Avuant Pitch-Forking

Our contemporary of the Western Star warns the Dewan against any 'jobbery' that may be attempted to be practiced  upon in  the matter of the appointment of the Excise Commissioner, on the retirement of the present incumbent Mr.Ponnambalam Pillai . While our contemporary grows earnest and to a point vehement in advocating the cause of Mr. Kenyon, we are sorry that the arguments urged with such force in support of Mr. Kenyon are dropped and lost sight of when the case of Mr. Raman Pillai, Revenue Under Secretary, is considered. We are not in the habit of urging the individual claims of this man or that, and the Dewan can see through and through such recommendations whether veiled cleverly or no; but when a contemporary goes a little out of editorial ways and expresses to our mind the claims of some one setting at naught the greater claims, the true and well deserved merits , or rather , does not set forth the same in comparison and contrast between  two respective candidates , we are induced and forced to .......justice to the claims of .....one who judged ...........................justice to the claims of the hands of the government, deserve willy nilly,  no doubt, is an experienced man in the Excise department in British India. May we ask whether experience in Travancore is not really such? What is cheese in British India, will not become chalk on this side of the border. An officer of spotless reputation, one who can command and obey , one who has a reputation for pedigree and character , one who has early put in a full ten or twelve years' service as an important  executive officer , and one who can set for the claim of about eight years' good service in the Excise Department itself either as Preventive Superintendent and First Class Magistrate , or as the Senior Excise assistant Commissioner -such an one is Mr. Raman Pillai. We ask our contemporary to show another such to claim or occupy the place of Excise  Commissioner.  We shall have endosed the " joobbery" if it was said of Mr. Raman Pillai. "They are all all honourable"  - kind of argument is dangerous and capable of two meanings. We request our contemporary to say that, considering all in all, whether Mr. Raman Pillai is not the only man in Travancore service who can consider it a real grievance if his claims are overlooked in the matter of filling up of the vacancy that will be caused by the retirement of  Mr. P. Pillai. We mean no disparagement to Mr. Kenyon in the least . The Government will do well to see that the revenue does not suffer by any unwise step that may be taken. Compare the Excise revenue of the past ten years and see whether the revenue has not gone down after the removal of Mr. Raman Pillai from Arukutty.  Even when Mr. Raman Pillai was the Assistant Superintendent of Police ,  his relationship with some officers was not of the best ; and this on account of no fault of his ; the old ideas were not forgotten by changes. We are certain that the papers etc. in the office will show that the Dewan should consult facts and figures and not individuals in the matter of appointment. The Dewan will be declaring to the world the unfitness of Mr. Raman Pillai if his claims are passed over without  reason. The Dewan would do well to see whether there is not a unanimous verdict of the people in favour of Mr. Raman Pillai.