF Lower
California = Inquiry Planned
-ExpenslXe
Commissions.
BY WILLIS J. ABBOT.

BY WILLIS J.. ABBOT.
-
tive Rainey of Illinois. presented to the
house. a resolution asking flor a com
mittee#fo Investigate the operations
and methods OF the department. of jus.
tice. 1t directs a thorough inquiry into
all the cases instituted under the Sher-
mar antitrust law and the Hepburn
railroad rate law, and to ascertain for
what causes some of these cases were
dropped. It further inquiries as to the
number of special counsel employed
and the amount of their fees, and final
iy as to whether the attorney general
of the United States has any legal in
terests or Affiliations outside of the dis
tInauished office he holds :
The greater part of this resolution
is without serious significance, or at
least news value. 1t is merely the
first of a series of investigatory reso-
buttons which this house will put
fhrough-for after IL. years in the dark
who can blame. the Democrats If they
have a certain desire now to turn on
the light and look into matters some
what for themselves. Mr.. Rainey has
tried to pass this resolution before,
but a hostile majority has sturdily OPP
posed and slaughtered 1t. This time
1t will go through with some slight de-
lay, as the house Is not yet fully organ.
lied. s51DjE21 J53G 9dt lIE-IO.
: Bears on Mexican Complications.
%CThe real Significance of the resolu-
ton, as I am Informed by its author,
HES in its bearing upon the Mexican
complications S which are today pug
cling every observer Of public events.
No careful reader of newspapers can
have failed to notice that there have
been at least ten different explana-
lions presented for the sudden, mob
ilization Of 10000 United States troops
OF the Mexican frontier and the dis
patch Of the most powerful part OF the
United States navy to the coasts OF
that nation. Incidentally, it might be
noted that Mexico has +1ye third class
cruisers and two torpedo boat destroy.
ers for a navy. all of which could be
destroyed In few hours battle by
any one Of the ~battleships we sem to
her coast. Our fleets have been with:
drawn, and SO, too, has been with.
drawn the preposterous story of q
secret compact between Mexico and
Japan which was for a day-or two
usedto explain our demonstration in
force. But u troops are..stfll there,
They are encamped at every land gate
way to MexfooN In two hours they
could control every considerable Mexi
can custom house through which Amer
lean products enter. The Mexican gov
eminent has practically no source OF
revenue except import duties. By
sshuttingathem4on the4UnitedAStates
could %subjugate Mexico without trou
bling to march upon ~itszcapital OF
fight more than n OF two petty Iskir
mishes. !
But what, n may reasonably ask
has this to do with the department OF
Justice and the proposed investiga,
ton? Simply this: Before his invi
tation to President Taft's cabinet, At.
@torney General Wickersham was a
member o fSthezgreat NaW1 York law
firm of Cadawallader & Strong, OF
which also Henry M. Taft, a brother OF
the president, was, and still is, a mem.
Der. That firm has long been init
mately associated with great corpora.
tions that Ire heavily interested in
Mexican concessions-mining, railroad
oil, stock raising, etc. Mexico is prac.
tfcally owned-by United States capital
today-an, except its government-and
my informants, who are many, in ad
dition to Representative Rainey, in.
sist that these corporations do not
want the government destroyed nor dc
they want annexation. The latterSwouId
destroy the system, Of peonage under
which they now get effcients labor al
one-fifth the cost of the American work
ingman.
What the Corporations Want.
But they do want protection. ant
some, of them want a little slice
: OF Mexican territory which they nov
own, but over which they would like
the United States to extend it's author
"ity.. For example, III the last hal
hour of the last session Of congress,
there was slipped. through an appro
priation of s1,O00,0 eeI for use in safe
guarding the banks of the Colorad.
river in order that it may not again IN
wade the Imperial valley In soather,
California. That valley is nearly 28l
feet below sea level, fertile, If Their
be water furnished by irrigation; ari,
as the worst part of Sahara If Their,
be no water. The government is com
pleting a great dam, the La8una dam
at a cost of ST. 500. 900, with frrigatin,
to furnish the ilifs.giyiagI fail
to the now desolate plains. But t
protect the dam from the ~eccentri
floods of the Colorado river, ,ripra
work must be done along it's banks i
Lower California, and there in Mel
lean territory the greater part Of tn
million dollars appropriated wftHou
. debate and almost without notice issbs
ing spent.
With the dam complete, the waite
urs controlled and aUnited State
suzerainty over the section, the land
on the Mexican side of the border-no'
l 4Aurora 4sofesiIs. C@
According to a theory recently enur