Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22

| understanding had been entered into with
Crane that in case Nicoll was not disturbed
/ Cranes application should be Endorsed. At
this point the investigation adjourned until
/ Monday afternoon at o'clock.
Chief Harrington's Answer.
| Prof Harrington, chief of the weather bu-
reau. has sent the following reply to the charges
submitted to him through Assistant Attorney
| General Colby:
To the Hon. J. Sterling Morton, Secretary of
| Agriculture:
Sir: l have today received from Assistant
Attorney General Colby a Communication in
| forming me that under your authority he will
\ investigate certain charges involving nv Off
cial conduct. These charges /, he says. "hase
| had notice of through the public press and
| otherwise"
| As chief Of the weather bureau am, by ex-
! pllcit provision Of law. TO perform my duties
under the direction of the Secretary of Agri-
| culture " J acknowledge your duty and power
to make such investigation into the manage
/ ment of nv bureau will render that di-ec-
| ton intelligent and effective But / do insist
/ that am entitled to an authoritative notice of
charges against me. and thatI cannot properly
| consider as authentic such charges as "haye
! bad notice of through the public press and
| otherwise"
Assuming that you intend this letter OF Gen.
| Colby's as such notice, address my reply to
| you my official superior. 1t IL true that have
bad notice through the public press of the sub
| stance of these charges. But proper respect
/ for you and myseI. has closed nv mouth until
| You have made these charges your own and
/ have thus called upon me to speak. May venture
to say, without disrespect, that their retention
| until you felt authorized to assume them would
have prevented my exposure to unjust aud I'M
scrupulous attack, a reply to which my position
/ made impossible.
lam informed by Gen. Colby that you have
| authorized him to make this investigation.
You have said. according to the public press, to
| which he has referred me. that he was chosen
| for this purpose because his republican politics
| would disarm criticism upon his fairness. i do
not see IN his political situation the guarantee
so evident TO you. II you desire to avail your
| self OF his professional services as prosecutor
I i acquiesce. But if your intent be that be
shall play in this in the former investigation
the double part of judge and prosecutor pro-
test against lis contamination. The tension of
the advocate easily disturbs the impartial adj
justment OF the judicial mind 1t is a fact that
his report of that investigation Is not judicial.
1oC have the testimony then taken before YOU
now. say that il does not justify his report in the
following respects: While petty thieving has
occurred under nv administration the report
omits to state that the only man certainly guilty
of theft had been for wears in the signal service
and that of the four other men suspected three
were an inheritance from the military manage
menf; 1t Is not probable that the transfer OF the
weather bureau in july 1881. suddenly changed
either the characters or the actions of these men.
General Colby has reported that returns
were made for sales Of thermometers (meanIng
thereby the metallic backs of broken ther-
mometers) and of other articles sold: the evil
dence contradicts him explicitly on this point;
he has recommended the most sweeping reor-
ganization OF the bureau for inadequate rea-
sons. thus suggesting that not a remedy but
revolution was desired.
With respect to myself he has failed to
report in my favor what the testimony before
him showed upon the following points: That
the very investigation as to petty thieving
which ne took up had been begun by me; that
soon as / learned of the existence in nv
bureau OF the practice-yery common in
all government depar tments-of loaning
money at usurious rates of interest az once
forbade it; that under the military con-
troll of the bureau it was so COM
mon practice for the officers in
charge 10 have the government property for
official use at their homes that the fact excited
no comment. 1t is not pretended that either
those officers. nv predecessors or myself ever
made any private claim to any Of this property
or used it in any way for private purposes. Its
sole use was to enable to better discharge
our duties to the government during hours
which are generally considered those of rest.
The failure to make a formal requisition for
such articles. while thing to be corrected,
By Gen. Colby.
Gen. Colby's report as a whole can fairly be
called an uni judicial exaggeration OF certain
portions of the evidence before him. the result
Of which is 20 magnify a condition of things
liable to occur in all departments into an ex-
traordinary condition of crime and misman-
agement peculiar solelv to the weather bureau
under Its present civilian control
LII under the general Language of "inefi-
cheney and maladministratioa'' contained IN
the sixth charge you intend to specify any
matters covered by this report request that
you so specify now and that you withhold your
judgment upon the report until l shall have
been heard in that regard.
l now. for the foregoing reasons. protest
against Gen. Colby judge. As a prosecutor
L do not object to him, but do object to the
warning of your judgment with respect to the
facts of my case by preliminary judicial re-
port prepared by NV prosecutor.
While l have only had the benefit of few
hours consideration OF the six formulated
charges. vet know their substance l now
technically necessary. and in the order in which
they are made.
THE CRANE CASE.
/. I made no Misrepresentation Of the facts
in my Recommendation Of A. B. Crane for pro-
motion. nor was guilty of improper conduct.
Ny recommendation was due to his Gong and
meritorious service" to his satisfactory work
in Norfolk and to the growing importance Of
that city. He begah his career in the neteoro-
logical service August 3, 1880. His record
was very good and he had an espe-
cially long and excellent list of COM
mendations from Norfolk. which / had the
honor of transmitting to you with my letter of
March 10. The other points in my letter of
recommendation matters of common in
formation. l believed Crane to be the right
man for Norfolk. There was no concealed
reason for my nomination.
CHARGES DENOUNCED AS FALSE
ii. The statement is false that / have
shielded or retained unworthy or i1com petent
men to the detriment of the public service 1
have taken great care that no snap judgments
| should take effect against my subordinates.
have also been especially careful that none Of
| the numerous feuds inherited from twenty
years OF military regime should affect
| my action. The case of II. S. Nichols
was one requiring leniency. He entered
| the bureau service April 20. 1892 without
recommendation from me. 1t soon developed
| that he was Q victim Of the liquor habit and he
WAS granted q leave of two months without
! pay to effect a cure-an object which il ap-
pears he has accomplished. The reports of his
| progress have been various, but the situation
was complicated for some months BY
the fact that his then superior was ner-
| yous, irritable, ill and discoptented.
have not at any time felt myself justified in
recommending his discharge. i am not per-
sonally acquainted with Nichols or his family.
| | am informed and believe that he is not a
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