Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1905 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and deneral Qossip of the National Capitol. Special Correspondence to The Democrat: The decision of Russia and Japan to conduct their peace conference in the capital of the United States will doubtless prove a source of gratification to all loyal Americans even though they apreciate that there are some dangers entailed by the suddenly enhanced importance of Washington as a diplomatic center. In itself the decision implies a compliment to this country for the reason that it is a testimonial to the perfect neutrality which the U. S. has maintained throughout the struggle of Russia and Japan "for thq supremacy of the far east. Japan feared the partisan interest of Europe and presistently objected to meeting the Russian commissioners in any European capital save that of its ally, England. Russia objected to Londou and would not listen to the suggestion that the peace negotiations be conducted near the seat of war, or, in fact, anywhere in Asia. Consequently the United States became the natural place in which to seek a compromise city and when this was made clear to the President he immediately proposed Washington, although his previous influence had been in favor of the Hague, for the sentimental reason surrounding that birthplace of international arbitration and universal peace movement. t t t Once the perliminaries to the formal conference of Japanese and Russian plenipotentarie6 are settled this country will have little official relation with the negotiations. According to the custom it is incumbent on this country to play the part of host and provide a place for the meeting of the delegates but there is an abundance of such places in Washington so that the obligations present few difficulties. It has been suggested by the President that, if Washington in August proves uncomfortably warm the plenipotentaries may easily adjourn to some cooler city for a time to return to Washington later on in the season. The President has even said that if this course is determined upon he will place two naval vessels at the disposal of the conferees to take them to some place like Newport or Bar Harbor presumably the dispatch boats the Dolphin and the Sylph. There is no doubt, however that if the plenipotentiaries suoceedin effecting a peace convention, and the President is certain that they will, that it will be signed in Washington and will go down in history as the treaty of Washington, being the first oon.

veation of great international importance ever signed in the capita! of the United States. t t t People *in Washington are watching with a good deal of interest for the promised explanation of the resignation of Messrs. Jndson and Harmon who were retained by the government as special counsel in the prosecution of the rebate case against the Sante Fe railroad. All that is known so far is that these attorneys have resigned because of a difference of opinion with Attorney General Moody, but it is suspected in some quarters that this difference arose with regard to the possible prosecution of Paul Morton, Secretary of the Navy. However, the Attorney General has promised to publish an explanation which will accord with the views of himself and the distinguished counsel and the conservative public will await that explanation. |t t Attorney General Moody has recently voiced a plaint against the newspapers of this country because, he says, they want the Department of Justice try its cases before the tribunal of the press, as he expresses it. In other words, the Attorney General maintains that the newspapers insist on knowing and on publishing the discoveries and plans of the Department before they are revealed in the courts and that in this way the cases of the Government are weakened by their revelaton in advance to the attorneys for the defense. While there might be some ground for this complaint there seems to be little reason why the Department should not refuse to reveal information when such revelation would weaken the Goverment’s case and the newspaper men charged with the duty of reporting the work of the Department have never peroeived any reluctance to suppress information when it pleased the Attorney General to do so.

Attorney General Moody made one complaint in conversation with your correspondent recently which deserves consideration and even support by the law abiding people of the country. He said that with a view to preventing an innocent man from suffering the lawmakers had gone to a radical exteme in placeng obstacles in the way of prosecuting criminals, or men charged with crime, and that it was, under existing statutes, a matter of years to merely bring to trial a man who was under indictment irrespective of how conclusive the evidence was. The Attorney General referred especially to the case of State Senator Geo. E. Green of New York who was indicted more than two years ago and who is still free awaiting the Supreme Court on his habeas corpus suit, which decision cannot be rendered until autumn. The Attorney General bespoke popular support for his recommendation to Congress that a statute be enacted providing that any person indicted for violation of the United States statute might be brought immediately to the District’ of Columbia for trial without any intervening legal proceedings. It is to be hoped that such a statute will be enacted next session.