The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-06-26
HA! PRESIDENT OF THE UNBIASED
us. BOARD WAS "RA|N|ER' PARTISAN
BY s. w. WALL

/
President Andrew Braid in oui
search among the members of the
III. S. geographic board for the
real reason for their action In
lperpetuating the troublesome old
name of the mountain after ask
ing us to Washington under q
memorial which predicted change
of name.
| had set for myself the task
of seeing each individual member
and putting the question to him
Ito sound them all out, as | had
done Mr.. Braid, and get at the
process as of their thinking, or
discover if they had done any.
| have indicated the size Of this
ljob-members, in different de-
partments, under pressure of war
conditions in that city of magnifi-
cent distances.
] had not gone far when /
stumbled upon the real secret and
also learned that il WAS a secret.
The first thing | discovered was
that mo one must talk about
what took place in the executive
session of this u. S. geographic
board.
Three Vote for Tacoma.
Think of that! How mysteri-
Gus!
The decision was reached at a
meeting attended by II members
of whom nine voted to refuse the
petition of our state and three to
grant it.
And after several days of this
search and inquiry | came away at
last having learned the names Of
but two of the three who voted In
favor-one other besides the one
] already knew or felt sure Of
Chief Geographer Robert b. Mar
shall.
Only by coming upon the other
one in person in my canvass
Frank Bond, chief clerk of the
land department--did I learn that.
For Marshall would not, nor
could Bond be prevailed upon 70
give their pals aways. Is not this
interesting?
Had | combed the 16 members
to finish | would necessarily
have come upon this third intelli-
gent man and doubtless he would
have confessed in answer to the
Idirect question.
But the labor of all this was
heavy and trying and presently
when | had learned "the secret"
thought 1t sufficient to my pur-
pose and came away.
! Action Casual.
Outside a little circle here quot
ed, so far from there being any
passion in the matter, the interest
manifested was most casual; the
action taken was quite routine.
AS / went about among these
casual men receiving the routine
explanation about Vancouver being
a discoverer, the name having been
on the maps so long and "the con-
fusion that would result If the
change were made did not fail
of course to remind them that the
Legislature of Washington knew all
that when It framed it's petition
and the board knew it when they
invited us to come to Washington
Whereupon these casual men
would smile and say:
Have you been to see Mer.
riam?"
MerTiam's Secret.
You remember I HAD been to
see Merriam before the hearing
and discovered in him prejudices
in this matter that astonished me
thought ] knew what he would
say so I was disposed to skirt
around Mr.. Merriam for a while
in my inquiries.
BY dint of much questioning
concerning a matter about which
| could see no reason in the nat.
ural order of things for any Sc.
crecy whatever) learned that Mr.
Merriam-Dr. c. Hart Merriam
eminent biologist and member oil
the board-had prepared and
read paper before the meeting
of May II by way of ADVOCATING
the retention of the name Rainier
and opposing the petition of the
people of Washington. This was
the secret.
1t was intended that this should
not be made known. So l was ad.
vised.
/, / now went to see DR.. Merriam
Like Petulant Child.
l. Unlike President Braid. the
passing of the judgment had not
brought equanimity to this mans
spirit. That quick irritability be-
fore mentioned, lay in his eyes
even before he spoke.
There must be no rough-shod
questioning here, saw, If we were
to make any progress.
With what mildness of manner
III could summon, | asked him
upon what reasoning the board
had found its way to the judgment
1t rendered. We were standing
together In his office in the Ma
tional museum. Like a petulant
child he threw himself upon a low
stool against the wall and looked
up at me angrily:
Your preposterous declaration
that Admiral Rainier was an
enemy and fought the colonies, y
he cried.
why If we were to change ge-
biographical names for such reasons
we would be changing them al