FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



restricted in funds at that time, and the post was given to 

 Wilham Beutenmiiller for a few years until the financial weather 

 brightened, when W. M. Wheeler (then of Clark University 

 and later of Harvard) was appointed. 



I think that I must have had an idea that if I held to my 

 Washington position I would eventually become Chief. I was 

 not especially ambitious, and had no idea whether I was good 

 at executive work, but I liked Washington and had adopted a 

 kind of laissez-faire policy of life. In fact, it was comparative 

 poverty that finally made me begin to work in earnest. I remem- 

 ber that once David Starr Jordan, in speaking of his college days, 

 used the expression "and we were so helped by that blessed 

 poverty." That was the first time that I ever heard poverty called 

 blessed. But it was a very significant saying, since at least com- 

 parative poverty has been the great incentive that has led many 

 men to success of one kind or another. At all events, I began 

 to be more active in my work, and to look about for chances 

 to spread out. These chances, however, were few and far be- 

 tween so long as my Chief was in the saddle. 



However, in the spring of 1894, after rather serious misunder- 

 standings with the then Secretary of Agriculture, Sterling J. 

 Morton, Riley, on his return from a West Indian trip, resigned, 

 and his resignation was promptly accepted. Here apparently was 

 my chance. But the authorities, knowing that I had been what 

 is termed a "loyal assistant," feared that I might be a difficult 

 person, and so they sent out letters to James Fletcher of Canada, 

 to S. H. Scudder, of Boston, and to A, J. Cook, of Michigan, 

 asking for suggestions as to the most competent man to succeed 

 to the office. Rather to their surprise, I think, all of these men 

 recommended me, and in June, 1894, ^ received the appointment 

 as Chief of the Service. 



[52] 



