16
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1308.
STEWART KNOWN
AS ARM
y PEST"
Department Sent Him to Aban
doned Post to Be Rid
of Him.
PRESIDENT WAS LENIENT
"Impossible Colonel" Man of I'n
controllable Temper, Disliked by
Fellow-Officers and Subordi
nates Refused Retirement.
WHY 1.4 STEWART EXILED?
PORTLAND. Sept. IS. (Editor
Oreaonlan.) Will you kindly publleh
111 your columns ths circumstances
that led to the rxlMna- of CoIomI
Btewart to Fort Grant and the trs
mndoue punlsthiaa; to which he Is
subjected, there and oblige a number
of people who went to know.
INQUIRER.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington. Oct 1. Colonel William F.
Stewart, of the Coast Artillery, better
known as the "Exile of Fort Grant." Iff
no martyr In the opinion of the officers
of the United States Army. It Is rather
the belief of Colonel Stewart fellow
officers that the "Impossible" Colonel
"got what was coming to him when
he was sent to the abandoned Army
post In the wild of Arizona. Harsh as
the treatment of Cononel Stewart may
seem, there are no officers of the Army
disposed to criticise the President; on
the contrary there are many who believe
t'otnnel Sti-wart deserved even more
drastic punishment.
lias I'nbrldled Temper.
Colonel Stewart, according; to the offi
cial record, is possessed of an un
bridled temper, and Is charged with
"tyranny toward his inferiors. gross
abuse of bis position as an officer, and
a total disregard for the proprieties In
his dealings with citizens." It la very
apparent from the record that Colonel
Stewart is a rare type of man. lie Is
primarily a martinet, but In this respect
he Roes so fnr beyond other Army offi
cers of the type as to be In a class by
himself. Blood does not course through
the reins of Colonel Stewart: only vitri
ol. His heart is of atone, and bla head
Is as hard as his heart. Never has he
understood or sympathized with bis fel
low men. be they officers' or enlisted men
of the service, or civilians with whom he
has been brought in contact. The aociety
and frlendHhlp of his fellow-officers has
never appealed to him: he has always
lived apart, making It Impossible for
those so Inclined to become his friends.
Medal-of-Horror Man.
And yet. with all his fallings. Colonel
Stewart Is a meriat-of-honor man. and
was once promoted for unusual bravery
exhlhited In his early Army career, while
fighting the Indians In the Western coun
try. It Is shown by Colonel Stewart's offi
cial record that he has been a source of
trouble and annoyance to the Army for
the past 37 years. Hla retirement would
have been welcomed long ago, but the
Colonel Is nothing If not contrary, and
he has repeatedly put aside every op
portunity offered him to go upon the re
tired list. Now it In up to the Army Re
tiring Board to pa-s upon his case, and
with a strong prejudice existing In
the minds of Army men. It Is quite prob
able that the service will soon be lid of
Its most "undesirable" officer.
Much wonderment haa been expressed
because Colonel Stewart was never
court-martialed, and the civilian has
been Inclined to the view that If the
Colonel is as bad a he has been painted,
he Is certainly a tit subject for court
martial. Yet it so happens, because of
technicalities, that none of the offenses
charged against Colonel Stewart are of
such character as to enable a court
martial to either dismiss him from the
service or compel his retirement. Had
he been liable to retirement, he would
have been removed from the active list
long. long ago. 1
Offered Chance lo Retire.
About two years ago. when complaints
against Colonel Stewart were piling up
rapidly In the War Department, it was
practically decided to offer him a chance
of retiring or being relieved of the com
mand of troops, but when the papers
were submitted to the President be de
cided to give the offender another chance.
Kxperience demonstrated that Colonel
Stewart was too set In bis ways to change
Ms habtis, and notwithstanding the
President's leniency complaints continued
to come In. And so It was that on Sep
tember 23. 1W7. Colonel Stewart was In
formed that he could apply for immediate
retirement or be relieved of the command
of troops, and be sent to some ungarrl
aoned post. The Colonel, as was expect
ed, refused to apply for retirement, and
demanded a court-martial. The depart
ment Ignored Ids demand, and by order
of the President, on October S. 1S""T. dl
ercted bint to proceed Immediately to the
ungnrrisoned post at Fort Grant. Ariz.
