6
The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 35
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ORMSBY McIIARG, assistant secretary of tho
department of commorco and labor, has re
signed and Ills resignation will be accepted. Mr.
Mcliarg is a native of South Dakota and about
three years ago became an assistant attorney in
tho department of justice. He was one of the
original Taft men and has always been regard
ed as being particularly strong with the presi
dent. In a newspaper interview Mr. McHarg
declared "tho talk about a water power mon
opoly is absurd," and ho assailed tho Roosevelt
policy of conservation of natural resources, pok
ing considerable fun at tho former president's
utterances on the subject. Washington dis
patches say that McHarg "intended to resign be
fore he gave this interview and that his resig
nation was not duo to his attack upon tho Roose
velt administration.
XN HIS INTERVIEW Mr. McHarg says: "The
reclamation service during the latter part of
President Roosevelt's administration carried on
a purely 'dog-in-the-manger' policy, that has
done, much to hold back various sections of tho
west. It couldn't carry out the projectseconom
Ically for which congress lnd made appropria
tions, yet it would .not allow private enterprises
to stop in and build any irrigation system,
where its fruits could have been immediate.
No, the dreamers had tho reins, and they were
Bcheming in various ways for the welfare and
uplift of the wooly westerner. They were go
ing to build a vast watered..empire in the desert
In their own visionary way."
REFERRING TO tho McHarg resignation tho
Washington correspondent for the Philadel
phia North American says: ' "There was no ex
cuse for McHarg's outburst. He violated all
the recognized official courtesy by injecting him
self into the controversy between Secretary Bal
Hnger and Chief Forester Pinchot. There was
nothing involved in tho question at issue that
would have come before Mr. McHarg as assistant
secretary of commerce and labor for official ac
tion. In the department of commerce and labor
Mr. Mcliarg would not have any more to do with
the conservation policy of the government than
one of the bureau chiefs of the navy department.
Evidently lie coolly planned an insult to former
President Roosevelt and one of his chief ad
visers, Mr. Pinchot. Mr. McHarg had never
been disposed to talk for publication. Up to
this time ho had refrained from discussing mat
tors which came under his jurisdiction. During
the time when ho was connected with the Taft
pre-convention organization he was a man of
silence. Even Postmaster General Hitchcock,
as manager of the Taft forces, talked more than
his lieutenant, Mr. McHarg. As he was co-operating
with President Roosevelt in bringing
about tho nomination of Taft, it was assumed
that ho was progressive. There is no doubt that
tho 'President was astonished when he read the
bitter attack, which the assistant secretary of
commerce and labor made upon the Roosevelt
reforms."
CONCERNING tho McHarg 'interview and
resignation the Now York World says
"In his desire to discredit the policy of con
servation of natural resources, Ormsby McHarg,
tho assistant secretary of commerce and labor,
overplayod his hand. His attack on the forestry
sorvlco in particular showed more prejudice than
common sense. Tho prompt acceptance 'of his
resignation by Mr. Taft should be a hint to
loose-tongued officials to avoid extravagance of
statement and pay more heed to team-work in
tho public service. No expert knowledge is
needed to demonstrate the danger of exhausting
our lumber supply. Over immense areas of the
old lumbering sections of states like Michigan
and Wisconsin only stumps remain. The capital
invested in Michigan in the manufacture of lum
ber showed a decline, of $60,000,000 in the
decade from 1890 to 1900. At present the south
is intent upon stripping itself ba"re of its pine
forests. On the Pacific Coast only the prodi
gality of nature retards the day of utter de
vastation. Even if it were true, as Mr. McHarg
rashly asserted, that 'there is enough timber
standing in the state of Washington alone to
supply this country for fifty years,' is that a
reason for abandoning all precautions against a
policy of unrestrained wastefulness? With the
disappearance of tho pine forests the price of
building material in recent years has risen
rapidly. White pine, one of the most serviceable,
of woods, within a single generation has quin
tupled in value, and is not easy to get at that.
The hard woods used in furniture-making and
intorior finishing are becoming scarce. Asso
ciate Forester Price points out the real source
of danger when ho says: 'We take from our
forests each year, not counting tho loss by fire,
three and a half times their growth. We take
forty cubic feet per acre for every twelve cubic
'feet grown; we take 260 cubic feet per capita,
while Germany uses thirty-:, jven cubic feet and
France twenty-five cubic feet." Because as a
people wo have 'so far had enough timber we
have not yet taken to heart the lesson of older
countries and learned not only to protect our
resources but to practice systematic reforestation."
A STORY OF heroism is told in an Associated
Press dispatch under date of Seattle,
August 27, as follows: "One man, a wireless
operator, gave his life that more than 200 might
be saved today when George E. Eccles of Seattle
went down with the Alaska Steamship company's
steamer Ohio, while sounding 'C. Q. D.' His
calls f6r help as his vessel was sinking brought
the steamers Kingfisher, Humboldt and Rupert
City to the rock of Steep Point in Hishkish nar
rows, British Columbia, and all but himself and
four others were saved. Only one passenger
lost his life. The Ohio went down thirteen min
utes after it struck. The drowned: Purser
Frederick J, Stephen, Seattle; Wireless Operator
George Eccles, Seattle; the Quartermaster; a
soldier, name unknown; a steerage passenger,
name unknown. Pilot Snow was on the bridge
when the ship struck. The boats were lowered
at once and women and children taken off first.
