St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-23
cOnfrontt d with yOnr own written p r
mission TO do the v ry thins mpl; led

mission TO do the ry thin4 mpl; led
Of?
1T is well known in the department
that it was not until after several days
after you had resolved upon my re-
mOval and had commissioned my sue
ceSsor that you began an inquiry for the
purpose of finding Justification for
your action, which might perhaps also
serve as reply to a resolution of the
house of representatives. Although
the charges now made are plainly
trumped up, and are due to an uneX-
pected necessity on your part, L shall
not shun them.
Before entering into direct reply to
your statement, permit me to remind
you of the important fact that in deter
mining upon your action you did not
consult the officer who alone has an in
innate and personal knowledge of the
work OF my bureau, and which had been
prosecuted under his immediate dlrec-
tiOn and from whom you had never re-
ceived any complaint respecting my
efficiency or the performance of my
duties. You not only left him in abso-
lutte ignorance of your intention to re-
move me, but you chose time when he
was absent from the city. observe
with pleasure that you no longer seek to
justify your precedented action in re-
moving me from the post of librarian by
the erroneous statement, made to me III
our last interview, that my talented pre-
decessOr, Mr.. Dwight, was removed by
Secretary Bayard. as Mr.. Dwight re-
signed to accept more lucrative posi-
ton.
"A man whose life has been devoted
to library and historical work is not
prone to rush into personalities or seek
notoriety, which politicians sometimes
covet. 1quietly sought simple justice
from the department, and too keenly ap-
preciate the difference between your
power and mine to make any threats
whatever. You denied the request that
| should not be removed without being
given an opportunity to meet charges;
you confronted me with neither speciti-
cations nor accuSerS: you endeavOred
to induce me quietly to accept consul
ship. | merely insisted that l must
have justice and [ could not be bribed
into silence. l regret that you should
have drawn others into this contro-
VerSy.
"The one to whom you refer In the
first instance sought his own transfer to
another bureau to relieve me of the un-
pleasant duty Of reporting his neglect
of duty during the hours of the library.
and for conduct on a certain occasion OF
a most Objectionable character. This
is why his Invaluable services were lost
to the library
"The second gentleman repeatedly
diSobeyed orders in regard to work. He
was reported to and reprOved therefor
by the acting secretary. These are the
sole reasons of the change from friendly
reciprocity into which you are pleased
to style practical nOn-intercourse.'
''You state that during the last sum-
mer quarreled with the late third sec
retary of state. Inasmuch as that gen
tleman is not now an officer OF the de-
partment, cannot consent to take part
in any controversy affecting him. The
incident to which you probably refer,
and of which you have evidently re-
ceived garbled accounts, as in the case
mentioned above, was promptly and sat
lsfactOrily disposed of by the acting
secretary of state, who found no Occa-
sion to censure my conduct, as the
records in the case will show.
From your miSapprehension OF the
foregoing facts you fall into the conf
plant that am lacking in tact. That
is question which l cannot discuss.
1t is possible that many will wonder
how you expected a tactleSs librarian to
prove tactful consul.
librarians of experience will smile
at your complaint that the one who has
the custody and selection of one OF the
best Libraries in the world III lnterna-
tional law and diplomacy, and who is
also custodian of the vast historical rec
ords of the department is not qualified
for the place unless he is also prac-
tical printer. You will bear me out in
the statement that the department has
never employed professional proof read
ers in this work, but the proof reading
has been performed by myself and as
sistants, without any complaint being
found against our work.
'.Some may share my amaZement that
it should have taken you three years to
discover my. inefficiency. But perhaps
you will find an explanation for this III
the fact that it is only recently that it
has become necessary for you to make
permanent place for your protege in the
department over which you preside and
where, according to your own declara-
tions, incompetency may flourish and
want of ability and merit are not causes
for immediate removal.
considering these indisputable facts,
can it be expected that civil service re-
formers and fair-minded people III gen
eral will really belive that the depart
ment of state never changes its SUBJ
ordinate officers except for good ana
sufficient cause"