, 1907-01-17
EXONORATED
Governor W. A. Richards, Com.
missioner of the General Land
Office to Retire With Honors.-
Secretary Hitchcock Under
Fire and will have to explain"

The following Washington dis
patches indicate that Governor
Richards, Commissioner of the
General Land Office, will retire
from that position with honors,
completely exonorated from all
connection with land frauds, while
Secretary Hitchcock will have to
explain his course to the United
States Senate:
"The sending of the nomination
of James r. Garfield to the senate
as secretary of the interior. dissi-
pates all doubt as to the retire.
of Ethan Allen Hitchcock on
March 4. During the past fve
years there have been many reports
that Mr.. Hitchcock would retire,
but each time the report proved
mythical. So frequently had these
phantom stories appeared that
when eve the president o
ced thirty days ago that Secretary
Hitchcock would retire on March
4th, but few people really believed
that it would occur.
"That Secretary Hitchcock is
not retiring voluntarily a be
stated authoritatively. President
Roosevelt has discovered too late
that such a change is desirable,
and the official confirmation of the
presidents announcement that
Hitchcock would retire has been
hailed with delight by public men
regardless of their party ties.
Secretary Hitchcock is honest,
but his weaknesses in other di-
rections are legion. He has per-
mitted a few underlings in his. de-
partment to prejudice him against
almost every man in public life.
He has even PERMITTED his private
secretary to have prepared in his
office afidavits rejecting seriously
on public men. So strong have
his prejudices become that Secre-'
tary Hitchcock has looked upon
almost every man who entered his
ofics with suspicion. This applied
to senators and representatives
equally with men in private life
who visited him on personal bust
ness. Only a few pet personal
friends have been relieved of this
suspicion and as a result favors
have been bestowed which were in
striking contrast with his official
action on other cases pending be.
+ fore his office. -.
There is no doubt but that his
attempt to discredit Commissioner
Richards, of the general land of.
fee, and to besmirch tie character
of certain prominent western SEN
ators was the direct cause Of his
retirement. Commissioner Rich
ards has been one of the most eff
cient commissioners that has ever
I presided over the general. land
office. Those who are familiar
with his conduct of that Office well
know that the administration OF
the Office is above criticism, but
that this this would not be SO il
Commissioner Richards had not
on several occasions refused tc
carry out orders of Secretary
Hitchcock and appealed to the
: president, who promptly sustained
him. Had he obeyed the secre'
tary's orders he might today bt
paying the penalty Of administra'
tive indiscretion. But Commiss
Toner Richards acted wisely ther
and as a result has nothing to feal
today, and accordingly courts thu
fullest investigation of his office
Having thwarted the commando
of the secretary, it is not surpris
ing that the latter should have n
particular love for him today, ant
the yelled insinuations of possibl
maladministration in the land OF
fee which have filled the paper