The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-06
THE SCANDALS RAMIFICATIoNs

Official scandal developments in Washing ton continue to ramify with decreasing in tensity into various bureaus and departments. The situation is Illuminating in many ways, one of which is that no irregular, illegal or criminal undertaking on a large scale may of a wide circle of persons more or less of ficially connected with the acts involved. some important fact without being able to Some of these persons may have guilty asso- citations with the transaction. some may be deluded and overreached by smart strategists, and some are merely in position to know some important fact without being able to make a case out of such meager or uncorre- lated information as they possess.
 An investigating committee, however, has both the purpose and the authority to reach out in every direction after facts, to follow suggestive leads to their logical sources, and to collate and coordinate the information thus gleaned. The total result of sincere inquiry thus assumes an importance that no
 
 usually the case also that where there is one big bit of graft or favoritism involving sur render of some public asset to private enjoy ment there are numerous other smaller deals of similar character involving to a degree the same officials as are concerned in the major offenses. Officials who betray the public trust in one instance do not, as a rule, stop there, especially if the first deal has redounded to their personal advantage or else involved their official trust to such an extent that they dare not refuse a later accommodation.
 This has been the case in Washington un- der the Republican administration. It is re- lated that when the senate committee some months ago lifted the corner of the blanket the hideous spectacle that met the incredu- lous gaze of the committee foreboded such dis grace upon the administration that the in- quiry was suddenly and mysteriously halted without the public's being aware of the enor- mity of the situation. The politicians saw that the inquiry would be so far-reaching as seriously to threaten Republican prestige, and doubtless thought to hush the ugly situation up by carefully replacing the blanket. This well llii 7gn was rudely shattered when s9feeb4dy else pried up another corner of the blanket and discovered the odor of oil which escaped so promptly that it could not be stnath~-ct especially as the intrepid Sena- f5t Tn9ta~J. Walsh Of Montana is the one II ts tied the nasty lowering of the it's painful but purifying disclosures.
 The oil industry led back to the Veterans Bureau and in many other directions in which official duplicity ramified Now there is ill possession of this one fearless committee of inquiry a mass of information that reveals the irregularities and weaknesses of official Washington in all the crude reality. That substantial betterment will result from the prosecution of the inquiry to its limits and from the court action the facts thus brought out call for is confidently expected justice. The people want the whole insidious, dangerous and unhappy situation corrected and the offenders punished, with at the same time the recovery of those items of public benefit which have been sacrificed to the private exploitation. Perhaps the evil brought about by the deliberate misconduct of the Veterans Bureau cannot have it's dis astrous effects completely wiped out, but the nation at least can set it's house in order, and the Republican party should at least purge itself of the clements that were relent- lessly destroying it from within