The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-07-13

of the House with unusual interest,
and while the probabilities all favor
the election Of Mr.. Crisp there is a
bare possibility of a different result. '
Congress has from time to time
for number Of years been asked to
enact law prohibiting the employ
ment of convict labor by any con-
tractor for government work. but
somehow Congress never did It,.
Mr. O'Rourke, the new supervising
architect of the Treasury, has adopt
ed policy which will, if not upset
by court decision, have the effect
Of shutting out convict labor from all
public buildings, the cotracts OF
which are hereafter made He sim-
ply inserts in every advertisement tor
proposals published by his office a
clause stating that no proposition
will he entertained from man using
convict labor, and that no product OF
convict labor shall go into the build
ing. Mr.. O'Rourke takes the ground
that the absence Of any specific law
covering convict labor on public
buildings leaves it discretionary with
him, and that he does not believe in
subjecting honest labor to competi-
ton with dishonest labor.
1t is denied by the Post Office au-
thoritics that the decision to open
the Worlds Fair branch of the Chi
cayo post office on Sunday curing
such hours as may be deemed neces-
sary for the sale of stamps and for
the receipt and delivery OF the mail
indicates any sympathy with the
opening of the Worlds Fair on Sun
day and the instructions to the EN-
pIoyees at the exposition post office,
telling them to rope off the exhibit as
far as possible on Sunday, are cited
as proofs. They claim that it Is the
business demand that has been met
in ordering the Fair post office kept
open on Sunday.
The news from Buzzard's Bay
corroberates what your correspondent
said several weeks ago concerning
precarious condition of President
Cleyeland's health and caused no
surprise among the few people here
who know his condition. He left
here so suddenly because he was or
dered to rest by his physician.
The last issue of the Patent Office
Gazette was four days behind time,
because of a change in the contractor
who prints it, and the Commissioner
says some delay may be expected for
several weeks.
The death of Justice Blanchford
has opened lively contest in dig
nifed way, of course, for the vacant
seat in the U. S. Supreme Court
Justice Blanchford was appointed
from New York and the New
York politicians will try to have his
successor appointed from that state
but it does not follow that they vii
succeed, as there is no iron clad rule
governing such appointments. Two
members of the Standardization
and Carlisle-have been ambitious
to become members of the Supreme
Court, but as both of them are cred
tied with having hopes of the dem
ocratic nomination in '96 neither
may be. SO anxious about the Supreme
Court as they once were. A loca
paper suggests that Mr.. Cleveland
follow the example OF Mr.. Harrison
in appointing democrat and name
President Harrison for the vacan
cy, but it's great big dollars to last
years bisrds nests that he will MOI
adopt the suggestion, and it would
be rather crowding poor. weak. hui
man nature to expect him to do so
a Model Sunday School.
70 the Editor Of the Post: