The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-28
INVESTIGATING POSSESSIONS IN
THE PACIFIC.
Civil Service Commissioner Rodenberg
Also About to Start for Hawaii to
Investigate for His Department.

WASHINGTON, c. D., May H.
Inquiry at the War Department
elicits the information that the trans
port Ingalls, VIII be ready to sail for
the Philippines by the goth of June and
probably a few days earlier. The In
gals will take out a distinguished party
of Congressman who go to investigate
conditions in the American Pacific pos
sessions. The party will include Sen
atorsBacon of Georgia, Harris of Kan
sas and Turner of Washington, and Re-
presentatives Mercer of Nebraska, Nc
Cleary of Minnesota, Dinamore of Ark
ansas, Gaines of Tennessee, Smith of
Illinois and Burleson of Texas. 1t is
possible that Mr.. De Almond of Mis-
souri, will go also. This will be one of
the most delightful trips ever taken by
a party of congressman but ii should be
understood that they are not going at
government expense. Each member of
the party pays his own expenses, but
living expenses on the transport are just
dollar a day-which is far from steep.
The transport goes by the Mediterra-
mean and Suez canal. The homeward
trip viii be across the Pacific to San
Francisco, thus completing a circuit of
the EARTH About five weeks will be
devoted to an inspecLon of conditions
in the Philippines, a weeks stop will
be made in Japan and several days will
Dt spent I1dWdll. w nile Ine exact
duration of the visit to the territory is
not yet determined since enough will
be devoted to the islands to enable the
legislators to gain much insight into
Hawaiian affairs. Roughly speaking
the ingalls, will probably arrive at Ho-
nolulu late in October.
United States Civil Service Commits
sioner Roderberg is about to leave for
Hawaii to investigate the operations of
the civil service. Rodenberg was lately
regarded as one of the real red-blood
partisans, who do not fancy the in
stitution of which he is the head He
was known to be opposed to the con-
tinuance of the Civil Service Commits
sion while he was member of Con-
gresS, but it is claimed that his few
weeks services on the Commission has
convinced him that it is a good thing, a
much better thing in fact since he be-
came a member of it. Rodenberg has
become a convert and the President can
now answer his critics by saying that
instead of putting the Commission in
the control of its enemies he has sue
ceeded in winning to the merit system
one of it's most enthusiastic opponents.
A good office has been known to change
a mans view point before. But what
ever may be said about Rodenoerg's S
sudden shift from spokesman to reform
er, no one. doubts that he is an able
man ana clever felloW. You Will like
him as soon as you see him. He is a
genial companion and charming story
teller But 1t can be safely predicted
that he will investigate the Hawaiian
civil service from the Commissions
standpoint, and not from the 'low
plane of party politics." He intends to
hold his lob, or get better one. Per-
haps when he gets a better place he
will again join the ranks of those
dreadful tn
attend conventions and openly and vul-
carly pursue the wriggling and evasive
worm called Office.
FRANK H. HOSFORD.