National Republican., 1883-01-17
THE WEATHER BUREAU.
What Cen. Hozcn says About the Circular
PnblIshcd Yesterday.

REPUBLICAN reporter called on Gen.
Hazcnat the signal Office yesterday to make
somo inquiries about the circular signed "The
United States Weather Observers, an abstract
of which was published in this paper ycstcr-
day.
Is it true, general" asked he, d" that you
forced tho mon in the corps to sign the docu-
mcnt protesting against the transfer of the
weather bureau to the Interior department p
" SO far from that being true" was the re-
ply. 81 pronounce that circular forgery. II
was not written by anyone employed in the
signal service, but by u former Cmpoye who
was discharged. Here are two letters which
have received this morning in which the
circular Is pronounced forgery"
These letters were emphatic in stating that,
to the best belief of the writers, no weather
observers had signed or had any knowledge
of the preparation of' the circular. One was
signed by Paul Daniels, frst-class private,
and the other bore the signatures of otto
Haltworth, sergeant, and Frederick Gray,
second-class private.
suppose continued Gen. Hazen, "that
every man in the Office would have written
in similar strain If had not said that
wanted no more letters that was satisfied
the circular did not cmanate from any one in
the service and that it was not indorscd by
any signal service cmployc"
Then the whole thing is false, is it,"
Yes, sir. IL is false all the way through.
have shown you that it is false in pretend
ing to originate with men in the signal corps.
1t is false in representing that have Criti.
cised the secretary of war. IL Is false in stat.
ing that used franled envelopes for per-
sonal purposes. | never used franked en-
velope in my life. II is false in the statement
that the men of the corps were cocrccd into
signing tho IcmOustrance against the transfer
of the corps to the Interior department. out
of 1o5 men here 1i5 signed that paper
of their own voition, and not n single man
was asked to sign IL by any officer.
it is false in saying that any officer in this
Office was in COllusion with Howgatc and
wished TO prevent an investigation. Every
officer here has done all in his power 20
bring Howgatc to trial, and thus bring about
that investigation into tho conduct of this
Office which that trial would lead to. II is
false and mischicvous in saying that / have
claimed to control committees of congress.
have never said that controlled anybody in
congress- nor do ! claim to have any such in
fluencc This anonymous circular was the
production of II discharged employc of the
corps, who has been persistent in false and
mischievOus representations about us. He
wrote what were known as the Capital lot
ter" in the Sunday Capital before | came
here, villifying Gen. Mycr, and when l came
he commenced on me. then put him in the
guardhouse at Fort Myer and preferred
charges against him. Upon his posi-
tive denial Of having had anything to
do with the writing of those letters
l released him and restored him to
duty. He then began to villify this Office
and all connected with it through the Sunday
Gazette. / employed detectives and satisfied
myself that it was he who was making these
publications, and also that he had been guilty
of falsehood in denying the authorship Of the
Capital letters l then discharged him, and
Ia,
claiming that his only object in seeking en-
ployment here was to remain in Washington
this winter and bring about an investigation
of the signal corps He ut one time denied
over his own signature having written the
letters have referred to, and subsequently,
in an article of his own in the Sunday Gazette
he admitted it and pleaded justification. He
now, on the same grade of morals, charges the
men of the signal corps with having signed u
petition TO congress which did not express
their wishes. There are n dozen other state
ments in his circular as false as those have
specifically mentioned"