Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-14
COMMISSIONER BATES.
He Speaks Of the Animus Against the Re
cent Report


cent Report
Mr.. W. ". Bates, the commissioner Of the
bureau of navigation in the Treasury Depart
ment, furnished his annual report to the Sec
Rotary Of the Treasury a week ago last Satur-
day. Last Thursday a resume of the re-
port was printed in TIE STAR, furnished
by Mr.. Bates himself, and now there
is trouble around the department,
for it seems that about six weeks ago Secre-
tary Foster issued an order directing the heads
Of the bureaus to submit their reports to him
before making any part of them public. This
order, it is understood, was directed especially
at Mr.. Bates, for in his report a year ago he
not only treated the subject of navigation from
all points of view, but he also wandered off
into the seductive fields of political economy
and the tariff and the effects of the latter
upon American shipping The report this year
covered pretty much the same territory and
was a very lengthy document, treating the sub
ject Of American shipping from historical,
political and economical standpoints. and the
various items were given under headlines SINH
lar to those in a newspaper.
The whole report was referred back to the
commissioner fo- reconsideration and revision,
in itself a rather unusual proceeding. and his
action la making public the report was received
with considerable disfavor by those in authority
in the department. The reason given for the
return Of the report was that il was too long
and that il discussed matters that did not prop
erly come under the jurisdiction Of the bureau
of navigation.
THE ANIMUs OF THE ATTACK.
When STAR reporter called upon Mr. Bates
today the commissioner was seated at his desk
with pair of scissors in his hand and his type
written report piled up before him. 1t made
f,,,v, rva,ln h.. q
had anything to say as to his position in the
matter the commissioner said that in his
opinion the whole affair was not of sufficient
Importance to talk about. Those who found
fault with his actions. he said, ignored the
clause in the law that made il the express duty
of the commissions to suggest any improve
ments that might be- made in the shipping laws.
''Of course" said Mr.. Bates, Il do not know
the origin of tic attack upon me in one of the
morning papers, but it is very evident that the
animus back of it all is to be found in the hos
tility to American shipping The foreign ship
ping interests have their agents in all the
departments and in the Capitol and
wherever they find any one whom they
can influence. 1 have been fighting
them for twenty years, and il is not
at all strange that some their shot should find
its way into my Office. You see, the whole matter
of the adjustment If tonnage duties goes
through this Office, and lots of times foreign
countries haven't got what they wanted and as
a result the bureau has made enemies
I'm fact, went on the commissioner, r. there
has been a constant effort made to limit and
restrict the bureau of navigation on the part OF
those who were unfriendly to American COM
merce and to every attempt that is made to
place American shipping on an equality with
that of other countries. The trouble all lies IN
the fact that In my report L have given facts
and figures tina. cannot be denied and that they
don't like. In the last session of Con-
gress Mr.. Wheeler of the committee
on marine made a report In my report cover
the same ground traversed by him, giving fig
ures that cannot be disputed. and Mr.. Wheeler
does not like it Objection was made to my
report on the ground that l should not have
spoken of one man by name and not of Others
and to that extent I will admit the criticism is a
fair one.
ONE STATEMENT DENIED.
Gas to the statement that gave my report
to the newspapers before 1 submitted it TO the
Secretary. can only say that it is not true. 1
sent it to the Secretary on Saturday and il was
not until the following Thursday that gave it
to the papers. Some time ago the representa-
of the report and gave it, condensing it into
about the space thought the papers would
give to it.
Il thought it was best to do this because I
was afraid that the reporters would get hold OF
the report without my knowing of it, and that
in their abstracts of il would not touch upon
the points that thought were most worthy Of
attention"
Commissioner Bates comes from northern
New York, and was appointed to the Office by
President Harrison. IL is said that since his
appointment he has run the bureau on very in
dependent principles, and that in his rulings
on questions Of tonnage on foreign shipping
has decided without consulting the State De-
partment. that has in many cases had CONNER
cial treaties with the countries affected. In q
number Of instances this has made it rather
awkward for the State Department