New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-04-24
PRESIDENT nay DEMAND
HIS RESIGNATION.
Head Of Census Said To Be Iusub-
ordinate te-RemOral 4skcd by
Secretary Nagcl.


his resignation and appointing his successor
forthwith These charges reflect on the ability
of the director to direct the administration of a
large bureau and the moral tone of the in
stitution and further involve positive insubordf-
nation Of the director to his superior. the Sec
retary OF Commerce and Labor It is charged
that Mr.. North has sought to cultivate political
influence with members Of Congress, and even
to affect the framing of the census law
to relieve him OF that supervision which the
Secretary, under whose jurisdiction he is placed.
would naturally exercise So grave does the
President consider these charges that he laid
the case before the Cabinet at recent meeting.
and Secretary Nage1 reiterated his demand for
the official head OF the Director Of the Census.
A majority Of the members of the Cabinet ex-
pressed the view that the demand OF the Secre-
tary OF Commerce and Labor was warranted.
and that the services of the Director should be
dispensed with. Secretary NageI told the Prest-
dent and his associates in the Cabinet that he
had In mind who, he believed. would be
able to perform the duties Of the Office with ma
terially greater ability than Mr. North. and who
would Of course. refrain from that form Of in
subordination which he understands to have
characterized the administration Of the present
director practically ever since the bureau vas
nIaced under the Jurisdiction OF the Department
of Commerce and Labor
CENSUS BUREAU CONDITIONS
The conditions in the census bureau for Vhlch
Mr. North is held responsible involve the repn
tstion OF certain women employees. ana are o7
cIared 10 have brought about SITUATION "hicn
has led more than one woman to refuse employ
rnent in the bureau Because OF the osliC3
,a+,re of these charges and the danger O
.aa.c+ine or the character of employees who are
~ no IA c,,Ipable it IS impossible to discuss
this nbase Of the charges with freedom II may
he eaid however. that the President was greatly
.to.,,ad 70 learn that such conditions existed IN
-, L,,-ea,, NJ the government and ernphatlcaltE
condemned those responsible for them
some knowledge OF the conditions IN ths cen
- t,-ss,, had reached President Roosevelt Just
before his term expired. and made MIN ne No
determined 10 veto any census bill Vnleh Iall-'
= -,,-i5e a strict Civil Service quaiiflcaflon TOY
=, r,,1ovs< Mr. Roosevelt's personal ooser-
-..fo,, of affairs in the government depart1len''
t-e he became Civil Service Commissioner i'
$50 led him 10 believe that such condlt1ons W.
~, inevitable concomitaut OF the absence q
sarvire rsq,Ifrements. He has salo that HS -"
seen practically all trace OF lnn'orah'S
-,,-.a from, every federal bureau except the on
"e '7' lIf.i, {A,ance instead OF Civil Services
a,,sl.+iors controlled appointments. and he
- ir1ir- in any way to be a party 70 th9
-,a+,,a+;on Of political control Of minor places
a-., +o women. who, to obtain them. OF ven 10
[..i,, an opportunity 10 be examined TOT 'Ll7i''
.,,,,.+ r-oc,,re the influence Of members II Coh-
Sress or other politicians
-. .sr,e reasons which actuated President
1,o,.avs1t have also governed President Ial't
a,d The census bill now pending renoers pl@0
-. -,,,g.+orv the influence of members OF
,-o,--ess In the opinion of Secretary Mage
to7raver. il is also essential that the LII
of the Census be a man in thorough sSI'patuS
nth the new regime. as we'll as one Nho iei's9
~, the approval of his superlors rather t'i1i @
+ba friendship Of members or the ieslSia
,.-arcb ~ The government for his Official EXIST
snce and who. above ALL snali III uo way
had example in his force
MIR NORTHs OFFICIAL CAREER
,oos { \ D. North was appointed Director
80 +be Census George B. CortelyOu had Neeh
Secretary of the newly created DepaI'u'7i
r-or,r,erce and Labor only few months ana
-. ,-.-s,,s Bureau In which Mr. North had cc-
s,,,ia5 subordinate place for four years had
been almost I'D TO that time an Independent oa-
80, under the supervision OF no Cabinet of1cer-
Almost Immediately friction between the ne"
.acrs,arv and the new director dsVeiopeu-
E7rark n Hitchcock. then chief clerk OF ths ds-
rartn1ent and now Postmaster CTenersl. eAReri-
s,csd no little dificulty in obtaining from Mr.
--.L +hs+ LOYALTY and subordnation which
80 contemplated by the organic law of the de-
.-+,,e,t Mr. North. who had been employed
:. -, assistant to Senator Aldrich in the prepa-
ra+ion Of the Dingley tariff BILL as was related
IN these dispatches not long ago, had many
friends In Congress. and the friction between
,,,sel, and Mr. Hitchcock never came 20 an
open rupture
Iryba, Oscar < Straus becams Secretary OF
r-on,u,erce and Labor he sought 10 exercise over
.h 1,iractor OF the Census that supervision i'm
DosAd on him by law. but finally abandoned the
e4fort telling some of his associates that tbs
5i-oc+or was so strongly intrenched with Con-
9ress that he deemed it unVyise 70 cause an open
-,,n,,,rs and that he was clearly aware of the
f. 49, his efforts to control the Of thsr
d,rector without such open rupture would Be
entirely futile
CONFLICT WITH SECRETARY NAGEL@
-r,,o arst conflict between Secretary Nagel and
the Director of the Census came when the Sec
ratarv sought have Congress curtai the
mower delegated TO. the director in the pendins
census bill and the director. IT is alleged. IN
violation of a definite executive order. appeared
before the Census Committee OF the Senats
-,,tbout permission from his superior and offered
testimony in contradiction to the representations
r,ada az the direction of Secretary Nagel Hav-
d., bacoue convinced that the director
,uf,uv iusubordinate, and that he regarded his
i,eusnce with Congress as sufficient 70 relieve
hin, from the necessity Of needing the admOni-
tiors of his superiors, Secretary Nagel caused a
.acrat investigation of conditions in the Census
Eureau with the result that he was able to lay
before the President an appalling array OF
charges which he accompanied by demand
for The resignation Of the director. request
which. il is understood, the President has
ceded.
1t is not known just how soon President Tar