During his earlv Army career. Colonel
Stewart.- while holding minor commis
sions, made himself obnoxious to all
around him. He has seen service from
one end of the country to the other, and
everywhere he bred trouble. However,
complaints were not lodc?d acalnst him
with the War Department until be was
promoted to the grade of Colonel in 1SU2.
At the time of his promotion he was as
signed to command of the defenses in
tli harbor of Portland. Me. His conduct
at that station was described bv Presi
dent Roosevelt In his letter to Senator
Rayner last Winter as "culpably remiss."
Prefldont on Record.
The following paragraph from the
President's letter explains:
la 1PVV when he wsi tn command at
Fort Williams. Me-, an officer of his com
mand, his quartermaster, was court-martialed,
dismissed from the army and sen
tenced to tho penitentiary for the perpetra
tion of the most outrtftoui frauds upon
the Government, which had extended over
a considerable period of time. Apparently
all this went on almost under the very eyes
of Colon! Stewart, but he tailed to detect
the crimes or the offu-er. In so doing being
culpably remlm In exercising supervision
ever his subordinates.
While in command at Fort Williams
(Portland. Me., harbor). Colonel Stewart
gave the usual offense to officers and
men under bis command, and became
embroiled in a big row with civilians
with whom be waa brought in contact.
Clashing Island. In the harbor. Is occupied
by a Government fort at one end and a
Summer resort at the other. The only
wharf la on tlie private property, but the
War Department has an arrangement
whereby H uses this wharf for the land
ing of troops and supplies. Colonel
Blew art. abusing his authority aa com
manding officer, undertook to virtually
monopolise this wharf, mahing It almost
Impossible for the Summer resort steam
ers to land passengers and freight for
the- hotel. There waa no excuse for the
Colonel's arbitrary monopoly of the
wharf belonging to the hotel company,
yet he ignored all protests and seriously
hampered ' their business. Hla actions
were reported to the department and re
ferred to General Frederick D. Grant,
then commander of the Department of
the East, who reported that the unhappy
conditions were due solely to Colonel
Stewart, whom he described as tempera
mental, and who so irritated those around
him that in General Grant's opinion the
only cure waa to "get rid of the irri
tant, which can be done by offering Colo
nel Stewart an alternative of relief from
command or retirement on his own appli
cation." Ought to Be Eliminated.
Thus. It apr-ears that in the opinion
' of such a practical soldier aa General
I Grant, Colonel Stewart ought to be
J eliminated, and yet his offense could
not be reached by court-maniai.
But General Grant's recommendation.
though approved by the Chief of-Artillery,
waa not acted ' upon, as it waa
thought possibly a change of station
would relieve the situation. Accord
ingly, Colonel Stewart was ordered to
Fort Barrancas, Fla.. a few miles from
Pensacola. But Colonel Stewart did
not Improve in fact he had been there
but a short time when hostilities were
resumed, and the Colonel became in
volved in a bitter row with the civil
ians with whom he waa brought in
contact, and complaints once more be
gan to flood the department. General
Duvall, commanding that department,
made an Investigation of conditions,
and most urgently recommended the
carrying out of the recommendations
previously made by General Grant.
It waa evident that Colonel Stewart,
instead of Improving, was growing
worse as he grew older, and his con
duct became such that President
Roosevelt, In his letter to Senator Ray
ner, described him as a nuisance to
the army, incompetent and tempera
mentally unfit to exercise command
over enlisted men, or to control other
officers, or to behave with propriety
when brought In contact with civil
ians. Indeed, after his career at Fort
Barrancas, it was agreed that Colonel
Btewart was not only the most useless,
but the most offensive officer in the
Army.
Quarrel With Civilians.
