Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-20

REMOVED.
Mr.. Ros A. Fish, who was removed from the
Office Of assessor by the order made by the Dis
trict Commissioners last evening, was at his old
desk at the District buildings this morning
when a STAR reporter dropped into the chair
that always stands near the desk. Mr.. Fish was
cleaning out the pigeon-holes Of the desk and
had before him . little pile Of papers and
books which he was preparing to remove.
His successor, Mr.. Roger Williams, was in
the ONCE and looking over some OF the books.
Mr. Fish attended the meeting of the Washington
City presbytery yesterday as ruling elder of
Ryland NJ. E. church. and was away from the
Office most Of the day. When The STAR re-
porter asked him this morning il he knew then
of the action of the Commissioners, Mr.. Fish
said: No. knew nothing of il. i did not
know II until this morning when NV
wife came to my sleeping room with the morn
ing paper and asked If 1 had heard the news.
l said. No; what is going on now?' or some
thing like that, and she told me that had been
removed from Office"
WHY THE INQUIRY WAS MADE.
Have the Commissioners stated TO YOU the
grounds for the removal?"
Il have not yet received any notice Of my
removal, but am getting ready to get out as
soon as can. l anticipated some such action.
4 do not like to rush into print. but / would
like to be understood by the public. In the
first place" said Mr.. Fish, laying down pack
age OF papers he was looking over and wheel
ing his chair around SO al to face the reporter,
there Is the matter of the controversy regard
ing the personal assessment of The EVENING
STAR. / was ordered repeatedly by Mr..
Wheatley to look into that matter, and re-
fused. Mr.. Wheatley hads had a quarrel with
The STAR people about advertising and
he wanted to so into this matter. He
sent for me and asked me to look
into The STARS personal assessment. He said
that it was wrong. / told him that if the as
sessment was wrong 1t could not be changed
1t might be changed the next year but not
then He insisted on my going to the Office
of the register of wills and Investigating there
the facts shown regarding the Adams estate,
and told him would not do it, that did not
think it was right. l told him then that
thought he was making mistake in going into
the matter, and that he would see his blunder.
When l refused to do what Mr.. Wheatey
wanted he told me he would find way to make
me do it. He told me, too, that il / wouldn't
do it, they could get some one who would, and
l said they could have my resignation whenever
they wanted it. When L came TO my Office one
morning soon afterward found on my desk a
letter from the Commissioners, and the order
or resolution of the Senate calling for in
formation respecting evasions of the personal
tax law. In order to fully understand the
resolution / went uptown. bought Con-
gressiOnai Record containing the debate on it.
Then went to Mr.. Wheatley, and he told me
that
HE WROTE THE RESOLUTION HIMSELF
and had Mr.. Riddleberger introduce il. ]
again expressed my view that he was making a
blunder, and l told Mr.. Webb that thought il
was an unwise thing. Mr.. Wheatley insisted
then that the matter should be got from the
office of the register of wills. / did not
go. l did not think il was right
for me to go the register of Wills Office to look
into the matter: so sent Mr.. Griffin. who got
the information. Then the letter to the Com
missioners, to which The STAR took exception,
was written. / protested to Mr.. Wheatley
against this proceeding and told him that / was
only made sacrifice to aid him in a fight
against The STAR. Mr.. Wheatley was at the
bottom of the whole thing, and even, as said.
wrote the resolution that was passed by the
Senate"
THE ASSESSMENT CONTROVERSY.
Mr.. Fish stated that in his recent controversy
with the Commissioners respecting the matter
OF assessments and taxation he had met the op-
position of the Commissioners, who seemed tc
be annoyed by the newspaper comments. and
asked him to stop the publications. Il can
not. he said, stop the newspapers. Public
opinion Is aroused over the matter
and it is beyond my power to stop it,
III have been dismissed from Office" said
Mr.. Fish because / have stood up for a prin-
ciple that believe is honest and correct, 1 am
satisfied l see that Mr.. Webb is quoted by
one OF the morning papers intimating that
was removed for drunkenness. If my dis
missal is put on the grounds of immortality oil
drinking. why then, and Mr.. Fish looked W
slyly, Il think it will be proper to
ASK MR.. WEBB AND MR.. wHEATLEY SOME CUES.
TONS"
Mr.. Fish said that last Friday he had an
interview with the Commissioners about
his proposal to change the method.
of assessment and took exceptions to
the opinion of the attorney, and the position
taken by the Commissioners that the tax rate
could not be reduced. They spoke of the an.
tagonism against his plan. Monday the Com.
missioners sent for him and asked him if he
intended to keep up this fight. Il told them.
said Mr.. Fish, that l was not engaged in any
fight; that 1 had simply stated the law and
what believed to be an honest Interpretation
of 1t, as considered it my official duty"
SENDING FOR HIS DISMISSAL
Mr.. Fish had not vet received notice of dis
missal, SO he asked Mr.. Williams, his successor
to go upstairs to the Commissioners Office and
get it for him, smiling at the same time over
the situation of man who had to send for
his own dismissal. Soon a messenger came
and placed in Mr.. Fish's hands a copy of the
order of removal, as follows: Ordered: Tha,
Roswell A. Fish is hereby removed from the
office of assessor for the District of Columbia
to take effect from this date. Official copy fur
nished."
Mr.. Fish thought it was somewhat unjust to
him that he was not permitted to resign.
This removal is one Of the most ungracious
indecorous acts have ever known Of, he said.
Il came here three years ago at the solicitation
of the Commissioners, and after receiving sew
eral letters from Col. Ludlow and the other
Commissioners"
Mr. Fish has not yet definitely settled his
future plan, but he is interested in a dredging
enterprise and expects to go to Nicaragua TO
conduct dredging operations on the Nicaragua
canal.
Warden Crocker's Reappointment.
YEARs-THE LAW AS TO HIS TENURE OF OFFICE.