The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-30

light of what you say today. signifies
your practical acceptance Of an offer
OF another position inconsistent with
the performance of your duties on the
isthmus. | am astonished that you
should be SO disregardful of the SPLEEN
did opportunities Of the position which
would have made you famous the world
over by the honorable performance o.
your duties Of chief engineer
Love For Lucre.
For mere Iucre You change your pc
sitioR over night without thought Of
the embarrassing position in which you
place your government. when the engi-
neeFing forces on the isthmus are left
without a real head and your depart
nne0t Is not perfected in organizations
when the advisory board of engineers
is to assemble under call Of the pTesi-
dent within two months and when L
am departing for the Philippines on
public duty. All this you know as we'll
as / know it, but il has not had the
! least influence upon your acuon-you
have thought Of yourself ana yOursett
alone. I consider that by every pTinct-
pie of honor and duty you were bound
1 TO treat the subject differently You
have permitted the president and all
of US to proceed in full confidence that
you would perform the functions OF
chief engineer, and now in an hour you
drop your great duties and throw them
back upon US as if it were a matter Of
no consequence and all THIS for your
personal advantage solely
Had Wong Idea.
" MI Wallace. I do not agree with
your idea Of your rights, nor with your
idea as to your duties I do not agree
that the presidents original order Civ
ing him the right to discharge an IN
faithful commissioner gave you the
right to abandon your duties at a crit
ical moment. but Independent of that
original order. you accepted the duties
Of chief engineer under the recent order
OF April !, which was made in cO-Opera-
ton with YOU and To suit your views.
More than this your duty in the prem
ises is not measured by your mere legal
contTaCtual rights. Ii should be meas
ured by the high obligation of public
officer with a sacred allegiance to the
government it should be his honor and
1 his pleasure to serve. You were. there
fore, in honor bound by all that has
preceded to continue to perform your
duties upon the isthmus until such time
"a year al least-as would have ar
fOTded us reasonable opportunity to Sc
leCt a competent successor and prepare
him for the great duties of that Office
I on make not me least complaint
against your associates. superior or in
( feriOT q know Of no possible ground
] for any. YOU are influenced solely by
| your personal advantage
Great fame attached to your work,
| but also your equal responsibility, hut
now you desert them in an hour. Also
| from a standpoint of policy you are
making "A profound mistake IF you
| could withdraw from your new arrange
! mentS, which I 10 not suggest. ! could
! have no confidence that YOU would no;
/ in the future repeat the same at mo-
/ ment even more critical when the con-
| sequences might be even more embar-
/ TassinE and injurious to the govern
/ ment
/ Under the circumstances Mr.. Wal
! lace. and with great personal pain and
/ diSa ppOintment ] am bound TO say that
! I consider the public interest requires
! that YOU tender your resignation at this
moment and turn over the records OF
your Office to the chairman of the com
| mission
Mr.. Wallace replied that he was
deeply disturbed at the view taken Jy
the secretary; that he had considered
| that he had a right TO retire when lie
chose. but that he-waS DESTROYS of talk
ing it all over and making some at
rangemeuts whereby the government
could use his services in some capacity