To Illustrate Colonel Stewart's, fond
ness for trouble and his abuse of au
thority, an incident that occurred at
Fort Barrancas Is cited. Within the
military reservation is a building, not
used by the Government. J. E. Turtle,
civilian employe at the post, had
been occupying the building for years
by sancclon of previous commanders.
One day, when a .window pane in this
building was broken. Turtle asked per
mission to replace it. for there is an
Army regulation which stipulates that
no civilian shall make alterations or
repairs on a military reservation with
out authority or the commanaing 0111-
cer. Colonel Stewart refused to per
mit Turtle to put in a new window
pane, and he furthermore refused to
have a pane put in by the post quarter
master. This one incident, it is said,
la illustrative of the man's character.
Profanity, he frequently used, and puo-
llcly. He would, rebuke hla men, both of
ficers and men of the ranks. In the vilest
terms and in the most offensive manner.
His command has been a rule of iron, but
without reason and absolutely without
consideration.
In the study of Colonel Stewart s case
an Incident was unearthed which prob
ably had much to do with the exiling of
this officer to his lone station in Arizona.
Feeling resentful towards a lieutenant
under bis command, Colonel Stewart or
dered him to take an Isolated sub-station
of the post, the most undesirable under
his command. This officer has Just com
pleted a long time there, and waa enti
tled to a better station. Moreover, there
were other officers available and in line
for this dreaded assignment. When the
War Department learned of Colonel Slew-
art's order, the lieutenant was relieved
nnd restored to a pleasanter station. The
similarity between the case of this lieu
tenant and the case of Colonel Stewart
leads one to wonder if the W ar Depart
ment and the President had not deter
mined to mete out to Colonel Stewart the
kind of punishment he dealt to bis subordinates.
Follows General Grant's Advice.
While responsibility for sending Colonel
Stewart to Fort Grant rests primarily
upon President Roosevelt, tbls action was
recommended by General Fred Grant,
General William P. Duvall, General Ar
thur Murray, General George Davis, and
the Secretary of War. Mr. Taft. Had the
offenses charged against the Colonel
made him liable to compulsory retire
ment, he would long- abo bave been court
martialed, but nfeager or formal punish
ment would have been futile with a man
of his type; a reprimand would have been
unavailing. Nothing could have been done
other than was done, except to relieve
him of command, and without station;
and a review of the case raises no serious
question whether the President erred in
punishing Colonel Stewart,' while render
ing It impossible for him to do further
damage to the service.
The President and the officers of the
army are ready to do anything that will
enable them to force Colonel Stewart on
the retired list. It was with that end in
view that he was ordered to take the teat
ride, and it was that order that led to the
discovery that the Colonel was of un
sound body. If the Army Retiring Board
reaches the same conclusion that was
reached by the examining board at Fort
Land that will
raise onions like
these will raise
vegetables of any
kind in such quan
tities as to net a
splendid profit
on the investment
For every purchaser of land in the ROSE
BURG HOME ORCHARD TRACTS we
will agree to cultivate the space between
trees with the most profitable crop, provid
ing" the seed and labor without cost and
harvest the produce, turning over to the
owner one-half of the net
profits of the land for three
years. Furthermore, after
Saturday, not an acre of
this land may be had for
the present price.
A u ' :
U V 0
MAN
P L I
Q L 0
(JEN
AY S
There is not a valley in the world that
has the future of the Umpqua Valley.
There is not a valley as rich in soil as this,
where land can be had for such low prices
and upon such easy terms as we are of
fering. Apples nowhere reach the high
color they do here; the same of pears.
Fruit never attained the standard of fla
vor it has until TJmpqua alley fruit was
placed on the market. This valley is two
weeks earlier than any part of the State
of Oregon. It is a fact that scores of Ump
qua Valley people are making their for
tunes on 10-acre tracts. "WILL YOU
JOIN OUR PARTY OF 10 LEAVING
PORTLAND SATURDAY NIGHT, AT
NO EXPENSE? ASK US ABOUT IT.
COUPON
Harding Land Co., SO Fourth
street. Kindly tell me how I can
own 10 acres of ROSEBURG HOME
ORCHARD land and be independent
for life. Also give particulars about
free trip to the property tomorrow
night.
