The morning times., 1897-02-04
Chief Clerk Logan Refuses to
Discuss the Matter.
NO MALICE IN IT, HE SAYS
Some People Seem to Think the
Ballot Machine Caused It-Every-
body of the Opinion That an Ex-
PLANTATION From Some Authorita-
tive Source Is In Order.


ton of the Treasury officials who brought
it about The dismissal, as stated in yes
terday mornings Times, took place inn
mediately after office hours Tuesday
Mr.. Ryan, who is regarded as one of the
brightest and most efficient men in the
| public service, has had very tempestrous
| time lately. From the earliest days of
| Daniel Mannings term as Secretary of the
| Treasury he has been a Treasury empIoye.
He was protege Of the late Secretary,
who knew and appreciated his worth.
| Mr.. Ryan was dismissed from his position
| the day after the election for running S a
| Democratic candidate for Congress In the
| Rochester district. On December he was
| reapE ointcd tn cierkship in the Treasury
| on civil service certificate. From this
latter position be was dismissed last Tues
| day, as stated above.
| The question that is agitating Mr. Ryan s
| friends is what was the real cause of his
| official decapitation this time Was he
| dismissed by u Democratic administration
| for daring to stand up for Democratic
| principles, or was it something else? The
1 guess is that it was something else Mr..
| Ryan is contesting the seat of his success
| ful opponent, on the ground that a nechani-
| cal voting machine, known as the Myers
| ballot machine, was used in the city OF
| Rochester OH the day of election, and that
| it is a device that records Republican
| votes and does not record Democratic
| votes. II was more to show the imper-
| fection OF the machine in question, than
| anything else that determined Mr. Ryan
| TO enter u contest. This, it is stated, is
| the reason hewas dismissed OF course, IL
this is true, the average citizen of an
| inquiring mind is likely to ask whatinterast
| officials in the Treasury have in the Myers
| machine. 1t would be an interesting thing
therefore. to see a list OF stockholders
| in the Myers device
| The civil service law has been revised,
amended, and patched up in many ways
Maybe a clause has been added to it max
ing it an offense punishable by dismissal
| for any department clerk TO question the
! absolute accuracy OF a certain ballot
! machine.
| President Proctor, OF the Civil Service
| com mission, was called on by a Times
| reporter yesterday and asked if it was
the intention OF the commissi on to investi-
| gate the Ryan case. He said: IF Mr
Ryan will produce proofs that he was dis
| OF course we will look into the matter and
| probe it to the bottom. fit can be shown
| that somebody in the Treasury is inter-
! ested in ballot machine that would rot
| be n question of politics.
Mr.. Logan Carlisle, chief clerk OF the
| Treasury, was questioned by The Times
| as to the reasons for Ryan's dismissal
| He declined absolutely to discuss The
1 for No.
| say this-that this department has never,
| since | have been chief clerk, dismissed
| man through malice
Mr.. Ryan seems 10 have placed ssistant
| Secretary Curtis in q position from which
extriCation can only result 10y the most ex-
cessiye exercise of executive power.
The civil service law particularly pro-
vides the penalty OF dismissal and fine
and mpris oniuent for any official who dis
misses another official or clerk for po-
litical reasons In an evening paper Of yes
terday it was Officially stated that the re-
moyal was made for political reasOns-rpse
est-that Mr.. Ryan had contraveued the
wishes of the Gepartm eHt III filing the con-
test for seat in Congress against Hon.
Henry c. Brewster, of the Thirty first New
York, RoChes ter, district and tnferen-
italy against the Myers ballot machine.
As n matter OF fact, Mr.. Ryan, on jan
uary IL, addressed letter TO the Presi-
dent, requesting information as TO whether
the institution of that contest would be
considered cause for removal. Mr.. Ryan
is not rich. He is dependent upon his
salary for living for himself and his
family. No reply was received.
Mr. Ryan was appointed to a S9GO
cierkship in the Treasury Department, in
1884 under the administration OF Presi-
dent Arthur, by virtue of high position
taken in a civil service examination He
was assigned To the Registers office in
which bureau he remained until June 80,
1896. During that period. however. lie
had been detailed to do expert work in
various other bureaus. Notable among the
various items OF expert work performed
by him were the establishment of Sys-
TEN for the protection of interest checks
on government loans, for which he was
commented in the report of Secretary
Manning TO Congress in 1SS6-the first
and last instance of the kind on record;
he was q member of She commission to
examine antl report upon the file space
under control of the Treasury Department
in this city: lie was for three years the
direct representative of the Register OF
the Treasury in the destruction OF redeemed
and nlutilated currency. and he was the
only young man on the commission detailed
to examine and investigate the records of
the Coast Survey for the Northwest coast
of the United States-appointed thereon
especially on account of his well-knawn
mathematical ability and intelligence
In 1892 Mr. Ryan took the competitive
civil service department examination for
promotions and was on the eligible list for
promotion. but on the entrance of the pres
ept administration that list was contrary
to law -eXpunged entirely, and Mr.. Ryan,
with many others in other bureaus was
illegally deprived of promotion. The va
rious promotionsfrom $500 to 81 900 were
in due course of promotion, without prefer
ence.
Since the beginning of the present admin
istration there has evidently been de-
liberate attempt to bclittle Mr.. Ryan: so
that at his final dismiss al there would seem
to be cause. Rut the publication in The
Times of yesterday seems to have SO ''rat-
tied" those in authority in the Treasury
Department that in attempting to Justify
their actions. they confess to the commits
sion OF what seems to be an offense against
the civil service law.
How Mr.. Squire Missed 1t.
Last year was hard one on the Pacific
coast, says the Chicago Chronicle, and
Che people try by all means TO make an
honest dollar. Mr.. Squire, late candidate
for oil tn ha 70 haH