Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-21
SUSTAINING CHIEF MEREDITH.
Results Of the Investigation of the Knights
Charges.

SUSTAINING CHIEF MEREDITH.
Results Of the Investigation of the Knights,
Charges.
THE coMMrrTEE MAKES IT'S REpoHr-Nn HAYrs'
ASSERTIONS REGARDING INK usEp-A coMPrr-
TIVE TEST AND HOW IT TURNED orr-orHER
MATERIALS.
The Secretary Of the Treasury has received
the final report Of the committee appointed by
him to investigate the charges made by certain
employees Of the bureau Of engraving and
printing that Chief Meredith was using infe-
rior ink in the work done on the United States
notes and involving other methods in vogue
under his direction. The committee consisted
OF Messrs. W. W. Eldridge, A. L. Drummond
and Z. L. Mills, and the report shows the
charges to have been unfounded.
The charges were signed by John W. Hayes.
secretary and treasurer Of the Knights Of
Labor, and contained the following specif-
cation: THAT the said Meredith has continued
Peatedly informed that they were inferior,
thereby causing the printers to do inferior and
much less work than they would have done
under other circumstances, causing . great loss
70 the government through waste and causing
the treasurer to issue money printed in IN in
MR. HATES ASSERTIONS.
The report states that Hayes asserted that the
legal tender ink used by the bureau was Of an
inferior quality and that he could produce an
ink Of superior quality that had been offered to
the bureau ct q less cost, but was rejected He
intimated that improper and corrupt influ-
ences were being sIerted in the bureau to re-
tain the present ink, and proposed to prove his
charge as to its interiority by practical COM
pentive test between that ink and that which
had bsen rejected, to be made in the bureau by
York.
TIE TEST MADE.
The committee assented to the proposition
and the officials of the bureau placed at MIR.
Wilson's disposal every facility for executing
the work to the best possible advantage, allow
ing him to select his own presses, personally
mix the ink and supervise the printing Of the
impressions from the plates selected, which
were u silver certificates and IS legal-tender
notes, ten sheets Of each. These sheets, to-
gether with like number printed from the
same plates with the ink then used by the bu-
reau, were afterward submitted to fourteen ex-
pert plate printers, seven Of whom were
knights OF Labor. Each Of the men exam
ined the ten sheets Of work and separated
them into two classes, good and bad. The re-
port in the form Of table.
VI the total number of examinations, amount
ing to 260 OF each kind Of ink, 40 impressions
OF wilson's were pronounced good and 23l bad
while 253 Impressions printed with the bureau
Ink were pronounced good and only "a bad.
THE OBJECTION TO NIB. DRUMxoND.
While these examinations were in progress
the committee resumed its sessions for the
hearing Of evidence. Mr.. Hayes when invited
by the chairman to proceed declined to do so
while Mr.. Drummond, chief Of the secret serv-
ice Of the Treasury Department, remained q
member OF the committee, saying Drummond
had given testimony inimical to the interests
OF the Knights Of Labor before . congress
sionsl committee. The objection was form.
ally presented 70 the Secretary by Mr.. Hayes
and ovsrruled. Hayes then withdrew from
wilson's testimony under oath.
The report goes on 70 show that the ink used
BY the bureau 10 made Of the best materials and
10 the same a. Is used by the bank note COM
panies Of New York, and is generally regarded
q standard. In view Of those facts and Of the
marked result Of the test applied the commit
tee is Of the opinion that the charge brought
by MI. Hayes was utterly disproved.
As TO MATERIALS GENERALLY.
Continuing the investigation the committee
made personal examination of materials, and
took the testimony Of the chief and assistant
ants, the chief engraver, the oil burner, the
ink grinder and forty printers, of whom about
half were In sympathy with the party making
the charges. These latter witnesses condemned
in general terms all Of the material used
in the bureau, but their testimony was
indefinite and failed to specify its bad quality
or character On the other hand a majority
Of the witnesses not interested in the charges
many of whem had worked with the New York
bank note companies, testified that the ma
terials now being used in the bureau were Of
good quality and most of them superior TO the
materials used by those companies, also that
they were as good as those used under former
administrations. There was, however, some
complaint that the ink did not always
work properly, due, It was thought,
the wiping rags were badly washed, many Of
them being too stiff and glazed with starch.
These complaints led the committee to make
thorough investigation into these subjects, and
personal inspection Of the process Of oil
burning developed the fact that the cooling
done with raw oil instead of burned oil, the
result being that this raw oil, which
was introduced few minutes be-
fore the flame was extinguished, was
not sufficiently burned and affected
the whole lot so a. to produce greasy condi-
tendent stated that this introduction of raw
oil was without his knowledge. aud he Immedi-
ately ordered its discontinuance. Since this
change the printers report an improvement in
the ink.
Some Of the witnesses complained that the
face blankets now in use on the presses were
not OF good quality and did not wear as long
as those formerly used, though most of them
testified that they produced good results in
printing. It was shown that the blanket in use
was substituted for that used formerly because
Of its lower price, and the figures submitted
sustained the judgment Of the committee that
had awarded the contracts-
THE cHIEF AND THE KNIaHTs OF LABOR.
The report concludes - follows:
Recognizing the importance Of the interests
involved in the investigation with which 1t il
charged, the committee has pursued its in
quiries with the utmost thoroughness, seeking
BY personal inspection of materials and meth
DDS employed, as well as by careful and impair
tial analysis Of the testimony adduced, to
ascertain the facts and the truth regarding the
subject under consideration. The conflicting
testimony Of the plate printers, who are nat
urally Influenced by prejudice and self-inter-
est inspired by the factional differences grow
ing out Of the unfortunate attitude Of the
Knights of Labor toward the chief Of the
bureau, has rendered the task Of the
committee q most difficult and perplexing
one. A careful perusd of the testimony
win show that the general condemnation
Of the materials furnished by the bureau
il limited to those opposed to the present ad-
ministration Of the bureau, while the evidence
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