The soldier and the steerage passenger were
killed by the upsetting of a boat during the
rescue of tho passengers. The Humboldt took
twenty survivors to Ketchikan, Alaska. The
others will arrive at Vancouver tomorrow on
the Rupert City. Operator Eccles assisted val
iantly in rescue work and is reported to have
been drowned while so engaged. Purser Stephen
is also said to have given his life that the pas
sengers and other members of the crew might
be saved. The Ohio left Seattle August 2 '. for
Fort Graham and Valdez, Alaska, and including
crew and passengers had 210 persons on board.
A wireless dispatch says the Ohio sank in three
minutes. This probably means that she was on
the reef a considerable time and that the pas
sengers were all off before the ship slid into
deep water, which slie did so speedily as to
carry down five of the crew. Some of the pas
sengers were taken ashore in life boats and
picked up by the fishing boat Kingfisher and
taken to Swanson Bay. Others were taken on
the Humboldt and Rupert City. The Humboldt's
passengers will be landed at Ketchikan and the
Ruper City is taking her passengers to Vancouver."
THE UNITED States Wireless company, one
of whose operators, G. E. Eccles of Winni
peg, perished ' in the . sinking of the steamship
Ohio off tho Alaskan ccast, received an account
of the disaster from Operator Booth at Ketchi
kan, Alaska. About 1 a. m. I was sitting with
my receivers clapped to my ears, having just
finished working with Operator Eccles on board
the Ohio, when I was startled by hearing him
call 'C. Q. D,' 'C. Q. D.' I immediately an
swered and he sent the following message: 'Ohio
struck a rock steamer sinking send aid 'mme
diately, or everybody will be lost.' The steam
ships Humboldt and Rupert of the McKenzie
Bros, gteamshlp company, happened to be near
at the time, and they both called th.e Ohio, ask
ing for her latitude. Eccles gave it imme
diately and the Rupert' flashed ; back that
they would change their course and s, tan d by
the Ohio as soon as possible. In the meantimo
Eccles sent out another message, saying: 'Ohio
sinking fast; can not hold out. Passengers be
ing taken off in small boats. Captain and crew
will stick to tho last.' The Humboldt and Ru
pert both replied that they were headed for
the Ohio and would pick the passengers up.
Then came the final message from the stricken
vessel. It was never finished: 'Passengers all
off and adrift in small boats,' it said; 'captain
and crew going off in the last boat; waiting for
me now good-bye.' I was unable to get him
again," concludes Booth, "and I knew he had
gone down with his ship."
A LEXINGTON, Ky.; dispatch to the Chicago
Record-Herald says: "Kentucky has a
visitor tonight who for nine years was an exile
from his native state because of his alleged
connection with the assassination of William
Goebel. Former Governor William S. Taylor,
who now lives in Indianapolis, and who was
pardoned three months ago by Governor Willson
of all charges against him growing out of the
Goebel murder, is in Louisville tonight and
probably will come here tomorrow or next day.
This is Taylor's first visit to Kentucky since
he fled from the state in 1899, soon after Goebel
was shot. He is apparently in good health. He
says he "will never return to Kentucky to live,
as the 'state has brought him too much sorrow,
his wife and daughter having died of broken
hearts as a result of the accusations against him.
Taylor probably will visit his old home in the
Whitley county mountains before returning to
Indianapolis. If he does so he will bo given
a public reception by his former townspeople."
f LENN H. CURTISS, an American, won the
VJT Bennett trophy on the Bethany aviation
field at Rheims, France. Curtiss made the fast
est aerial journey of twenty kilometres (12.42
miles) ever accomplished. Referring to Curtiss'
fea. the Associated Press says: "His time, 15 min
utes, 5 3-5 seconds, was only 5 3-5 seconds faster
than that made by Bleriot over the same course.
The other two pilots who represented France,
Latham and Lefebvre, finished respectively in
17 minutes, 32',seconds, and 20 minutes, 47 3-5
seconds. Cockburn, an Englishman, ran into a
haystack as he -was manoeuVering for the start
and did not 'cross the line. -Several other ma
chines which were expected to start were not
ready within the time limit The race lay be
tween Bleriot and Curtiss, with Latham as a
possible outsider. Lefebvre on previous per
formances apparently had no chance. Fortune
favored the American. Curtiss stole a march on
his rivals by getting away early. Finding condi
tions favorable at 10 o'clock in .the morning he
decided to take no chances in the fickle weather
and after a trial trip in which he made the
circuit of the course in 7 minutes, 55 1-5 sec
onds, lowering the world's record by nine sec
onds, he started immediately on his attempt to
win the cup. He handled his machine, which
flew along at a speed never before witnessed, in
masterly style. The first round, 6.21 miles, was
made in 7 minutes, 57 2-5 seconds, but the sec
ond round was covered in 7 minutes, 53 1-5
seconds, another world's record. Bleriot, the
French favorite, whose machine was equipped
with a four-bladed propeller, in his trial made
7:57 1-5 for the round. Then he substituted
a two-bladed propeller but this proved slower
styi and the French began to doubt the ability
of their champion. Bleriot replaced the original
propeller. In the meantime Lefebvre in a
Wright biplane flew over the court but his time
was five minutes slower than that of Curtiss.
The excitement grew steadily as 5 o'clock, which
the public understood was the time limit for
starting in this event, approached. At 5 o'clock
the crowds concluded that the two French
champions had defaulted but aminuto later it
was announced that the rule alldwed 'a start
any time before 5:30 o'clock. A few minutes
later Bleriot and Latham crossed the line in
quick succession. Bleriot went by the tribune
at a terrific pace and finished .the round in al
most the identical time of Curtiss' fastest lap,
covering the ten kilometres in 7": 53 3-5,. but his
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