The San Francisco call., 1910-02-05

ATTACK ON GRAHAM
PRfCIPITATfS WAR
Powerful Friends of Surveyor
General Fire BrOadside
Into Enemies
Ascribe Refusal OF Reappoint=
ment to Petty Spite Work
of Senator Perkins

Dld United States Senator George c.
! Perkins throw down Surveyor General
William s. Graham in peevish attempt
! to avenge an outraged personal vanity?
Did senatorial pique go to the length
acquiescence in an attack on Gra-
hams character as a public servant to
insure that revenge?
Has the Pinchot- CLAWS row convert
ed Secretary of the Interior Bal1inger
| into raving enemy of the corpora
t1ons and an all jealous guardian of the
public purse as affected by the public
pay roll?
All these questions are broadly sug-
gested by the developments of the fight
TO prevent the confirmation of the ap-
polntment of Edward II. Archer of
Madison, vice Graham.
Inc nomination of Archer. who has
the backing of Congressman Duncan
H. Mck1nlay. was sent to the senate on
luesday. There was beating of war
drums in San Francisco resulting in
Washington advices to the effect that
the confirmation of Archers appoint
meht had been held up temporarily
TROUBLE Is CERTAIN
powerful friends. They are in a fight
ing rather than a talking mood They
scarcely expect to save Graham's lob
Inc loss of the job is not the moving
cause OF their anger They resent what
they consider cowardly attack upon
1raIam record as an official to enable
IerKihs TO take small revenge and
Mchinlay 10 land one of his political
lriends IN a federal berth through Per-
kihs, after having failed to furnish him
win Job out of his own patrona &c
pot.
Inc continuation Of Archer has not
oeet held up because of any legal in
hlbition of the appointment of
farmer 10 the office ef surveyor gem
erai. However faulty the policy of
the law may be it does not provide
ina the surveyor general shall be
surveyor or have any knowledge of
the engineers profession
ne confirmation has been held up
because some of the most influential
republicans in California have gone to
ne front for Graham. Senator Per-
klns IS III and they have put the screws
on Flint hard enough to get him to
hold up confirmation. it is hoped. until
they can reckon with Perkins
MAN OF EMINENT ABILITY
Graham was appointed in 1901 vice
N'Ne'N'fs htttdStu. lie lNd long been
the close friend of the late Jacob n.
Neff. who was one of his Grst hackers
IN California and of Senator Charles
y FELTON,. He had been one of the
right hand men of chief Engineer
William Hood OF the southern Pacific.
Politically and professionally he stood
at the top.
> year ago, George {. Perkins was
re-eleeted 10 tire United states senate.
'Tbgf ln had NO ic
the question. Now il appears that
Graham failed 10 convey his written
congratula tiops upon Perkins victory /
\ few weeks ago Graham and his
friends learned that Duncan McKinlay
had executed a flank movement and
that Graham was not TO be reappointed
at the end OF his term. The friends
indited missivcs to tire senior senator. /
what is this all about9" they in /
quireds
They were Informed in carefully /
chosen phrases that Senator Perkins /
was panied to inform them that he I
could do nothing for our mutual /
friend Graham. The senatorial heart |
bled for Graham. hut, alas por Yorick /
was a dead one The interior depart /
mont presided over by Secretary Bal
hnger. objected to the rcappointment
of Graham wrote Perkins.
PERKINS MAKES INSIUATIONS
1t grieved the senior senator, said
Perkins to learn that Graham was ac-
cused of devotinG part of his time and
talents ito the service of private cor
porations and companies: that it was
even suspected that Graham was inter-
ested in some of these corporations or
and that the interior depart
ment, to say nothing of the senior SEN
ator, was deeply chagrined. Incidentally
the public had been wronged and
we'll Perkins would like to reappoint
Graham. but there was that puritani-
cal Ballinger There would be nothing
doing for Graham.
Graham said nothing. His friends
wrote much. Their letters We're care
fully worded. too. They told Perkins
that any one who brought such charges
against Graham was the parliamentary
equivalent for q liar Also that the
same went for any one who repeated
those charges. Perkins would please
take note of the fact that they resented
those accusations.
Other friends who were sapprised of
The situation and who have generally
Deen considered big enough to stop or
start anything in California politics
decided that nothing could be done
with Perkins. They wired to Flint.
They went after all the congressman !
save Mckinlay. They discovered that
Flint, who had no Immediate interest
n the job, which by courtesy belonged +
% Perkins, had given his senatorial
'onsent to the appointment of Archer. ,
FLINT CHANGES HIS MIND
When Archer's nomination was sent !
o the senate early in the week the
var drums sounded again. They were I
nuff1ed. but they were beaten for busi- {
iess. The noise reached Flint The
RUNNERS in California were Informed
'esterday that confirmation would be
leld up for the time being Now they
ire rallying their forces TO beat Per-
tins, Mckinlay and Archer. And incl
Ientally they have little hope of sue
,eeding.
Surveyor General Graham declines to
I1scuss the matter for publication or
With his friends beyond denying the
harges brought against him.
Senator Charles n. FELTON, declines to
liscuss the matter in any way In
pite of Felton's refusal to talk how