Pelee, when among others the American Consul was killed, a man who had long been seeking an appointment promptly applied for the vacancy.

He was a good man, of persistent nature, who felt I had been somewhat blind to his merits.

The morning after the catastrophe he wrote, saying that as the consul was dead he would like his place, and that I could surely give it to him, because "even the office seekers could not have applied for it yet!" The method of public service involved in the appointment and the work of the two commissions just described was applied also in the establishment of four other commissions, each of which performed its task without salary or expense for its members, and wholly without cost to the Government.

The other four commissions were: Commission on Public Lands; Commission on Inland Waterways; Commission on Country Life; and Commission on National Conservation.
All of these commissions were suggested to me by Gifford Pinchot, who served upon them all.

The work of the last four will be touched upon in connection with the chapter on Conservation.