The Washington times., 1909-02-06
PROBE IS FAVORED
BY COMMISSIONERS
lndOTSe ROOSevelt'S SuggeS-
1 ton for Investigation of
AShford'S Office.

Continued from First P8geD
moud L. HIbbs, aud certain letters
showing the reason why Ae ordered that
am Investigation OF the Building Iuspeg-
lion Department De made
Gives His Reasons.
Stating his reasons why there should
be further inquiry into the office of
The Building Inspector the President
says: Il agree fully with the position
taken iu the report of the Bureau of
Labor. that the Building Inspection De
paTJment should not Doe Ieft under sus-
piclon as the result of unproEen charges
I'm the interest of the Building In
speclor, no less than of the people. there
should be q thOrOughgoIug Inyestiga-
LoA OF the conduct OF his office IT
Inat important department. OF the gov
eminent is inefficient or improperly
conducted, its personnel should be Te-
organized If. ON the other hand. the
truclsin or lt IS untOuuded. this should
DE demonstrated TO the satisfaction OF
The public, and the Building Inspector
Nlnulcated ana sustained"
Urged by COroner's Jury.
AS is weII-kUOwu. the President order
sd an investigation OF the building in
sDecUOu department December lO. fol-
lowing an inquest into the death of
Raymond L. HLbbs, who lost his life
as the result of the collapse Of q part
of the framework of q building which
was being erected. The eorouer-s jury
recommended an investigation into the
OtnCe of tie Building Inspector at that
time These facts The President trans
mitted 10 the Senate yesterday along
with this statement.
In June, 1913. a former curUuerS Jury
had held the Building Inspector and
three other persons CTIminaly RESPONSE
HE for the death OF a. workman killed
by "A failing building The grand Jury
indicted two OF The men named by the
coroner Jury, but did not return an
ndictmeu against the Building In
EpGCtOT.'
Ashford Willing.
II is brought out i'm the message that
Snowden Ashford, Building Inspector.
CouCurred in the request of the Coroner
for an investigation. The Presidents
letter Of December 10. in which ne urged
Commissioner of Labor NELL TO make
Ru investigation is given In that letter
2lludiug 10 the case OF AR Hlbbs, he
said: This is the second case within
comparatively short time In which .
through the falling or part OF q build
ing under construction, Workiugmen
have lost their lives"
Commlssioueg Nell and Special Agent
Clark reported 10 the President Felru-
airy 3, IN a letter in which thew said
More than SIX weeks have been spent
on this investigation and as the net
result or the inquiry the one fact that
mas been concluslVelv demonstrated 20
US IS that no satisfactory cleaning up
or this matter can be had without a
tAOfOughgolug investigation, conducted
~ some properly constituted body. with
Lhe power 20 summon witnesses and
compei testimony
In the course of our inquiry charges. /
ranging ali the way from iuefIcieuCy
up to gross ImpTOpTIetles, and even dis
honesty nave been made % AS against
some members or the Building luspec-
ton Department. but. In most cases (
those 20 whom we have been referred I
as having knowledge of the more seTi- /
Gus matters have been unwilling TO .
make afndayits or to be publicly known f
IN connection with the charges, stating +
that II they were drawn into the COR .
troVersy they feared 10 would affect
them adversely, both in their future
dealings with the department and in
some OF their other business relations.
Charges Not Proven.
Every effort has been made 10 run
down these allegations, but the final
outcome has simply been this, that we
have not been able 20 satisfy ourselves
as TO the gTaver of these charges to
an extent that would justify AS IN pub
liCly reporting them as true Neither, +
on the other hand, do we al this time
feel that they can be dismissed as ua- /
warranted
If the matters involved iu these I
charges We're OF interest only 70 those 1
making them the charges might pro-
perry De dismissed. But as ID is The F.
public which SIS primarily the party ln +
Interest, we feel than matter So Inn /
portant as this should not De left ia so +.
unsatisfactory q state.
.It Is fair neither 10 the Building In /
spectOr's office nor 10 the public II /
any considerable part OF the more Sc
rlOus allegations is true. 10 calls for a
lE1roughgOllg reorganization OF this
important department III il Is not
true. the Building Inspector and Lfs de-
paTtmeuL should not be left uuE-r the
suspicion which now undoubtedly rests
upon them as the result or the verdfcrs .
Of the Two cur0uers' furies. and OF
charges that are constantly being more
or less freely passed about o. this COM
munity.
what the situation calls for is an f1-
FeSuEatlon which could result either /
ia the verdict OF guilty or in a com I
pIcLe and nUaI vildlrariOu OF Office ~
the Building Inspector Respectfully.
'CHAS. j. NELL"