National Republican., 1882-12-27
THE SIGNAL SERVICE.
Gen. Hnzen's Argument Against ITS Trans
fer TO the Interior Department.

Ter TO the Interior Department,
1T Is true, as charged, that the friends
and abettors of Capt. Howgate are still in the
signal Officer" asked REPUBLICAN reporter
of Gen. Hazen yesterday.
"No, sir; it is not true. There is not n
man in the Office who was in any way con-
nected with Capt. Howgate while he was dis.
bursting officer Of the corps"
Did you furnish the information which
led to Howgate's arrest?" pursued the in
quirer.
al certainly did. What made me suspic-
ious of Howgate was. .thc fact that he didn't
come near me after l was appointed. He
made gallant fight for the position, but
was successful. As he would serve under me
it would have been natural that he should
have come to me and said something
future relations, but he didn't come
near me at ALL and began to think that all
was not right with him. | immediately COM
commenced an investigation, and discovered
irregularities in his accounts and furnished
the information which led to his arrest. After
his arrest the investigation was still pursued,
and the district attorney and the special attor-
ney were both aided by every means Mt my
command"
"And those who were supposed to he in
sympathy with him, have they all been re-
movedp
les, AL VINO were III any way IN SYM
pathy with him."
"What do you think of tho proposition to
turn 6vor the weather bureau to the Interior
icpartmentp
Well, cannot he expected to look with
avor upon that proposition. This corps has
been the growth of years and the officers now
on duty have gained their experience and
Efficiency after hard labor for ten or twelve
Icars. The men are educated to
heir duties by careful training and
have been sChoolcd in military dis
!iplinc. The signal service is n thoroughly
organized corps, and its benefits to the farm
ers and to commerce are so positive and sub
stantial that what were formerly 'probabili-
ties are now recognized as indications.' If
this portion of the work of the corps was
transferred to the Interior department the
present well organized and efficient body of
men would be completely disintegrated. The
officers would be sent to their regiments and
the men mustered out"
:" Do you think the men-thc scrgcants and
privates if imploycd under the Interior de-
partment-would be as efficient as they now
are?"
BY no means You sec they arc now
held by their enlistment. SUPPOSE n man
should be sent way out at Pixies peak, or
somewhere in that region, and should re-
ceive an offer of $50 per month"; or more, to
90 into some mino or other civil employment.
IF he simply held an appointment
under the Interior department, he
would he apt to resign at once, and accept the
more lucrative offer. If he is an enlisted
man he can't do it. If he should Essign at
once there would he a break in the service at
that point, for il would take new man some
time to acquire the requisite knowledge of
the duties. This is no idle supposition, for
instances of this kind do occur. When
our meu write us that they have good
offers we send another man out TO their posts,
and when he becomes familiar with the dll-
ties, the other one is mustered out. But, as
have said, if the man were simply an en-
ploye, he would not hesitate to leave the ser
vice at once"
"Do you think there is ans likelihood that
change in the signal service will be made
this year,"
II don't know what may happen, hut l
think it would he an unfortunate thing if
any material disturbance of the corps, as now
organized, or its duties should be made"