Name
Address
W. C. HARDING LAND GO., Inc.
SO Fourth Street
Board of Trade Building
Huachuoa, Colonel Stewart will pass out
of exile onto the retired list, and the
army will be forever rid of its greatest
pest.
Good Hunting in Clatsop.
ST. HELENS, Or., Oct. 1. (Special.)
A party of hunters just returned from
the Saddle Mountain country, in Clat
sop County, reports having great suc
cess with big game, having killed three
elk. two wildcats, a deer and a coyote.
The elk bad seven-pronged antlers and
dressed 700 pounds each. The antlers
and meat were packed over the rough
country a distance of 20 miles to the
county road near Vesper.
140 Turks Drown.
SMYRNA. Sept. 30. A Turkish steam
ship ran down the steam ferryboat Stam
bul outside the harbor today. One hun
dred and forty persons were drowned.
KLAMATH COUNTY SCHOOLS IN CHARGE OF COM
PETENT EDUCATORS
f 0V'.ff i--
jjuiztjdiiJjay sWaaaassAistMlzazatizttzataaHtfsWBatazasI
MAKES LAST STAND
Foraker Big Factor, in Ohio
Political Situation.
STATE GREATLY IN DOUBT
Joh a G. Swam, rowoty Super! a- John T. Batcher, Principal of the
teadrat of Public lastrnrtioa. Klamath County High School.
KI.AMATH FALLS. Or.. Oct. 1 . (Special.) An important asset
of Klamath Countv in making it a most desirable place for families
to locate Is the Klamath County High School, which was organized
six vears ago, with a small beginning, and is now classified among
the "first-class high schools of the state, accredited at the University
of Oregon and the University of California.
John O. Swan, principal of the school from its inception until his
election aa Superintendent of Public Instruction for Klamath Coun
tv a: the June election, came from Albany. Oregon, to Klamath
Falls, having been assistant postmaster at the Linn County seat for
four years, ard previously a successful educator of that county,
graduating from Albany College.
John T, Butcher, the new principal of the Klamath County High
School. wTioae service began with the present school year, comes to
Oregon from Oklahoma. He Is a graduate of the University of Kan
sas and for tne rast six yeara haa held the prlncipalshlp of vari
ous leading schoools In Oklahoma. Mrs. Butcher Is also a graduate
of the University of Kansas, and they are enthusiastic over the at
tractions of the Klamath section, and have come with the expecta
tion of permanently residing in Oregon.
Factional Disturbances Have De
stroyed Normal Republican
Strength Negro Vote May Be
Balance of Power In Figbt.
OREGOXIAX NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington, Oct. 1. Ohio, the home of the Re
publican Presidential nominee, has be
come the most doubtful of all the normal
Republican states, and indications are that
It will so remain to the end of the cam
paign. The declaration of war on Senator
Foraker, and the exposure of the latter In
a way that will make his re-election Im
possible, means that the Foraker follow
ing will, to a large extent, be antagonistic
to the Republican National ticket in No
vember, and It Is utterly Impossible, at
this time, to form an intelligent estimate
of the strength of Mr. Foraker's following.
Nor Is it possible to determine what part
of the Foraker faction will bolt or knife
the Taft ticket on election day.
It is admitted, even by strong Taft men,
that the situation in Ohio is most serious.
There Is lack of good party organization:
there Is lack of party harmony; there Is
no leader big enough for the Job in these
troublous times, and there is an alarming
lack of enthusiasm.
Harmony Altogether Destroyed.
For a time, when peace had -been re
stored between Taft and Foraker, the situ
ation looked bright; indeed it was con
ceded that Ohio was safe in the Republi
can column. But when Foraker's . Stand
ard Oil record was read by Mr. Hearst,
and when President Roosevelt literally
read Foraker out of the Republican party,
and simultaneously gave out- Secretary
Taft's letter to Vorys, all harmony was
destroyed, and the factional fight waa
fanned Into flame, and is now more in
tense than at any time in the past.
