Omaha daily bee., 1912-07-04
HARSH CRITICISM OF M'vEAGH
Secretary's Treatment of Subordi-
mates Makes Work Disagreeable.
DEPARTMENT Is DEMORALIzED
Secretary Accused of Distrusting
Men He Himself Has Appointed.
HOUSE PROPOSES INVESTIGATION
duces Resolution Providing for
Complete Inquiry Into Mac
Veagh's Admins ira tion.

Veagh's Administration.
| WASHINGTON, July S.-A. Plat
Andrew today rendered his resignation tc
President Taft as assistant secretary o.
the treasury. --.....
In spirited letter to the president Mr.
Andrew writes of conditions in the trea
sury which are alleged to be due to the
attitude of Secretary Macveagh towarc
many Of his subordinates.
Assistant Secretary Andrews letter OF
resignation charges that subordinates ir
| the Treasury department have beer
hampered and discouraged at every turr
by Secretary Macveagh's idiosyncracies
and his incapacity for decision II
contains scathing arraignment of Secre.
tary MacVeagh's administration Of gov.
ernment affairs" and created profound
sensation In official circles. -
Other Officers Dissatisfied.
One portion of Andrews letter to the
president Is susceptible of being inter-
preted to the effect that old high officials
in the treasury are dissatisfied with Sec
retary Macveagh's treatment Of them.
For further evidence of the peculiar
difficulties which surround the handling
Of business in the treasury he suggests
that President Taft consult Lawrence o.
Murray, comptroller of the currency; Lee
McClung, treasurer of the United States;
Joseph E. Ralph, director Of the bureau
of engraving and printing; Charles A.
Kram, auditor for the postoffice Royal
e. Cabell commissioner Of internal rev.
enue; James Knox Taylor, former super
vising architect, and Charles D. Norton,
Mr.. Andrews predecessor and former Sec
retary to the president j..
Stands BY MacVeagh in Crisis.
Mr.. Andrews letter to Secretary Nc
Veagh, advising him of the resignation,
discloses the hitherto unpublished fact
that Mr. MacVeagh was on the verge of
leaving the cabinet in December, 1870 In
one part the letter says:
You cannot forget how stood by you
when you We're on the point of having
taken from your hands what probably
was~the naoss important undertaking OF
your administration. When. the White
House in December, 1910 without con-
sulting with you, and entirely without
your knowledge, entered into negotiations
for an issue Of Panama bonds, the EN-
barrassment of the situation threatened
to force your resignation. You will re-
member that l did everything in my
power to avert your humiliation and that
l Loyalty agreed to resign and leave the
service with you If your resignation be-
came necessary"
Text of DR.. Andrews Letter.
DR.. Andrews letter to the president
says in part:
Tn presenting my resignation of the
office with which you have favored me
l deem 1t proper to acquaint you with
conditions which have existed in the
treasury for the last two years at least,
and which are of grave concern not only
to 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 treasury's business has been
at a 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 INTERIM
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
Mr.. MacVeagh himself whenever discov-
cred that they had ventured to act upon
some matter of minor Importance with
out awaiting his decision Time and again
heads of the great divisions of the treas
ury have found themselves unable to
carry on the business entrusted to them
and have been discouraged to the verge
of resigning their positions because they
were unable to obtain any opinion or de-
cision from Mr.. MacVeagh upon urgent
questions which had been before him
for many months.
'At the same time they have invariably
been reproached by him for such limited
action as they may have been compelled
to take on their own responsibility.
Mr.. MacVeagh's mental attitude is
difficult to realize by those who have not
had intimate everyday experience with
it. Toward many of the higher officials
he has from time to time displayed an
aversion, suspicion and distruct, which
in view of the fact that these officials
were men of his own choosing, would
seem inexplicable in man of normal
mind. For many months at a 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.
Refused to Speak to HiIIes.
When Mr.. Hilles was assistant secre-
tary of the treasury there was at least
one period amounting to several weeks
during which Mr.. MacVeagh refused to
have any relations with him. / know
there were several longer periods of curl
ously suspended relations with Assistant
Secretary Norton. Mr.. McClung, the
treasurer Of the United States. affirms
that he has only been allowed one
short interview with the secretary dur.
ing period covering more than
"a year Mr., Ralph. the director
of the bureau of engraving and printing,
has repeatedly complained of similar
treatment of himself. and many other in
stances could be cited. IN my own case,
with an office adjoining and c3mmunicat-
ing with that of the secretary, the sltua-
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