The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-07-11
BY S. w. WALL
(Secretary Justice to Mountain
COmmittee.)

OF Dr. y. hart MerTldm paper
read before the U. s. geographic
board in its executive session May
Il, which purports to give the
facts" concerning the question
of the naming of our mountain.
Upon hearing which paper read
by DR.. Merriam the board decided
the question in favor of the name
Rainier and refused the petition
of the people of the tsate ow
Washington that the name be
changed.
The paper is 10 pages, pamphlet
form, or about 1000 words. 1t
is printed at government expense
at the government printing Of
flee. Its title is "Shall the Name
of Mount Rainier be Changed, -
and on the title page it is stated
to be the Statement of c. Hart
Marian before the U. s. Geo
graphic Board, May IL, 1917"
And If the matter was present
ed to you for the first time In
this form-under this authority
of the distinguished naturalist
and you knew nothing of the case
otherwise, 1t would seem, when
you had finished reading, to leave
nothing more to be said.
Misleading.
And yet nothing was ever writ
ten and printed at government or
private expense that was-and for
these reasons-more utterly mis-
leading.
His statement" does not even
APPROACH the matter-the FACTS
of the matter-as they came be-
fore executive sessions per Sc
one that Is phrased in the self
satisfied JUNCTION and confidence
of being among friends Just
among ourselves, you know" and
not for the cold inspection and
review of the unprejudiced.
But l would give pretty some
thing for an opportunity to re-
view 1t before such, DR.. Merriam
being present.
We-the proponents here-do
not ask nor desire nor will we
have nor abide by executive ses-
sions in this matter.
l shall be able only to review
the paper here subject to the linn
itation of newspaper space-and
as it will require considerable of
that to cover the case, must break
1t up into several chapters as in
4 L 80 CT
! hope I may be able to induce
you to follow me through as You
were good enough to do in that
history.
Not One Fact.
DIR. Merriam does not present
single fact" that is ne VITO the
audience | am addressing. You
remember what a cry they made
about the absence of anything
new" in our presentation. Well,
there is certainly not a new atti-
tude of mind expressed here by
DR.. Merriam for himself or the
geographic board in this paper.
Its misleading character is indicat-
ed in the opening paragraph. 1t
reads:
Tire United States geographic
board is asked to remove the
name Rainier from the lofty
mountain which has borne it for
125 years and to substitute there
for the name Tacoma
VIII BE Quoted.
have no doubt that this paper
of facts -stated like that-will
be given wide publicity. 1t will
be printed in magazines and at
least summarized in newspapers
having the authority, you under
stand, of distinguished scientist.
The FACT here purporting to
be stated-a fact that the U. S.
geographic board for certain sim
gle, definite and specified reason,
was petitioned by the people OF
the state of Washington ito sub
stitute for the name Rainier the
most appropriate name that you
may select after having given a
hearing to those who may desire
to present evidence as to what
that name should be-
Lawyers Trick.
You see how consideration of
the "fact'-how when you have
the FACT before you in your de-
liberation--how it changes your
approach to this matter.
And how in considering the fact
| in comparison with DIR. Merriam's
statement of it, thta statement
resolves itself into one of those
| tricks of a nadvocate-one of
those attorneys tricks by which
they win" cases.
And so might go thru nearly
every paragraph of this state
ment.'
At the hearing given to those
who desired to present evidence
as to what the name Ito bR sub
stitutedl was, only one name, Ia
coma, was presented, but it came
before the board as two processes
and not one-and in that form
the position of teh advocates of
the name Tacoma was strength
tntu anu HOl "tdhcItus do tHc
/ trick of the advocate would make
II.
Seattleites Fair.
When Charles Tallmadge Con-
over was writing to the Post-Tn-
telligencer over a year ago that
1--WE would all like to please our
good neighbor Tacoma, hut is TIA
coma the correct historical name?
that is all there is to 1t and taht
Is all we wish to know" he was
declaring that "Tiswauk" was that
correct historical name.