Senator Foraker realizes that his pub
lic career is about at an end; he knows
that he can not be returned to the Senate,
but he blames President Roosevelt and
Mr. Taft as much aa he blames William
R. Hearst, and feeling aa he does towards
them, he will get what revenge he can,
before it is too late. Foraker will do his
utmost, perhaps not altogether openly, to
prevent Republican success In Ohio this
Fall.
He made a start In that direction when
he virtually undertook to incense the
negro voters against Taft. He will un
doubtedly follow up this lead, and keep
the negro question alive In Ohio, and in
other states, right up to November 3.
This is Foraker's last big fight, and
he has decided that it shall be
a memorable one; one that the enemy
shall not soon forget. He. will go to any
extent in his effort to wreak vengeance
on those who have virtually exterminated
him.
No matter what Foraker's record Is, and
no matter how damaging have been the
exposures, the fact remains that there are
many voters In Ohio who always have had
and who still have faith in "Firealarm
Joe," and these men are standing by him
now. Men of this class are satisfied with
Foraker's explanation of his relations
with the Standard Oil Company: they do
not see In them anything to discredit him
as a Senator and public official. To such
men Foraker is a martyr, and the martyr
role has frequently been a winning one In
politics. It at least gives the man posing
as such a mighty advantage not held by
his opponent. It will be amply demon
strated during the next four weeks that
Joe Foraker is still an idol with not a
small contingent of the Ohio Republicans,
and that his following will carry out his
wishes on election day, to punish his de
tractors. If for no other cause.
Strong With Negro Vote.
It Is not contended, nor is it true, that
Foraker is as strong in Ohio today as he
was before Mr. Hearst and Mr. Roosevelt
exposed and condemned him. He has lost
strength; any -man would, under the cir
cumstances. But he has not lost all his
strength, and time will show that particu
larly among the negroes Foraker is as
popular as ever. There are at least 40,000
negro voters in Ohio, and a very large
percentage of them will be Influenced by
Foraker. For the most part these negroes
vote the Republican ticket, but they have
come to regard Senator Foraker as their
one best friend, and his advice will go
farther with many than will the doctrines
and principles of the Republican party.
The negroes may hold the balance of
power In Ohio this year, and If they do,
and Foraker persists In his fight to the
very end of the campaign; the Republican
ticket will fail in that state at least that
Is the way it looks now.
The stuation in Ohio is the graver
because there is no big leader In
charge of the Taft campaign. Arthur
Vorys, himself somewhat besmeared by
an unsavory disclosure, was never a
natural leader of men; he was never
equipped to conduct a political cam
paign. The conduct of the Ohio cam
paign was Intrusted to his hands, but so
far he has made a poor showing.
Failures of Vorys.
He has failed utterly to arouse en
thusiasm to a pitch which should be
manifest by this time In the home
state of the Republican candidate; he
has failed to get the campaign ma
chinery into smooth working order,
and he has left undone many of those
things that should have been done and
that would have been done by a more
experienced politician. These over
sights on the part of Vorys would
have been less apparent had not the
Republican party in Ohlojbeen torn
asunder, for under a harmony pro
gramme the normal Republican ma
jority would have made Ohio reason
ably safe.
While there Is no question that
President Roosevelt did good work in j
making absolutely certain of the elim
ination of Senator Foraker, there are
some Republicans who would have
been better satisfied had he deferred
his onslaught until after the Novem
ber election. Had the President re
mained silent with regard to Foraker.
the mere attack of Hearst would not
have alienated the loyal Forakerlte
vote In Ohio, and the state would have
been much less doubtful.
President Could Not Keep Silent.
The fact that Mr. Taft wished it so
is evident from the fact that he him
self did not take advantage of his op
portunity to jump on the Senator. But
President Roosevelt, in his impulsive
way, saw his chance to deal Foraker
a death blow, and at the same time
show to the country that Mr. Taft had
no sympathy with Foraker and his
methods, and he could not remain
silent.
