The Washington herald., 1914-12-02
HISTORY BUILDERS.
A Case Of Mistaken Identity.
Written Expressly for The Heradl
BY DIR. T.. j. EDWARDS.

One OF the first appointments which
were made by President Hayes was that
Of William A. Simmons as collector Of the
port OF Boston. The appointment Great
Sd a whirlwind OF disapproval in a GER
tain element OF the Republican party OF
Massachusetts,. Great men had held this
Office, among them Hannibal Hamlin, af-
ter his term as Vice President OF the
United States was ended. One OF the &C
cusations made against Mr.. Simmons was
that he was a typical machine politician.
but chief among the grievances occasion
ed by his appointment was the fact that
he had been named at the request OF
Ben Butler.
While the tempest was at its highest I
was sent to Boston by Charles A. Dana
for the purpose OF an investigation into
the reasonableness OF the accusations
which were made.
found Mr.. simmons at his home in the
suburbs OF Boston. and he explained to
me that a slight illness had made it ex-
pedIent for him to remain within doors
for three or four days. Our conversation
lasted for more than two hours. and IL
seemed to me in the course OF II that the
chief trouble with Mr.. Simmons lay in
the fact that he was plain man who
had not been brought into close associe-
ton with the so-called intellectual aris-
tocracy Of Massachusetts. said to him
that he did not seem to be at all disturb
ed by the clamor over his appointment
He laughed and then said TO me that
only once in his career as a holder Of Of
fice was he seriously alarmed.
while I was in the early months Of
my service as collector Of internal reve-
nue., to which Office had been appointed
by President Andrew johnson, received
a letter from the Secretary Of the Treas
ury informing me that I had been ac-
cused OF speaking disrespectfuly OF Pres
ident johnson and Of saying that I did
not care a continental for him and that I
regarded him with contempt" said Mr..
Simmons.
"Of course letter Of that kind greatly
concerned me. The charge was absolute
ly false. had never expressed any other
but a good opinion of President johnson.
II II was believed in Washington that l
did speak Of johnson in this way. then
il was inevitable that OF would 60 my
head. The only thing I could do was to
say in reply TO the letter that the accu-
sation was absolutely false.
"It was made by a man who had been
anxious to secure an office under me-.
and he wrote to Washington saying that
I had made the deprecatory statement re-
Earding the President. Therefore. II was
an issue between myself and him. and he
was a man OF high character. Before
acting. the Treasury Department scnt
man from Washington to make further
investigation. The man who made the
charges narrated to him in detail the
place where and the time when I had
said these things to him. All I could do
was to deny
AT last the Treasury Department in
speCtOr met a gentleman who said that
he thought he could get Simmons out Of
the scrape. He took the inspector to a
Boston banker named Potter. and he
asked the latter II he recalled having
said to the man who made the aCcusa-
tion that he looked upon President John
son with contempt Potter instantly said
that he had. and when the inspector
looked at Potter he realized how the mis-
take had been made. for Potter was the
living double of myself and each had
heen mistaken for the other a good many
times. 1t was case OF mistaken iden-
tity and it almost cost me my office. That
was the only experience I ever had In
public life which caused me anxiety or
even serious annoyance"
Copyright. 1914. BY z. J. Edwards. All rights re-
servedJ
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell OF ~
New Way to Pay Old Debts