The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-16
PRACTICAL MONEY MAKER
Safeguards Which Surround
Uncle Sans Money.
FRAUD ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
Some OF the Difficulties OF Running a
Big Government Bureau.
a Fight in Which Governor McExinley's
Election Was Placed in Doubt and
in Which President Harrison
Took a Hand.

WASHINGTON, July lion the Both
day of June Captain w. M. Meredith
gave up the control of the big bureau OF
engraving and printing to the successor
whom Secretary Carlisle had appointed
and went to Chicago, where he expects to
accept an offer made to him by the West
ern Bank Note Engraving company. He
served just four years to day and he left
the bureau with the good wishes OF all
who had been associated with him there
and of practically all of the employees
who had worked under his di-
rection. This is particularly
good record, since less than two years
ago Chief Meredith was embroiled with
the Knights of Labor who are employed
IN the bureau in way that threatened
the defeat of Major Mckinley for gov
ernor OF Ohio, and came very near re-
sulting in handing the bureau over to
the direction of the labor unions and
bringing about Captain Meredith's resig-
nation. 1 asked Captain Meredith just
before he left Washington to tell me the
Inside history OF his tight with the
Knights of Labor. Many versions of the
difficulty were published at the time, but
none of them were authenticated.
Seated one afternoon in the cool and
cosy rooms of the Army and Navy club,
Captain Meredith gave me the story. 1t
has great interest as piece OF i'm
portant political history. 1t has a greater
interest as involving the labor organize
tions to the government and its bureaus
at Washington.
81 want to tell you frst,'' said Captain
Meredith, ''that the matter has all been
settled completely and that there is No
difference between me and the Knights Of
Labor. We are on the pleasantest terms
and | leave them as leave the other en-
ployees of the bureau with the greatest
regret, In TACT, the parting from those
with whom / have been for four years is
9se worst part OF going out of office.
Il have never fought union men. l
am union printer ard always have been.
Most of the men employed in the bureau
belong to either the Knights of Labor or
the Federation of Labor. They have
about the same strength. There are
about /, 300 employees of the bureau and
OF these 100 are women. / do not know
whether there is any organization of
women in the Knights of Labor now or
not. There was an attempt to organize
them at one time l know. But of the
men all but few belong to one or the
other OF the labor organizations.
1.-THE trouble between the labor or
CARNATIONS and me grew out of the en-
ployment OF negro girl as assistant to
one of the printers. The printers are
not appointed under civil service rules,
but the helpers are. This colored girl
lived in New York. She came down
here and took the civil service examina-
ton and went back to New York. She
passed the examination all right and in
time was certified to me and received
her notification to report and go to
work I did not know that she was g
colored girl, and was much surprised
when she presented herself and told me
that her name was Florence Flood and
that she had come in response to my
letter. This was on Friday. 1 told her
to report Monday, for work. There did
seem 70 be anything else for me to
do. She was duly certified to me, and ]
had to put her to work whatever her color
was. Somehow the matter got noised
about in the bureau the next day, and 8
committee waited on me to make a pro-
test told them that it seemed to me
that had no option. 'We'll appeal to
the secretary they said. 'All right
replied, but, gentlemen. / would advise
you to go slow. There is a very large
number of colored people in this city. II
you give this matter publicity, you will
find that at the next examination held
there will be great MANY colored women
among the applicants. That was little
more than two years ago. Today there are
eighty colored women working in the
bureau of engraving and printing "a
practical proof of what I said to them.
They would not listen to me though, and
so they went to the secretary. He called
me over to the department and talked the
matter over with me. 4 do not see thai
there is anything to do but to put the
girl to work, said Mr.. Window. THAI
is what / think, Mr.. Secretary / re.
piled. When Monday came 1 assigned
the girl to press where an assistant
was needed. The printer refused tx
work with her. / said that he nigh
resign He refused to resign and
recommended him for dismissal. Their
] assigned her to another press, and an,
other man refused to work with her.
recommended him for dismissal. So i
went for time. Then a man objected tx
working with the white girl who wa,
assisting him. Thought that they want
ed to make point by this. 1 told him tt
wait q while, as / thought the reques
was rather sudden he had beer
working with her for some time and sh,
seemed to suit him. But after waitin,
for day or two, he refused to work
The master workman of the district as
eembly OF the Knights OF Labor came owe
to the press and told him that ne nee,
not work with her. The superintendent
said that the chief had said that he mus
work with her. you need not worl
with her. said the master workman. TIL
matter was reported to me and suspen
ded the man and also recommended th
master workman for dismissal for insu b
ordination. Altogether [ recommends,
seven for dismissal.
seWhile the first trouble over the col
, ored girl was under consideration, Score
tary Window said to me that the subiec
seemed to be growing serious and that b
thought that he would lay the matter be
fore the cabinet. l was at the Whit
House soon after that and Halford toll.
me that the president wanted to see me
I went into his Office What is this trou
BILE you are having over at the bureau
captain?' said the president. Have yol
any hesitancy about putting this colore
girl to work?' haven't hesitated for
minute. re led sAll that ask is tha
] shall be pportes by my superiors.
sYou shsll lie supper ID, said the presi
dent.
"When {. is trouble oyer the white gir
occurred, 4 committee Vi the Knights o
Labor uader H. direction of PoWderlv
went to Ohio and saw Major McKinlev
who was then running for governor
They told him that Meredith must be re
moved or they would placard Ohio an
the labor vote would beat him for cover
ernor. So Mckinley sent a telegram t
Foster, who was then secretary, and tn
committee called on him here. In th
meantime the colored girl had been put /
work, the first printer who refused t
work with her having come bac
and agreed to give her fai
trial-which got him into troubl
with the union. Well, the com
mittee called on Secretary Fosie
and spent an afternoon with him, dictat