The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-11-11
POLE CONTROVERSY
He Must Prove His Claim to Have
Reached Pole as Peary Already Has
nnne-Matfers to BE Cleared Up.

Burlington, November S.-Hon.
Charles II. Darling, Collector
of customs at the port of Burlington,
who has given much attention to Arc
tic exploration, and who, probably,
knows more about this subject than
any other man in Vermont, has kindly
consented to give the Journal an in
tegview on the Peary-Cook controver-
sy over the discovery of the North
Pole
Mr.. Darling is an intimate personal
friend of Commander Robert E.
Peary and has entertained the explor-
err at his home in Burlington Mr..
Darling has in his possession several
valuable relics of Arctic expeditions
given to him by Peary, including
some books left in the Arctic region
by General Greeley, and which were
discovered about 20 years later by
Peary, and brought back to America.
AS Greeley declined to receive them
some of them were given to Mr.. OAR
ling.
While Mr.. Darling vas Assistant
Secretary of the Navy he formed an
acquaintance with Peary and later as
Acting Secretary OF the Navy, he
granted the explorer a leave of alb
sence for Arctic exploration on next
to the last expedition. A peninsula in
the Arctic region was named by
Peary in honor of Mr.. Darling
In an address delivered by Peary
before the National Geographic So
ciety, Oct "a, 1903, and printed in the
National Geographic Magazine, he
said: Assistant Secretary Darling, in
granting leave for the purpose of the
expedition, has continued the tradi
lions of the Navy Department, and has
associated himself with Dobbin, Ken
nedy, Robson and Chandler, all o
whose names are inscribed in oul
Arctic charts. He has also put him
self in line with a long list of British
Lords of the Admiralty, who hav,
seen the moral as we'll as the materia
utility of Arctic exploration, and hav,
fostered and encouraged it with al
the means of their command"
1t was Mr.. Darling's purpose to &C
company Commander Peary on TIL
Roosevelt on this last and successful
expedition as far as Etah, which Wa
we'll within the Arctic region, return
ing on a Government tender, but tn
explorer was delayed in starting unit
to be abandoned.
} When asked by representative t
give his views on the Peary-Cook con
troversy Mr.. Darling said:
"One of the most striking hing
about the polar controversy Is tn
fact that so many people have los
sight of the real issue. For instanc,
we hear someone say every day tina
the burden is on Peary to show tha
Cook did not get to the Pole, wherea
the rule Is that whenever any ma
asserts an extraordinary fact, or tn
accomplishment of an unusual fea
; he must prove every element the
goes to make up his case. If ma
should assert that he had been to tn
moon, his case would not be proven a
soon as some other person said it wa
not so, and thereby cast the burde
r upon the party who said he had nc
= been to the moon to prove that
( had not. So with respect to D.
| Cooks claim that he has been to tn
Pole. The fact that Commando
Peary denies it does not make tn
case any different from what it woul
: be if any other person had denied it c
Z disbelieved it. The burden is on tn
T Doctor to establish his claim. Til
becomes more pronounced now thu