The age-herald., 1902-05-17
No Political Combination to Pre- vent Hobson's Retirement.

accomplished noble work for the state. but that has been done along non-con- troversial and non-political Nnes For example that is splendid beyond all nre- vious comparison, they have secured congressional money appropriations for the state greatly in excess of the total state revenue of Alabama for one yeari In this the state's senators and represen- tatives were represented on two of the greatest supply committees of the House by the oldest and most experienced of their number in the House, and they all of them backed him up nobly
 Having set forth these facts at length. the simple statement of which might seem to the ignorant plea for our noble senators and our faithful and most worthy Alabama representatives. some men of passion and others of pitiful fool ishness In the state have, by their silli- ness. made 1t needful to say that what I write now Is without the knowledge of any one of those honored Alabamians whose cause I espouse, and that at no time in the past has any one outside The Age-Herald office seen, or any one any where influenced, suggested or directed, anything written in this correspondence The editor of The Age-Herald alone has power over the work I do as best I can. Fools make this simple statement neces- sary, for even tools are som etimes listen- ed to. To my editor alone am I answer able.
 
 Hobson, the hero of the Merrimac incl dent in the Santiago campaign" writes MT. Barry of the New York Sun, made a plea before the House committee on naval affairs this morning in favor of the bill to place him on the retired list with his present relative rank, on two- thirds of a utenant's pay.
 MT. Hobson's case is one of unusual in- terest, not only because of the brilliancy of his career In the navy, but on account of the peculiarity of his affliction. He is threatened with blindness and yet to all interts and purposes, Is at present physically sound.
 There is little doubt that this trouble Is due to his work on the plans for rais- ing the battleships sunk at Santiago and Manila, and to other work done in con- nection with his profession Of naval con- structor, and so his condition can prop erly be escribed to injuries received in the service.
 Unfortunately for his plans and desire, the law does not contemplate the future disabilities of officers in providing for their retirement, and while the retiring beard which examined Mir Hobson agreed that If he remained in the service he would probably lose his eyesight, it was prevented from retiring him until that condition actually arrived
 MT. Hobson Is, therefore. under pres- ent conditions, confronted with the alter native of remaining in the service until his eyesight Is practically if not entirely destroyed when he can be retired, or of resigning from the service. He has no private means and would be inhibited from following his profession out of the navy. His only hope lies In an appeal to Congress, which, by the enactment of a bill. can provide for his retirement.
 'Mr Hobson explained these things to the committee today. but the committee took no action, as the presence of it's members was required on the floor of the House in connection with the naval ap- propriation bill"
 LUCIEN JULIEN WALKER.