The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-23
COAST AND eEoDETlc SURVEY.
How the Service Was Demoral,zed INV ~.
Cleveland Administration.
q. in Sciencr,)

u. in Scencr)
In consideration of the changes that
will follow the appointment of a nav
Secretary of he Treasury, it is TO hs
hoped that searching investigation will
be made into the policy which has result
ed in such great injury to the Coast and
Geodetio Survey.
This bureau, organized at the instance
of President Jefferson, has occupied a
position in the esteem of mon of scisnce
and affairs, at home aud abroad. which
has amply justified the wisdom of its
proJeotor-a result, in no small measure,
due to the wise appreciation of the ad-
mlnistrations which from 1907 TO 1885
recognized the folly of subjecting to politi-
col V1olssitudes the management Of a SER
VICE whose success depended upon the
lahors of trained body CT men, valued
Tor their requirements as photographers,
0opographers. astronomers and physicists,
ana dependent for their employment
upon their merits and devotion TO duty.
During these years the Survey, either by
discovery or improvement, has won many
laurel for American science, and no
o0ner BODY under the government has
done more to make the American name
an honored one rhere applied science is
recognized ard appreciated
The first appointment of Superin-
tendent qualified by no previous scientific
experiences for his position was made in
1000 ous fortunately the appointee was
man of discretion, broad in his views
and judictous in temperament. In at
tending to the professional details of the
work the views and opinions of the most
experienced and ablest of his scientific
assistants were secured and given weight,
his best efforts were called forth for the
welfare of the Survey, and when he
Offered his resignation he surrendered his
position with the knowledge that his
honesty and fairness had won him the
respect OF his. associates, to whom he had
come stranger, and that his stay had
oeen the means of preserving the Survey
from the maohinations of scheming
spoilsmen.
President Harrison during his term in
tha Senate had acquired personal
knowledge Of the operations of the Sur
vey and a strong appreciation of the re-
qu1rements that should be satisfied by
proper head for it, and to the making of
such selection it Is we'll known tn lat he
gave an unusual amount of personal at.
tent1on. the result being the happy
choice which fell on Dr.. T. c. Menden-
nall. To tho readers OF Science it would
De an act of supererogation to recapiGu-
late the qualifications of this distin-
gulShed scientist for the position. and no
act of MIR. Harrison's administration re-
tlected more credit upon his judgment
than the selection he made for Superin-
tendent of the Coast andfH eodetic Survey.
The influence of the new chief was at
once felt in every division of the office,
as he brought to his supervision not only
a trained scientific mind. but the ripe
results OF personal experience with
nearly every line of work in the Survey,
with the consequence that at 40 tim in
It's whole history was Survey more pro-
ductiye in oriRinel and practical results
than for the term that DR.. Mendenhall
was allowed control of the Bureau.
With the change of administration in
with which the Survey was treated In
1885. The President it is tIus sppre-
ciate2 the abilities CT the Superln-
tendent, fthe great work he had done,
recognized his suitability and expressed
his desire that he should remain; but
the capture of bureau where partisan
ship had never reigned was too tempting
| prize to be lost for the now ruler that
held sway in the Treasury Department.
Lett with only the semblance Of execu-
tive power, and subjected to the pettIest
and most odlous treatment, DR.. Menden-
hall remained at his post until he had
thwarted the most serious attack made
In years on the integrity of the Survey,
and then resigned an office his self re-
on1JId ot oil hi,,,Tta %oi,
In the successor to DR.. Mendenhall the
Treasury Department was fortunate
enough to find a professional gentleman
who showed the accommodating spirit
with the clerical idea of how scientific
bureau should be copd ucted that the lay
man, Mr.. Thorn. failed In. The new
appointee, General Duffield, was civil
engineer In active practice. but SO far
as has been shown none of his experience
had been in connection with the special
lines of work for which the Coast Survey
has been noted. He had been employed
insthe construction of railroads. in opsra-
tions under tho United States Engineers
and in contract land surveying but
seventy years had passed over his head at
the time of his appointment without
making his name familiar one outside
of his own vicinity. The professional
career of the new Superintendent would
indicate, if not expert knowledge of, at
least intelligent sympathy with, the
needs and requirements of his new
charge; but his attitude from the very
first showed that this was not to be the
case. For inspiration as to what should
bs his general policy in the Survey he
took the directions OF the Chief Clerk of
the Treasury department; fer special
information he drew, not on his assis-
tants, but on the recent appointees in; the
clerical positions, whose places in the
Bureau were due to the same generous
hands which had benefited himself. AS
the only places in the office, unprotscted
by civil service laws, which had not been
filed by the new administration were
those of the scientific force, upon them a
raid was next to be mnde.
With only little over nine weeks ex-
perience in an office TO whose duties he
had come an entire stranger, and with
out any consultationswith his patura1 ad-
visars, the Superintendent wrote letter
to Congress, strongly advising reduo-
ton of 20 per cent in the field force.
This wild suggestion was ignorsdsby the
Senate where long service had made the
needs and requirements OF the Survey