Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-05-12
Halney Asks investigation of De-
partment of Justice.
GAME OF BIG CORPORATIONS
They Want United States to Extend
Its Authority Over Slice of Lower
California - Inquiry Planned
of Our Many Expensive
Commissions.
BY WILLIS J. ABBOT.

house a resolution asking for a COM
mittee to investigate the operations
and methods of the department or JUS
tice- It directs thorough inquiry into
all the cases instituted under the Sher-
man antitrust law and the Hepburn
railroad rate law, and to ascertain for
what causes some of these cases were
dropped 1t further inquiries as to the
number of special counsel employed
and the amount Of their fees, and final
" as to whether the attorney general
of the United States has any legal in
terests or affiliations outsire of the dis
tingushed office he holds.
The greater part OF this resolution
is without serious significance, or at
least news value It is merely the
first Of a series of investigatory reso-
buttons which this house will put
through-for after 16 years in the dark
who can blame the Democrats if they
have 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 hostile majority has sturdily op-
posed and slaughtered it. This time
1T will go through with some slight de-
lay, as the house is not yet fully organ
lied.
Bears on Mexican Complications.
The real significance of the resolu-
ton, as | am informed by it's author,
lies in its bearing upon the Mexican
complications which are today puz-
Zi1ng every observer Of public events.
NO careful reader of newspapers can
have failed to notice that there have
been at least ten different explana-
tons presented for the sudden mob
ilization Of 10000 United States troops
on the Mexican frontier and the dis
patch Of the most powerful part of the
united States navy to the coasts of
That nation. Incidentally, 1T might be
noted that Mexico has five third class
cruisers and two torpedo boat destroy
ers for navy, all of which could be
destroyed in a few hours battle by
any one of the battleships we sent to
her coast. Our fleets have been with
drawn, and so, too, has been with
drawn the preposterous story of a
secret compact between Mexico and
Japan which was for a day or two
used to explain our demonstration in
force. But our troops are still there.
Ihey are encamped at every land gate
way 10 Mexico. In two hours they
could control every considerable Next
can custom house through which Amer
lean products enter The Mexican gov
eminent has practically no source of
revenue except import duties. Bv
shutting them off the United States
could subjugate Mexico without trou-
bling to march upon it's capital or
ngnt more than one Or two petty Skin
mishes
But what, one may reasonably ask.
mas this to do with the department of
justice and the proposed investiga
tlon? Simply this: Before his inyi-
tatlon to President Taft's cabinet At
torney General Wickersham was q
member OF the great New York law
hrm OF Cadawallader & Strong. of
which also Henry NJ. Taft, a brother of
the president, was, and still is, mem
per. That firm has long been init
nateIy associated with great CORPORA
tions tnat are heavily interested in
mexican oncessions-mining railroad
oil, stock raising, etc. Mexico is nrac.
tlcally owned by United States capital
tooay-all, except its government-and
my lnformants, who are many in ad-
dltfon to Representative Rainev in
sIst that these corporations do not
want the government destroyed nor do
they want annexation The latter would
destroy the system of peonage under
which they now get efficient labor at
one-hfth the cost Of the American work
ingman.
What the Corporations Want
But they do want protection and
some of them want little slice
OF Mexican territory which thew now
own, but over which they would like
the united States to extend it's author-
lty. For example, in the last half
hour or the last session of CONGRESS-
mere was slipped through an appro-
prlatlon Of S1,O00,0O0 for use in safe
guarding the banks of the Colorado
river I'D order that it may not again in
wade the Imperial valley in soutborr
Callfornla. That valley is nearly 2sO
feet below sea level, fertile. If there
be water furnished by irrigation. arid
az the worst part of Sahara if tboro
be no water. The government is com
plet1ng a great dam, the Laguna dam
at cost of s1,5OO,0o0, with irrigatine
systems to furnish the life-giving fluid
to the now desolate plains. But to
protect the dam from the eccentric
floods Of the Colorado river rin.ran
work must be done along it's banks in
Lower California, and there in MeY-
lean territory the greater part of the
million dollars appropriated without
debate and almost without notice is be-
ing spent.
With the dam complete, the water
course controlled and United States
suzerainty over the section, the lands
on the Mexican side of the border now