The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-08-15

grade the high office he held, The nav.
, had In some ways deg,nera,ed into
job lot, a; loas; in the eyes " those VIII
used {, tor their own purposes, and wa
sometimes let to a very low bidder,
= Finding myself on me beach. as /
were, because I would no, take a han,
In politics rather than because IA,
done So and knowing tha; would no
have employment, again during the tmt
Of the administration then in power,
: asked for leave FOR a year, with peruis.
sion "a leave the United States. In tn,
absence Of the secretary u the navy
the request was granted. and va:
busy making preparations to enjoy il
when a telegram came rom the secre-
iarv revoklns my leave and again plae-
ing me on waiting orders, I was really
os more impor,ance than had ,onsid-
cred myself, and mus, be lade ,c feel
my punishment However, had telt
the sting Of insects before in my life.
,apd dig not consider them @. much i'm
ipcrtanet.
whsa :s5 administration had changed
and Mr.. W. c. Whitney. the prince Of
secretaries. had ;aken his ulacs as SEC
re;ary Q: n navy, there was a sense of
relief amons US all HIS business ms;a-
DDS soon began TO show cxcellen, re-
suits. ana his fair trea,man, Of those
under him made officers ami men alike
feel tha, he was their friend After he
had been in offica bu: few weeks he
sent Tor me, ami, telling me frankly
what he reports ags!ns; me as Inspector
of the Fifth district had been heard
what I had TO say in reply. was i'm
mediatsly ordered 70 resume my duties
in Baltimore; but, in view o. the large
amount Of work had on hand IN Pitts
burg. was allowed I, delay one month
in order that I might complete II.
Once more in the lighthouse service,
and this time with she assurance that
my side OF any controversy would be
heard. felt that could DO many things
to the benefit Of the service. The change
OF administration brought with Il a de-
sire on the part Of the smaller poli;!cI-
ans for complete change In the keep
ers Of all lighthouses. as well as in 9TH
er government places. The secretary
Of the treasury and the lighthouse board
decided tina; political opinion was not
sufficient cause for removal. II a keep
er was found neglecting lis duty Ls was
10 BE- removed al once; but in all cases
where charges were preferred against
them. keepers were 10 have a fair in
ves:igauon, and Justice was 70 De done
them. Charges were written lgalns,
nearly every keeper in the district, AMI
MANY OF these documents w-ra worthy
Of Thomas Jefferson or Henry clay l.
carefully investigated every case, anl, /
after hearing all the evilsnc=. sen. in /
my report OUT Of 800 keeper. s.1rd i.'
20 recommend The removal oil
one. and one only, f7r n-slscdng his .
duties to political work
It is the truth tina, hurts. This quite F..
accounts for the sting Of hes. words .
which seem to have pierced through the /
cu,icle in which the nervous organism .
u Ex-senator Billy" Chandler Of New .
Hampshir- ia enwrappeI. Chandler /
never never posed as a civil service re-
former. and as a practical politician was /
no, suDposel to D. sensitive % rhe cr.n-
ion which anybody N =ar,a formed Of
him Fighting Bob" and Chandler are
a; th- extreme poles 1f principle and
practice IN the public service. The
IDEAS Of duty and efficiency and thor
oughness which have actuated Evans
through a long life Of magnificent and
heroic service are not those which the
political spokesman exempifas in the
most successful career from partisan
standpoint The navy and the public
service generally has 50 much improved
during the sixteen years since Secretary |
Chandler retired from the managment !
IF the department that one might be
permitted to tell the truth in a mater
# public interest AMI political history
without being called 1own ;or i, The
'eprimand Of Admiral Evans serves 70
,all attention to this pass8g4 IN h.. in
eresting book and the majority o. The
people who read It would not have
hought % connect Chandler personally
With the affair had no; reminded them
himself that he held the portfolio O, the
line. Evans may have been guilty II
/ technical offense IN writing his plan,
inyarnished narrative, but the incident
yill only add to the popularity aith the
)eople.
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