Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-06
HOBSON'S STATEMENT
THINKS THAT he HAS BEEN
TREATED uNIUsrIY.
Tells Of the Improvement Of His Eye
sight and His Failure to OBJ
tain Retirement.

Capt. Richmond P. Hobson said yesterday
in New York he had information from a
reliable source that legislation which would
have enabled him to go on the retired list
had been held up in the House naval af-
fairs committee by Representative Bank
head, who represents the sixth Alabama
district, in which Captain Hobson lives.
The captain said he believed, on the in
formation which has come to him, that Mr..
Bankheads opposition was due to his po-
lftical interests.
Representative Bankhead Of Alabama last
night denied that he was in any way re-
sponsible for the action of the naval COM
mittee Of the House in refusing to report a
bill retiring Capt Richmond P. Hobson, as
charged by that officer. IT am not a men,
Der Of the naval committee, as Mr.. Hobson
claims" said Mr.. Bankhead. II never APP
retirement. and was in Alabama when
the committee acted on the matter. Mr..
Hobson has been entirely mtstnformed."
Ruined Eyes in Saving Ships.
In his statement to the New York World
Capt. Hobson said:
II think it best to go back to the begin
ming Of my trouble with my eyes. This
takes me back to the close Of the war with
Spain. l worked hard during the siege Of
Santiago and my constitution began to
break down after I was released from
prison. But I worked all summer and into
the fall experimenting the raising Of the
Maria theresa. 1t was not pleasant work
In the tropics and the fierce glare Of the
sun on the sea affected my eyes.
FROM CUBA was sent to koWloon Dock
near Hongkong, where worked for fifteen
months experimenting the reconstruction
or the Don Juan de Austria the ISla de
Cuba and the Isla de Luzon. Ny eyes
grew worse. A number of men engaged in
the work contracted eye trouble and were
sent to the hospital.
From Kowloon Dock was sent to take
charge of the work Of naval construction
at Cavite, in the Philippines. There my
eye trouble became acute I had to knock
off work and go to the First Reserve Hos
pital in Manila, where 1 was treated by
specialist. He ordered me to cease work
entirely for a time and leave the tropics.
According to his diagnosis 1 was suffering
from repinitis, which is a sort of infiamma-
ton Of the retina. Both eyes were at
fected.
"A board of surgeons was convened in
Manila. I was surveyed and ordered
home. After reaching the United States
had severe spell Of typhoid fever. When
became convalescent l was ordered to the
Buffalo exposition and from there to the
Charleston exposition. At the close Of the
Charleston exposition my eyesight was so
weak that it. became a question with me Of
giving up work altogether or going blind.
So 1 put in an application for retirement,
with a request for pension.
Must Be Blind First.
II was examined by board of retirement
and asked If my eyesight was totally gone.
I said that it was not, and was told that
unless I was completely incapacitated my
application could not be passed upon ia
vorably. I explained that II 1 continued to
work l should certainly go blind but that
made no difference. -.
MY only course, then, was to get spe-
cial act Of Congress on my case. 1 made
quest was approved by the chief of
the construction department, the Secre-
tary of the Navy and the President of the
United States. It was sent by the President
to Congress in a special message, and was
acted on favorably by the Senate commit
tee. But in the House committee it met
with an Lnfavorable reception.
This is where politics begins to come in.
In the eighteen years l have been in the
navy my actions have been dictated solely
by my desire to advance the service 1
want to say that have never done an act
that was dictated by any political influence.
and have never been swayed by politics
when the bill to retire me was about to
come up before the House committee I
went to Representative Bankhead Of the
sixth Alabama district, In which reside,
and asked him to aid me.
Baked by Bankhead.
ITO my surprise, he refused point blank
not only to take charge Of the bin, but to
help 1t along in any way. Not only that,
but he caused his secretary. who 10 cor
respondent for a number Of Alabama news
papers, to send and have printed false and
malicious statements, the gist Of which
was that I was anxious to retire on n PEN
sion and thus have leisure to go dnto pofi-
tics and seek office on what reputation
I might have gained by my services to
my country. 1 have all this on tbe most
unquestionable authority. 1 also know mat
it was Representative Bankhead who OF
ganzed the opposition to and caused the
defeat of the bill for my relief
Il think / have been treated badly
have practically given the best part or my
life to the service. ! have worked for
eighteen years without any reward, de-
spite reports to the contrary spread by
Representative Bankhead to the effect that
1 have sought and obtained rewards not
merited."
Will Lecture on Navy's Needs.