I know something of the difficulties and don’t want to complain or say that matters can be better ordered. Especially I don’t want to cross Mr Cobb but as he has I believe twice officially reported that the police of the capitol grounds is satisfactory, I think that I ought to tell you how very unsatisfactory [513] it is to me. When I last went on the ground with Cogan I noticed that some plants which I had seen before had disappeared; asking him about them he said they had been stolen, and immediately pointed out several plants that had apparently been pulled up by the roots & left on the ground within a few hours. He said that this was of daily occurrence and that at least 3000 plants had been pulled up and most of them taken away since last spring. Afterwards he begged that I would not have the temporary rail about the rockwork of the summer house taken down and urged that additional barriers should be made. I then spoke to the watchman of the beat explaining to him that it was of first importance to prevent boys from leaving the walk while the summer house was still a novelty and to guard against bad habits being started. I told him that on Sundays especially, he must give special attention to this, if necessary giving his entire time to it, everything else being of comparatively small consequence. He promised me to do so and to repeat what I had said to his relief. I also begged Mr Cobb to give the matter his special attention and reinforce my instructions to the watchman.

I asked Cogan to report to me if there should be any disorder and today I have a note from him saying:

“I am very sorry to be obliged to report further injuries to plants &c.—at the summer house on Sunday a hundred people were on the roof and rock-work during the day and made beaten paths all about.”

He had twice previously reported (as I instructed him to) that ivy had been jerked violently from the walls, broken and pulled up. He has also reported that boys continue to play at night among the choice evergreens (as I have seen them) and have lately done serious injury to them.

I have written to Mr Cobb — had written him before getting this last report from Cogan. I know that he can’t be expected to give much personal attention to these matters and especially on Sunday. And I don’t suppose that anything can be done to secure greater police efficiency. Still I think I ought to submit the matter to you and I suggest for one thing that from this time to winter at least it would be better to reduce the day force if necessary to have one or two active men on at night, and that the day watchmen should be instructed not to patrol the roads, there being less need for them on the roads than anywhere else. I also suggest the employmnt of a detective. Is it not wrong that where plants are disappearing by the thousand, year after year, arrests should hardly ever be made or the petty rascals punished?

The whole difficulty—apart, of course, from the all pervading political difficulty—lies in the fact that with the single exception of Cogan, who counts for little, the professional training and habits of all in authority on the grounds, from Mr Cobb to the watchmen themselves, make it hard for them to regard what is wasted in the manner I have indicated as of any serious consequence. To me it is the soul of the affair, without which the engineering and architectural work and even much of the coarse planting is but what the foundations & rough brickwalls of the Capitol are to the carvings of the marble.

[514]

I hate to add a feather’s weight to the load you have to carry but having written yesterday to Cobb suggesting that he should speak to you about a night watch, I thought that I had better frankly let you know how different his point of view may be from mine. I really don’t mean to complain or ask what may be impracticable.