New Britain herald., 1916-08-10
HUGHES INSISTS
 HE TOLD THE TRUTH
Reads Letter from Durand to Sup-
 port His Statement

of E. Dana Durand as director of the census and Dr. o. H. Tittman us su- perintendent of the coast and geodet- ic survey, Charles E. Hughes, repub- 1 hcan nominee for president, yester- day produced documentary evidence to back up his charge in regard to the retirement of Mr. Durand. MT. Hughes addressed a large au- dience at Minneapolis in the after noon and a big meeting at St. Paul in the evening. At the latter meet ing he attacked the presidents pre- | paredness and Mexican policies. At | the Minnea polls meeting MT. Hughes, i replying to Secretary Redfield's tele- | gram denying that Mr. Durand was l forced out of office as director of the | census, read to the audience a letter from MT, Durand, who is now con- nected with the Minnesota School of Agriculture, in which MT. Durand said 1 that he had told Secretary Redf1ed | he would resign, but wanted to re- l main, and that MT. Redf1eld replied l that the administration had decided on a change.
 'In my speech in Detroit" said MT. | Hughes, 'I took occasion to refer to | the fact that in very important bu- | TGau, the bureau or the census, Jn l eminent statistician, a man of con- 1 spicuous eXpertness and fitness for the ] place, had been retired and man 1 had been appointed to his place with 1 out qualifications for that important l technical work.
 "NoW, my statement that E. Dana Durand was retired as I said in ef- 1 feet, and his place given to a poli- | tician, has been challenged by Secre- | tary Redfield. Secretary Redtield 1 telegraphs me that I was greatly mis- informed. He says: Durand was not removed or retired, but resigned VOL | untarily, unasked. I was glad to in dorse him for his present employ ment'
 MT. Dana Durand happens to be a professor in the University of Minne- aota, and I am going to read the let ter which he has written me today in respect to this matter. He says Professor Durand's Statement.
 Dear Sir:
 1nasmuch as the truth of your statement with regard to the change in the dictatorship of the census has ben challenged, I think it is only fair to you that 1 should make this state ment.
 My resignation as director was distinctly forced resignation. At the hrst conversation l had with Sec retary Redfield on the subject [ told hlm that I would, of course resign Whenever he desired, but that hoped I might be permitted to re- main l was much interested in the work and considered myself reason ably qualified, especially by reason of the experience already gained in the position.
 He at once told me that the ad- ministration had decided that it want ed a change-I believe 'to create a vacancy there" were the words used The next I heard about the matter was the announcement in the press that the name of my successor had been sent to the senate. I there upon wrote out my resignation. prefer not to be quoted but if you consider it necessary, you are at lib- erty to do so. Very truly yours,
 " 'E. DANA DURAND'
 Tn that same speech MT. Hughes went on, "I referred to a technical bureau known as the coast and geo. detic survey, and to the fact that in the place of an eminent scientist there had been appointed man whom
  tions Exception also has been taken bv the distinguished secretary to my statement with regard to that man.
 Insists Jones Was Unfit.
 II am not in position to state of my own knowledge the circuno- stances of the retirement of the en- inent scientist who occupied that inn portant technical place in the bureau of the coast and geodetic survey. but if I assume that he retired volun- tarily, my point is not so much the retirement of the man who went hut the lack of special fitness in the man by whom he was succeeded.
 TT am now told that MT. Jones who succeeded him, was promoted from be- ing deputy commissioner of fisheries But this gentleman-a stock breeder. I be1ieve-was appointed deputy com- missioner of fisheries, likewise an in- portant technical place, involving spe- cial qualifications, by this administra- ton. He went, I believe, from his stock farm to take charge of the bu- reau of fisheries and after he had been there a couple of years he was put in charge of the coast and geo. detic survey Now the administration says that he is a wonderfully com- potent man.
 Raid on Civil Service
 MT. Hughes then went into details as to the charge he made in Detroit that the administration had made "a raid upon the civil service"
 The national civil service reform league" he said, "states in a sum mary that in the first three years of this tration-March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1916-the execu- tive issued a total of 239 special ex- captions. It is then added that, up to and including June 24, 1916. there have been issued a toal of 279 It is then said that out of the 279 the