The record-union., 1891-07-04
Secretary Foster Denies the State
ment Made by POwderly.
HE SAYS HE SENT NO LETTER TO
JORDAN.
The Treasury Department. Issues a
Circular Amending the Existing
Regulations In Regard to Importa-
tions Under the Consular Seal-Sec-
rotary Proctor Signs an Order
AbolishinG the Three Great Mill
tary Divisions of the United States.
Special 10 the REcoRD-UN1oN.

WASHINGTON, July 3.-The Secretary
of the Treasury received a letter from
Grand Master Workman Powderly, of
the Knights of Labor, reviewing the
case of the disbarred plate-printers in
about the same tone as his statement to
the public, and III addition, intimating
that the Knights Of Labor will appeal the
case to the President.
Secretary Foster, in speaking on the
subject to-day, said that the letter which
Jordan, one of the discharged men,
claims to have received from him offer
ing him his old position in the bureau,
was not sent by him (the Secretary He
explained that he was discussing the case
| with Messrs. Cavanaugh and Devlin, and
had submitted several propositions to
them, which did not seem altogether sat
| lstactOry.
| He said he was willing to appoint seven
men TO places in the bureau, with the
understanding that Jordan, who is max
| ing good living, would not return to
work They wanted more than this"
continued the Secretary, land said they
| We're afraid that If Jordan were offered a
| place with this understanding, and it
| should get to the ears of Meredith he
| would crow over them and boast that
| they had been defeated. / went so far as
| to draft letter to Jordan. There had
| been several papers written during the
| conference about these terms Places
! were to be found for the other six men,
! and he was TO accept a position in the
/ bureau. agreed to give them this letter.
| to be given to Jordan, if they should
! promise in honor as men that they would
! either return it or hand me Jordan 5
/ declnation. This was to soothe JOrdan's
/ tnn1I ~
| gent upon our reaching an agreement
! When l showed Devlin and CaVanaugh
this letter they declined my terms, aud
| i throwed the letter to one side with the
rest of the rejected manuscript
I'VE were discussing the situation fur
| ther and endeaving to find another solu-
| ton, when | received the card of n dele
| CATION representing the Federation of La
! Dor. Leaving DeYlin and Cavanaugh'for
q few minutes, | went over to talk to the
| newcomers, who told me some facts I
| did not know before. They informed me
! that there were now about fifteen appren-
tlces IN the bureau waiting for presses.
who, under the rules, are entitled to
! presses ahead OF chance men. This would
| SO reduce the available new work that
! men who are now on the chance roll
would not all get presses in the new
! building. Thus, TO put on the seven dis
! missed men would throw out printers
| who are ahead of them.
| After further talk on the subject I re-
! turned to Devlin and Cavanaugh, and soon
| afterward the conference broke up. The
! letter to Jordan, though signed, was but
| a draft, and was not intended to be sent.
| If he received it, the delegates from the
knights of Labor must have taken it
| from my desk. 1t had previously been
| rejected by them. do not accuse them
of stealing the letter, but do say that the
| letter should never have gone to JOrdan
1t was null and void. When | returned
to my desk l said good-by. and swept
| the papers into the drawer, but did not
notice that this letter was gone. have
reason to think that they took the note
| sent in to me by the delegates of the Fed
Grafton from which Mr.. Powderly gets
| his information about Gompers The
Federation name was put on the card by
my Private Secretary, in order to identity
| the people in NV mindD