The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-05
C1NC1NNAT1,s FRIEND, POTTER,
And Who should BE His Successor.


And who should he His Successor.
TO the Editor Of the STAR:
When Mr.. A. b. Muilett, former Super
Vising Architect Of the Government, was
goaded into resigning that office some
months ago, and Mr.. Potter appointed in
his place, almost the first act of that
| officer and those who were endeavoring
through him to carry out their own prof.
ects, was to charge Mr.. Mullett with ex-
traVagance, incompetency, and even dis
honesty in his official capacity.
His next was to set about tampering
with such portions oil the work as had
already been done on the Chicago, Gin
cinnati, and other Post-ofice and
Custom-house buildings in various parts
of the country as to make it appear that
these had been Ignorantly planned and
defectively constructed under Mr. Null
letus supervision. Moreover, Mr.. Pot
ter sought to modify Mf. Mulletts orig
inal plans in essential anu important
particulars under The pretense OF econ
omy, but really and III TACT in SUCH wise
as TO largely increase the cost OF con-
| struction.
Committees appointed to inspect Mr..
Mulietps work, after patient investiga-
| ton, have, in their reports, borne un-
| doubted testimony OF the excellence
| both of the plans designed by him in the
buildings themselves, but also as to the
thorougnness oil the work done in pur-
suance to those plans. Furthermore,
l nt.t h,,n
found The first cloud of suspicion against
Mr. Mullett's perfect integrity as Gov
ernment officer or as q man.
There is therefore propriety in now
making public the tact that al the time
Of his resignation the chairman ol the
| Committee on Appropriations addressed
an eXtre mely cordIal note TO Mr.. Mullett
Expressing the regret entertained by
that Committee unanimously at the loss
to the public service OF 80 able and etfi-
cient an officer, and architects eminent
in their profession, both here and else
| where, have unhesitatingly declared that
1T was nothing snort of a public calamity
10 have Mr.. MulletL's supervision of the
| Government buildings Withdrawn and
| the work entrusted to other hands.
| Mr.. Potter's resignation is now in the
hands of the President. His blunders
ment Architect came near proving ut
terly destructive OF such portions of the
work as had been done on the Chicago
| Post-ottice building prior to his appoint
ment, and have very largely increased
| the final cost of that structure. His
malice, or that oil those wno stood be-
hlnd him, sought to dlscredit the beauti-
ful building stone ouL of which the prin-
cipal public as we'll as private editices
| of Cincinnati are constructed, and to de-
stroy the personal ana professional rep
utatlou OF an honest and faithful officer
| Of The Government.
| The systematic effort to blacken
Mr.. Mullett's reputation without refer
ence tu his capacity or trustworthiness
| as an officer, and TO screen his successor
without regard to unIaitn ulness, seems
| to be proven by recent discovery. A
| Congressional report elected the fact
| that the large sum OF $2O0,0U0 was eX-
pended on tne New York Post-otiice in
excess OF the amount authorized by law,
| but while the work was in charge Of MI
| Potter. This report was my steriousB
lpigeon-holeu in the Office Of the late Sec
retary OF the Treasury for purposes that
| can only he surmised, ana was sur.
prise 10 the present Secretary when his
attention was called to it's existence.
LII COuCluslOls 4ul' pAhht II uUSS SEEM
| that since Mr.. AIuIletL was forced 10 re-
sign the office Of Supervising Archi. ect,
not for the good OF The public service,
but apparently in order to enable the
late Secretary OF the treasury to carry
out certain projects OF his own, and
since his integrity, efficiency and ca.
paciLy nave been only Lhe more thor
ouyh y aud completely shown By every
effort made to lnJure them, the President
can not better subserv0 the interests
OF the Nation than by recalling
| MIR. Mullett 10 his OLD position, ami ill.,
| sisting that he be allowed to remain
| there at least until the present uufn-
isheu Government buildings shall be SO
Tar advanced tuat malice, Incompetence,
nor any other influences can prevent
| their being finished in their Integrity as
| originally planned and as originally be-
gun. Ii justice 10 Mr. nj ullett does not
| uemanu tuis, justice 10 The Government
does. FAIR PLAY.
CINCINNATI, August 4, 1876.