Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-12
DON Is QUITE SURE
That He viii BE Able TO Pilot
Grover
THROUGH TO AN ELECTION
lie Wants the kouhwess States--T he
Eight Hour Law Possmssfess
10 BE DISAPPOINTED.

The RAINBOW enaseTs are beginning
10 lnaugurats their campaign. ChAif-
man Dickinson has never abandoned
the hope which he held out To Grover
Cleveland four years ago. and which
proved 50 illusory, that Wisconsin,
Iowa. Michigan, Minnesota and ILL.,
nois were certain TO 20 democratic.
Mr.. Dickinson is At tho front again.
The expectation seems To be that Har-
nty aud Whitney will allow him TO
have his way and that an attempt will
De made TO carry the northwest. The
plan Is 10 have headquarters ~ Chlca-
go for the live northwestern republican
states which are 10 be captured, and
that young Congressman Cable OF ILL.,
nols Is to 10 placed IN charge. Mr..
Cable has announced that he 10 not .
candidate for reelection. Probably
prudence may have dictated his retire.
ment. Mr.. Cable says that, while fond
of politics. ne does cot like legislation.
Had he remained in congress, with the
consent of republican district. the
chances are that he might have made .
good career. He is scholarly, able and
popular, and Is not attracted by that
winch appeals to the lower order of
democratic politicians.
Immense Campaign Fund.
III Cable shall consent to accept the
sub-chairmanship of the Chicago head
quarters lac will lind that his party will
love him the most for the money
which he will give. He has the repu-
tation of being weil-to-do himself, and
il is known that his father, President
Cable of the Rock Island road, Is a mil
lionaire many times over. The pre-
liminary subscription from young
Cable is estimated ut Sl2, 200 for the
campaign fund. Mr.. AItgeld and
Michael Mcdonald will. undoubtedly,
welcome this branch Of the national
committee III Chicago, especially rs it
is understood that it is to be the west
ern distributing agency OF demo-
cratic campaign fund, which Is said al
ready to have reached unprecedented
proportions at this stage of a campaign.
The democrats nave collected figures
which they cay give them encourage
ment that they can carry Illinois.
They insist that the school law will be
of advantage to their party, and that
the popularity of Mr.. Stevenson, whom
they falsely call general, will prove to
be great.
Anent the Eight-Hour Law.
The laboring men had their own way
IN congress III the enactment OF the
seen what will become of it. The de-
- Of hn n,1t Aor
which labor Is employed are now pre-
pairing the instructions to all officers
and contractors which are made neces-
sary by this new enactment. 1t 10 dis
covered that this law will cause some
delay in several important matters.
This is due to the fact that the law goes
into effect at time when the govern
ment is making its animal contracts.
Government officials are embarrassed
on that account, both as to the law and
as to the course which shall be pursued
In regard to pending contracts. There
ara u number Of contracts under
which bids were made long prior to
this act, but in which cases the awards
have not yet been made. The question
has arisen whether these awards under
the circumstances can be made. Toe
bids were based upon conditions which
do not now exist.
Some Little misunderstanding.
In some of the bids for work where
great expedition was desirable the con-
tractors agreed to work day and night.
Under the new law that can not be
done. Indeed, the law provides that
those seeking employment as laborers
and mechanics engaged by the United
States, or by any contractor for pub
lie work, shall be restricted to eight
hours day, and that any contractor
who violates tho provisions OF the act
shall be found guilty OF misdemeanor,
and be fined or impeached, or both,
upon conviction. The question to be
determined 10 whether these contracts
shall be abandoned and advertisements
inviting new bids he issued in order TO
secure exact compliance with the new
law. IL the latter course shall be de-
termiEed upon there will be some de-
lay, and the interests of the govern
ment in some particulars may suffer.
The understanding Is that the depart
ments will adopt this course.
Trouble for Possmastsrs.
There are many thousands OF post
masters who will be indignant at some
body because, through . blunder, their
accounts can not be adjusted. The
trouble arises out of the OMISSION from
the sundry civil bill of an appropriation
OF 5000. Whether the item WAS cut
out in . spirit of economy or was lett
out by mistake is not known, but the
fact remains that the money was not
proposed. The appropriation was in
tended TO enable the sixth auditors
Office OF the treasury department
winch audits postmasters' accounts TO
employ twenty people for six months
at the rate OF $500 per year. 10 escort
several million paid money orders
which have accumulated and are hour
ly accumulatIng in the Office and
which in their present state prevent
the settlement of thousands of post
masters accounts.
The omission Of the item will cause
vexsslon and delay to thousands of
postmssters throughout the country
who desire settlement of their money
order accounts. There are several
million Of these money order blanks.
representing business transacted Al
various Offices now stacked up in stor.
age rooms of the sxth auditor's Office.
They must be assorted from the pile
and separated into different lots before
the accounts can be checked.
WASH.