Evening star., 1919-04-27
Centenary Of Whitman, /,
Good Gray Poet.
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poet. Such attempts have always
failed.
In response to such an inquiry Sec
retary Of the Interior r. A. Ealltnger
wrote this letter:
November 8, 1910.
STATE LIBRARIAN,
Iowa State Library,
Des Moines, Iowa.
Sir: Referring further to your letter asking
for a copy Of the report of Indian Commissioner
Dole, ON which it is said Hon. James Harlan
Secretary of the Interior. based the discharge
of Walter Whitman Of New York. a clerk IN
the Interior oface. June 80. 1885. you are ao'
vised that after a thorough search both In my
ONCE and in the office Of Indian anairs such
report cannot be found. 1t may be that MT.
Harlan considered the report conhdential A"o
took it with hin, at the time he left the de-
partment-at any rate, there Is no record OIL
such report Very respectfully.
r. A. BALALNGDR. Secretary.
On the other hand there Is conclu-
sive evidence to show that Harlan was
after Whitman's scalp. and that w. P.
Dole, Indian commissioner, would not
be party to 1t. The writer unearth-
ed the following letter from Dole to
Harlan. written just twenty-eight
days before Whitman received his
walking papers. 1t has been stored
in q basement for half a century.
Note particularly tho latter portion
of the letter:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Office Indian Affairs.
June 2, 1885.
HON. JAMES HARLAN,
Secretary of the Interior.
Sir: In obedience to your directions Of the
Both ultimo have the honor to report that
not aware that there are any Of the en-
ployes in the bureau embraced in your call for
information Of the first and second class. That
am not aware that there are any persons
employed here not necessary for the transac-
tion of the public business. but doubtless some
of them could be more efficient but am not
now prepared to discrmnate. In due time
changes can probably be made that will render
the force more effective. Nor am aware that
there are any persons connected with the Of
flee here whose conduct does not come within
the rules of decorum and propriety prescribed
by a Christian civilization.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant.
w. p. DOLE. Commissioner.
Whitman's summary removal by
Harlan naturally aroused the ire Of
his many friends. One friend who
protested with Harlan and asked for
Whitman's reinstatement was told
that he would not put him back even
and that he would resign before doing
so. Unquestionably the angriest friend
among them all was William Douglas
O'Connor. we'll known Washlngtonian
in whose home the poet had been
a frequent visitor. He wrote that i'm
mortal pamphlet, entitled '"The Good
Gray Poet" which ends with these
words: Il claim that to expel an au-
thor from a public office and to sub
ject him to public contumely solely
because he has published book which
no one can declare immoral without
declaring all the grand books immoral
is to affix penalty to thought and to
obstruct the freedom Of letters.
Difference OF opinion there may
and must be upon the topics which in
this letter l have grouped around it,
but upon the act itself there can be
none. AS l drag it up here into the
sight of the world. l call upon every
scholar, every man of letters, every
editor. every good fellow every
where who wields the pen, to make
common cause with me in rousing
upon it the full tempest Of repro
baton it deserves. remember
Tennyson, a spirit Of vengeance over
the desecrated grave of Moore: L
think of Scott rolling back the tide
of obliquy from Byron: I see Addi-
SON gliding the blackeninE fame Of
Swift.