Nearly a month later on December 24 Arant responded to Steel’s request by describing the turmoil over the park superintendency as he understood it. He observed that Ranger H . E. Momyer was mounting an effort in Klamath Falls to have himself replace Arant by circulating rumors that Arant was going to resign and arguing that if Steel received the job it “would be equivalent to turning the whole crater lake proposition over to Parkhurst and the Crater Lake Company and Medford.” As for his intentions Arant indicated that he would not resign. [3]
Thereafter, Steel sent two letters to Arant on December 26, 1912, and January 15, 1913, strongly urging him to resign and intimating the political consequences of not cooperating with the “lame-duck” administration officials in the Department of the Interior. In the former he stated:
I have not owned one cent’s worth of stock in the Crater Lake Company for several weeks past, and my selling was a portion of an understanding with the Department of the Interior.
You will relieve Mr. Fisher of an embarrassing position if you can see your way to resign, for he is at this moment considering the necessity of taking steps to prevent the position of Superintendent from descending to the pie counter of the new administration. I know what I am saying, when I say that in case of a vacancy no time will be lost in appointing a Superintendent AND that if appointed by Mr. Fisher I will not be disturbed by the Democratic administration. Mr. Fisher knows this also. What I am saying to you is not intended for the public, so the less said the better for us all.
Do not let Mr. Momyer disturb you, for he represents a condition that we are all trying to prevent and Mr. Fisher is in dead earnest, but greatly dislikes to say anything to you about resigning. If you do so, he (Fisher) will promptly do his part. If you do so by wire it might be even better, as it is the intense desire of the Department to escape just such a calamity as a Momyer.
Policies and plans of the Interior Department are not discussed in Klamath Falls, so the sputtering of a few candidates will not affect them even to a limited degree, so do not discuss matters with them. [4]
In the January 15, 1913, letter Steel even more forcefully urged Arant to resign, hinting that he had had communication with Interior officials in Washington. He noted:
First will say, the Department feels very friendly to you, and at the same time is anxious to do that which will be for the best interests of the Park. Conditions, however, are such as to place the Honorable Secretary in a very awkward position, hence he and certain other officials of the Department are somewhat embarrassed.
The policy of the Democratic party has been announced in as far as it pertains to federal offices outside of civil service, and you doubtless know it is, that all such shall be given to faithful members of the party as soon as they can be reached, and no time will be wasted in reaching them. Aside from that, individual attention has been given to the Superintendency of the Park by the Democratic Senators of Oregon, and they do not deny that a change will be made.
These same Senators have said that on account of my long and unremunerated service for the Park, that, if Mr. Fisher should appoint me, that I will not be removed during the Wilson administration, but, if no such appointment is made by the present administration they will cause a change as soon after the 4th of March as they can reach the matter.
These facts are known to Mr. Fisher and other leading Republicans, all of whom would like, if possible, to keep the office in Republican hands through the Wilson administration.
Now, if matters are allowed to drift much longer, it will be too late for Mr. Fisher to act and the matter will be flatly on the Democratic pie counter, in which case no attention whatever will be given to a candidate’s ability, or the best interests of the Park, and we must expect an appointment similar to Mr. Momyer, which would be a positive disaster not only to the Park, but to the entire state.
There are only two ways in which this can be prevented, and that is either for you to resign, or for Mr. Fisher to remove you, and to the latter course I feel there is positive objection, in that it is a manifestation of force that conditions do not seem to justify, for I feel that if you could but know the exact and all the conditions, you would not hesitate for one instant to send in your resignation, for you would not care to shoulder the responsibility of turning the office over to Democratic manipulation, and particularly as you would thus relieve the Honorable Secretary of embarrassment, and permit him to as he desires in the premises.
Well informed men, including the Honorable Secretary, believe that the Republican party will be returned to power in 1916, at which time many members of the party who do not now contemplate it, will then feel anxious for political preferment, and much will depend on their party record for harmony. If you have resigned in the interest of the party and the Park, your record will simply be perfect, and a strong factor in your favor. If, however, you have held your office so long as to cause it to fall into Democratic hands, it may be construed as a reflection against you, and thus seriously injure your changes. You know enough about politics to realize that this is true.
Now a point that you may or may not know. Several years ago you were slated for removal and a successor was agreed upon, when I interfered, without consulting you, and prevented such a move. It seems to me that under existing conditions, when you must know what everybody else knows, that you will not be permitted to serve more than two or three months at best, that you would be willing to resign, even if for no other reason than that you thus strengthen your prospects with the party, to say nothing of any gratitude to me.
It is not wholly a selfish desire on my part to bring this change to pass now, for practically my whole life has been given to the creation and welfare of the Crater Lake National Park, and I would consider it nothing short of a genuine misfortune, to have a man like Momyer direct affairs for four years or more. No one can prevent this but you, and you can do it. In fact, conditions are such as that you cannot evade either turning the management of the Park over to a Republican or a Democrat. Which will you do?
Kindly give this matter your serious consideration, and remember that if there is aught that I can do to help you I will do it, but at this crisis the matter is wholly up to you. You’ must shoulder the responsibility. The Department is waiting on you and so are many friends of the Park as well as some of our prominent Republicans. [5]