The President has known, for In
stance, that Senator Penrose, of Penn
sylvania, is as undesirable as Foraker
in many ways, and as much subject to
corporation influence, yet the Presi
dent has refrained from attacking
Penrose; he has even consulted him
on occastons regarding Pennsylvania
affairs. If, for political reasons, the
President would preserve peace with
Pennsylvania's most undesirable poli
tician, then, say some of Taffs friends,
he might with equal grace, have kept
silent until after November 3, with
reference to Foraker.
But the President thought different
ly. He plays politics according to his
own rules, and he probably considered
the cost before jumping on to the
prostrate form of Foraker. He may
feel confident of carrying Ohio In spite
of Foraker, but It will take time to
demonstrate the political wisdom of
his most sensational move.
ROUGH TRIP IN TYPHOON
Steamer Ioy Mara Reaches Victoria
After Heavy Sea Voyage.
VICTORIA, B. C, Oct. 1 The steamer
Ioy Mam reached port this morning with
27 saloon passengers including Lieutenant
T. Uyeda, torpedo Inspector at Yokosuka,
who has been appointed naval attache of
the Legation at Washington, Viscount
Kuroda. younger son of Marquis Kuroda,
president of the House of Peers.
The steamer had a rough trip and when
between Kobe and Yokohama encountered
a typhoon. In this storm the steamer
Duncarn foundered and the Norwegian
steamer Mira is believed also to have gone
down.
ABROGATES THE CHARTER
And Now Roseburg Has Fountain
. on Its Main Street.
ROSEBURG, Or., Oct. 1. (Special.)
The first of Roseburg's civic Improve
ments, the new drinking fountain, was un
veiled yesterday In the presence of a large
crowd. The fountain is a present from
the W. C. T. U. and the Ladies' Mental
Culture Club to the cily.
In finding a suitable place for its
Installation the city council discovered
that the city charter forbids the plac
ing of any obstruction In the streets.
For a period of three months It waa
the subject for prolonged and heated
discussion In the council chamber.
Finally the Mayor asked to be ap
pointed a committee of one to see to
the matter and In three days he had
the fountain Installed and in readiness
for operation. In case any action is
Instituted against the city on account
of the charter provision, the Mayor
has agreed to pay all expenses con
nected with such suit from his own
funds. The fountain was placed In a
prominent position on one of the prin
cipal streets of the city.
Skamania County Folr Oct. 5-10.
STEVENSON. Wash., Oct. 1. (Special.)
The Skamania County Horticultural As
sociation has organized a permanent fair
association and will hold a fair at Stev
enson, October S to 10. The St. Helens
mining district Is located in this county,
and some very good fruit areas. A rep
resentative exhibit of the county's re
sources is expected.
Absconder Not F. S. Woodward.
BUTTE. Mont.. Oct. . (Special.) Tha
Woodward arrested last night for ab
sconding with Independence party funds
was not F. 8. Woodward, advance man
for John Temple Graves, but W. S. Wood
ward, another Independence party member.
Is your month similar la any way t tha
abov? If mo. no ni to w.ar a wobbly,
unusable partial Plata or 111-flttlng ordloarsl
hrids. work. Tb. Dr. Wis. .yat.m of
TKSTH WITHOUT PfcATBS"
Th rult of 21 years' xric tha n.w
ay o repjaclns testa la LO. nioutn tssta
la fact, tselh in appsarancs. Isslb to cb.w
your food upon, as you did upon your nat
ural on.s. Our tore. Is so aiulud wa
can do your sntlr. crowo. brlda. or plat
work In a day IX n.c.ssiry. PosiUvsly pain
lea. sxtracUac. Only blsb-ciasa. aclsutuia
WISE DENTAL CO.. INC.
Dr. W. A. Wise, Msr.. zl y.ars In Portlaoa.
Rcoond tloor Falllns bids.. Tblrd and
Washington stre.ts. Otflc. bours, 8 A M.
to S P. M. 8undsys. I to I P. M. Palnlssa
.xtractlnc. 60o; platas. fS UP- Phoass
and Main zozu.