Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-19
ROUTED BY MCDONALD
HOW THE UNITED STATES FISH CON-
MISSIONER DEFEATED HIS ENEMIES.
A pir Lot Of Charges swept Away
by Congressional Investigating
Committee.

Although the DESPATCH has printed tho
substance Of the charges against fish-
Commissioner Mcdonald, and the fact that
before congressional investigating com
mittee he brushed them away like chat
before the wind. because he IS Firginian
and ia well known aud a1ectionately re-
parded throughout the State tho fol-
lowing additional particulars OF the en-
ouirv-so creditable 10 him and so dis
creditablc 70 those who sought 10 iniure
bim-will find general acceptance from
the readers Of this paper;
New York Evening Post.I
The report Of the subcommittee Of the
Senate Committee on FISHERIES, TO whom
were referred for investigation tne charges
fIad AGAINST Colonel Marshall Mcdonald,
irn;ta5 States Commissioner Of Fishcries,
e now all in print, including the testi-
,ropv Of yitnesses IN iull and the docu-
menrary evidence.
A rnure complete collapse has not been
vitnessed since an otiicluus petutogGer III
the Treasury Department tried to drag the
Good name of Professor Spencer +. Bard
throurh the mi.e in 1885, and succeeded
ONLY in drawing upon himself the cou-
tempt of everybody,
Colonel Mcdonald was one OF Professor
Poird,s most trusted and efficient suba!-
torns He had distinguished hlmself at
the time of the Professors death for I'M
firing devotion 10 the interests OF the COM
rnission. There were several applicants
for the successorshp, but the struggle
finally narrowed down 20 Professor }. h.
Kidder and Colonel Mcdonald, each OF
whom had host Of warm friends. These
two men represented the two rival theo-
RES for managing the commission, ITO
lessor Kiddcr's policy was to push the de-
partment Of scientific research ahGau OF
EVERYTHING else: Colonel Mcdonald was
IN Give the economic side Of the work the
greater prominence, and, while not ne
Glectinc the scientific side, 10 make IL tTlDu-
tary to the other
FOOD FISH.
Under the Mcdonald administration the
energles of the commission nave been
taved to the utmost in the distribution Ct
food FISH. Into parts Of the country which
hitherto had been considered practically
ont of reach the distrlbuting.cars with
their freight of newly matched fry or half
crown fish have been pushed and the lakes
and streams stocked. The waters OF the
Yellowstone Park, Lake Klamath IN
Oregon. Lakes Cnur d'Alene and
Pend d'Orcillc in Idaho, and many
smaller sheets Of water and streams
living back of the Columbia river in
OREGON or Washington, have received sup
plies of whitefish and carp and other hardy
varieties. Trout and salmon OF one region
have been transported and domesticated IN
others. thus increasing the local variety of
natural resources. HOLSTERS have been
conveyed from the Atlantic coast and
planted in the Pacific Ocean, where there
are no indigenous species. Or course all
such efforts involved expense, ana the APP
propriations had 10 he made to CORE
spond; but the Commissioner has been
held TO the strictcst account for every
dollar. and his annual reports OF e1pendi-
lures have been models OF accuracy and
detail.
GETTING EVEN.
The charges brought against him were
the work of few disgruntled ex-employcs
who took this means OF getting even"
They were doubtless somewhat startled
when Colonel Mcdonald did not even wait
TO be stirred up. but came TO the front at
once and demanded an investigation OF
the most thorough character. The chief
accusations were:
a. Wasteful lack OF disciU ne and sys-
TEN.
12.) Use of Government boats and sta
tions for iunketing expeditions.
o. Drunkenness among the employees
a. Falsfied statements of the amount of
work accomplished, designed to influence
increased appropriations.
o. Appointment Of subordinates for
political reasons and nepOtism.
o. Use of Government labor and ma
terial to perfect patents for the Commls-
sioner's personal benefit.
Senators Stockbridge, Squire, and Bod
gett were the subcommittee chosen. The
first two were politically hostile TO the
Commissioner, so that their natural lncll-
nation would have been TO see the worst
side of every doubtful piece or testimony.
And vet the subcommittee were unani-
nous in their report of exoneration, aud
emphatic in their affirmative commcnda-
ton of Commissioner McDonald's admin
istration.
DISCIPLINE.
On the first count absolutely no evidence
was forthcoming, so that the committee
report that on the contrary, throughout
the commission the most perfect system
and discipline prevail, resulting in an
economical and judicious expenditure Of
the appropriations made by Congress"
Such expert ichthyologists as Professor w.
X. Brooks, of Johns Hopkins University;
President David S. Jordan, of the Uni
yersItv of Indiana; Professor Alexan-
der Agassiz, Eugene G.. BlackfOrd, Of
New York: Professor William Libbey.
Jr., of Princeton, and Professor +.
p. Putnam, formerly president of
the Massachusetts Fish Commission,
volunteered their hearty endorsement
of Colonel McDonalds methods, and the
excellent results accomplished with the
means at his disposal. Professor Brooks 5
letter is especially strong, declaring that
the Commissioner, by the system he had
introduced of dividing the work of scientl-
fic research, and assigning to leading
specialists outside of the commission those
branches of inquiry with which they were
most skilled in dealing, had procured a
vast amount of the very best work at no
expense to the Government, and brought
the commissions Investigations abreast
of the most advanced researches OF the age
IN marine biology"
JUSKETISG.
The "iunkets" on official boats aud at
hatchery stations were finally brought
down TO two occasions in which persons
not come cted with the commission were
taken on as temporary members Of an e1-
petition, having special duties assigned
them, but receiving no pay. The testl-
monv fattened out so utterly that these
persons were not even called as witnesses
for the defence much less IN support of the
prosecution.
The charge of drunkenness among the
employees turned out to be founded upon
one case of misconduct on the part of a
man whose general behavior was such that
several witnesses who came frequently
into contact with him testified TO his
! habitual sobriety.
As to the falsifcatIon of records, il was
shown that the system of checks and
balances. of shipping and receipts,
! is such that fraud Is practically impossi-
| bic. IL would require collision OF the
most elaborate and impracticable sort.
| And, moreover. the testimony went to
| show that, so far from desiring any falsif-
cation, even where It would be least open
| 10 discovery, Commissioner Mcdonald is
| known 10 his subordinates as a rigid stick
| Ter for accuracy in every detail.