The San Francisco call., 1905-05-27
STRANGE ACTION
Of GOVERNMENT
Museum Finds 1t an Uphill
Fight to Get Chance for
Local Merchants TO Bid
FAVOR HOUSES IN EAST
San Francisco Deprived of
Opportunity of Furnishing
Supplies to Philippines

Some lively correspondence. both by
wire and mail, is passing between Di-
rector Evans of the Pacific Commercial
Museum and Colonel Edwards, chief Of
the Bureau OF Insular Affairs at Wash
ington, D. c. The occasion is the fall
ure OF San Francisco merchants TO re-
ceive proper recognition IN furnishing
supplies 70 be used in the Philippines. A
statement regarding the situation is
made by Director Evans, as follows;
For nearly six months the Pacific
Commercial Museum has devoted special
effort toward having the acquisitions for
the purchases by the Philippine Govern
ment distributed among San Francisco
merchants. and has received from time TO
time favorable assurances and promises
that such would be done. but so far no
satisfactory results have been attained
As far back as February the Museum
received a communication from the
Bureau OF Insular Affairs through Rep
resentative J. c. Needham at Washing
ton, indicating the departments appar-
ent sincerity in desiring that San Fran
cisco should have a fair deal in the pur-
chase OF supplies for the Philippines. A
list was sent 10 the Museum covering
hundreds OF articles representing valua
bic orders that were placed with dealers
and others in the East, and the Museum
undertook to point out to the purchasing
department that a great portion of those
goods could have been purchased in San
Francisco 10 better advantage than In
the East
RELUCTANT TO YIELD.
After a further delay q letter was re-
ceived from the Bureau OF Insular AZ
fairs at Washington. in part as follows:
After careful consideration of the
question it has been decided to give
every merchant in your city the oppor-
tunity of bidding on such acquisitions,
and il is hoped that the results viii jus
tify the additional clerical labor and in
some instances the delay in executing or
GERS which the adoption Of this plan will
entail
The letter goes on TO state that the
department found it necessary to depart
from the method Of distribution sug-
Fested by the Museum because other
similar institutions throughout the
country could demand and justly ex-
pect the same treatment and that, there
fore, it had been decided to send a copy
Of the reauisitions TO Major Devol, depot
QUartermaster at San Francisco, to be
posted in some conspicuous place. so
that every merchant who desires may
have Iree access thereto.
The only available place for posting
such reouisitions is in a narrow street
where there is little possibility of its be-
ing seen by the merchants. and in any
case it is unreasonable 10 suppose that
those desirous of bidding on such requisi-
tiOns could obtain the necessary data in
such q manner.
DISCRIMINATION GOES.
The Museum promptly telegraphed to
the bureau in Washington. offering to
place at its disposal its complete service
for the distribution Of the acquisitions,
and TO advertise the fact in the daily pa
pcrs, in order that all merchants would
be accorded equal privileges in bidding
on Philippine supplies. The Museum
also pointed out that the plan proposed
by the department would not meet with
the approval of local merchants. who
were entitled in every way to the same
consideration as manufacturers or deal
ers il the East.
Notwithstanding the offer Of the Mu-
scum to assist the department in a prac-
tical way in the distribution Of requisi-
tions. II received a telegram yesterday
from Colonel Edwards or the Bureau of
Insular Affairs in Washington to the eff
feet that he did not think it advisable
10 deviate from the plan suggested in
his letter.
Judging from the correspondence and