Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-03
A. P|ATT ANDREW
QUITS TREASURY
WITH HOT WORDS
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
with you if your resignation became
necessary"
Letter to the President.
DR.. Andrews letter to the President
says. in part:
In presenting my resignation of the
office with which you have favored me,
deem 1t proper to acquaint you with con-
ditions which have existed in the Treas
ury for the last two years at least, and
every official Of the Treasury but also
to the many thousands throughout the
country who have business to conduct
with this department.
For a long time the transaction of
much OF the Treasurys business has been
at standstill, and an outbreak of some
sort has been imminent? Many able and
energetic Treasury officials have had to
bear the brunt Of harsh criticism from
people outside who have suffered inter-
minable delays in their business with the
Treasury, for which the Secretary alone
was responsible, and at the same time
they have had to submit to criticism even
more harsh and more undeserved from
MIR. MacVeagh himself, whenever he dis
covered that they had ventured to act
upon some matter of minor Importance
| without awaiting his decision.
| Time and again heads of the great
divisions of the Treasury have found
| themselves unable to carry on the bust
ness intrusted to them and have been
discouraged to the verge of resigning
their positions because they were unable
| to obtain any opinion or decision from
Mr. MacVeagh upon urgent questions
months. At the same time they have
been invariably reproached by him for
such limited action as they have been
compelled to take on their own respon-
sibility.
Mr. Macveagh's mental attitude is
difficult to realize by those who have not
had intimate every day experience with
it. Toward many OF the higher Treasury
officials he has from time to time dis
played an aversion, suspicion and dis
trust which. in view of the fact that these
officials were men of his own choice,
would seem inexplicable In man OF nor
NAL mind. For many months at time
he has persistently refused even to speak
to those officials of his department with
whom he should naturally have been in
constant personal communication.
Cautiously Suspended Relations"
When Mr. Hilles was assistant Sec
rotary Of the Treasury there was at
least one period amounting to several
| weeks during which Mr.. MacVeagh
| refused to have any relations with
him. l know that there were several
longer periods Of curiously suspended
rela tions with Assistant Secretary Nor
ton Mr.. McClung, the treasurer OF
the United States. affirms that he has
only been allowed one short interview
with the Secretary during a period
covering more than year. Mr.. Ralph.
the director Of the bureau Of engraving
and printing. has repeatedly complain
ed of similar treatment OF himself,
and many other instances could be
cited.
I'm my own case. with an Office adj
joining and communicating with that of
the Secretary the situation has been SIM
liar. Although l have supposedly been
the representative of the Secretary In his
dealings with nineteen different bureaus
and divisions of the Treasury, l have not
been allowed in the aggregate total of
| more than one hours conversation with
him, including private interviews and
conferences in the presence OF others,
during the entire past year. Meanwhile,
have sent him hundreds of letters and
memoranda asking a decision in regard
| to matters urgently pending.
''On very rare occasions / have received
| reply within a short time, in a few
cases the reply has come only after the
| LAPSE of a month: in many cases only
after the lapse Of several months (when
not infrequently the matters had already
| Deen ScItIeu lnenlS6lVoS). out III the Illd-
| jority of cases l have received no reply
at ALL Yet, like the other officials men,
| toned who have been refused an OPP
portunity for personal conference, l have
been promptly criticised for any decision
made or action taken.
THE conduct of business in a depart.
| ment under such conditions is, of course
| impossible.
Under Officials Hampered.
The energetic young men whom Mr.
MacVeagh was wise enough to select as
heads of various divisions have been
hampered and discouraged at every turn
| by his idiosyncrasies. his astounding ca,
pacity for procrastination, his incapacity
for decision and the peculiar moods OF
suspicion and aversion to which he is
constantly subject.
There has never been time since /
have been in the Treasury when he has
not labored under the delusion that some
of those who were working Loyalty and
conscientiously for him were in a cabal
conspiring against him. This has led
him to treat some of his most efficient
aids with harsh ingratitude and with a
lack of consideration that was little short
Of brutal.
only the familiar experience of the ma
| jority Of Treasury officials. Mr.. Nc
| Chung, the treasurer of the United States
| in April of the present year found the
| delays indecisions. distrust and COM
| plants of Mr.. MacVeagh SO intolerable
| that he brought the matter to Mr.. Hilles'
attention in the hope that he might Of
| fer some method of relief. Mr.. Ralph,
| the director of the bureau of engraving
and printing. and Mr.. Murray. the con-
| troller of the currency. have. on sew
eral occasions with difficulty been dis
suaded from an intention. to resign. due
10 No other reason than their iamentable