Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-20
DENLY i'm Death Given Praise
For Patriotism and Integrity

Gazette. Gen. Grants weaknesses ~
President are better remembered than
his greatness as a Civil War leader.
Other famous men have seen years OF
success overshadowed by a single mis-
take. So with Edwin DENLY" The Ann
Arbor Daily News calls 1t nothing less
than a tragedy" with the thought that
1.-The scales. after all, balanced in
Denbys favor" The Lynchburg News
feels that he was a victim of evil men.
careless of their own honor and OF the
Nations safety; that history will not
be harsh with him" The Waterbury
Republican believes that the worst that
can be said of his connection with that
unfortunate incident is that he allowed
others to pull wool over his eyes"
Every bit of evidence which came
out, some of 1t produced by political
opponents, tends to show that Denbys
acts we're all open and aboveboard and
with the firm conviction that they were
for the good of his country" says the
Oakland Tribune, while the Salina
Journal views the oil scandal as some-
thing that, like contagion or peStilence,
spreads itself over all who will not run
away from it. no matter how we'll they
have observed the rules Of health them
selves" The Fort Wayne News-Sen-
tinel sees no evidence that he had the
remotest intention Of engaging In any
fraudulent operations" and records that
"the oil scandals so hurt and broke the
man that he never quite recovered"
THE one figure in the great oil
scandal who went down with his fias
flying" is hailed by the Charleston
Evening Post, and the Port HuroB
Times Herald offers the comment, The
sorry outcome of his connection with .
presidential cabinet must have been q
sad blow to a man like Edwin Denby.
with traditions and record OF honorable
public service behind him, but 1t Is TO
be said to his credit that It does not
appear to have embittered him in any
way. nor to have made him any less
the useful and public-spirited citizen
he had always been"
His country" in the judgment Of the
DAYTON Daily News, may well give
DENLY the benefit of the same careless
vision which marked other associates OF
less innocent. more sophisticated men.
The warning in the fate OF DENLY Is
that, In public life. incompetence Is
not very different in its consequences
from crime" The Chattanooga Times
describes MIN As ukdDie pcTSOHd1lVy,
an honest official and a good man in
his place-but not the man TO put In
charge of the publics interests and left
in the midst of q group Of crafty
looters"
An appraisal from the Albany Eve
ming News Is: mfr. DENLY Is dead. We
prefer to think of him as one who has
made a mistake. one who acquiesced
perhaps in the belief that he was doing
right. And America can remember the
good service that he had done" The
Press holds that ''he did not
sufficiently scrutinize the contracts by
which the oil leases we're signed" the
Scranton Times that he was con-
demned for failing to exercise judgment
and care" the Morgantown New Doe
minion that he was merely well inten-
toned but III informed and the
Lansing State Journal that he was
easy when he should have been strong,
when his Official eye should
have been steady and piercing" The
Lexington Leader concludes. Had he
been more vigilant. more capable Of dis
and possessed Of keener and
quicker apprehension, he could have
prevented the transfer Of the oil re-
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