The broad ax., 1900-06-30
IMPERIAL DEGREES.
BEING ISSUED FROM WASHING
TON DEPARTMENTS.
An the Strength OF the Government
Must he Used In Order to PerPetuate
the Reign of the Money Power and
OtEsr Trusts.
washington Democratic Letter)


main purpose OF re-eiecting Mckinley
next November.
A particularly fragrant instance Is
Just now engaging pubic attention.
There Is a bureau of the treasury de-
partment known as the bureau OF sta
tistics. Its junction is TO compile Sta
tisIics relative to commerce, imports
and exports. the movement OF coin and
similar matters. For many years II
was under the control OF MorlhIngton
c. Ford, recognized as one of the prin-
cipal staIistlcIans in the United States,
a man OF tine character and excellent
ability.
The position came under the civil
service law, and by law could be fiiIed
only by an expert statistician-
After Secretary Gage took ONCE,
with great pretenses as a civil service
reformer. he gave Mr.. Ford assurance
of his high esteem and of his strong
desire that he should remain at the
head of the bureau Of statistics. With
in q few months, however. Mr.. Ford
was forced 10 resign and a newspaper
man named o. p. Austin, without any
standing whatever as a statistician,
was appointed to the place in clear vio-
lation OF the law. Mr.. Austin was ex-
tremely unpopular with his fellow
newspaper men in Washington Tor
having run for a number OF years a
'scab" newspaper syndicate and for
having tried TO get newspapers away
from his fellow journalists by what
they considered unfair methods But
he had been OF service TO Hanna
around Republican headquarters in the
campaign OF 1886 and that gave him
his appointment.
From the time he entered ONCE the
bureau Of statistics was run for the
sole purpose OF getting up Republican
statistics. In every way that human
ingenuity can devise. figures have been
twisted, warped, distorted and garbled
in order to back up the Republican
position in favor OF protection of trusts
and of the gold standard.
Now Mr.. Austin is crownins his ser
vice by employing the whole bureau.
with its stan Of highly paid experts.
in getting up a campaign text book for
the Republicans. filed with pages OF
statistics and diagrams to prove that
the Mckinley administration Is the
greatest three-ring circus that ever
crossed the continent
His use Of figures is such as to make
the nine digits blush to look the multi
plication table il the face. The book
will be printed in the government
printing ONCE at government expense
and circulated through the mails at
government expense.
This little job will cost the taxpay-
ers first and last not over $4,000. q |
mere drop In the bucket of Republican |
and misappropriation OF !
public funds. but when any Democrat |
hears a Republican orator quote from |
o. p. Austin's book a set Of figures to |
sustain any argument he may advance, !
the aforesaid Democrat may call to
mind the Illuminating fact Of its or
igin and rest content.
Hanna is occasionally brutal even to !
his own slaves. He recently informed
Chairman Babcock OF the Republican
committee that that or |
ganizstion would have to raise its own
funds, as the national COM
mittee would need all II could get for
Its own purposes.
Hanna hasn't much use for congress
anyway. particularly the house of rep
II wouldn't pass the
ship subsidy bill and the
army reorganization bill, both of which
be wanted. and 1t did pass the Mica
ragua canal bill. the antitrust bill and
the eight-hour labor bill. which he bit
terly opposed.
So when Babcock was told to hunt
up his own funds he found himself in
the midst Of an arid desert with Mark
Hanna standing guard over every
water hole in sight.
There was but q single prickly cac-
trs from which to squeeze a few re-
uctant drops-the employees OF the
house OF representatives. Republican to
! man. Babcock had these voted an
Extra months salary all around Just
before congress adjourned, and then
yet a smooth and skillful agent at
work to make each employe give up so
per cent Of that bonus. This would
have yielded about $4,000 despite the
act that II was q fragrant violation OF
he law against political assessments.
But there Is nothing so ungrateful as
! government employe with an cleo
ION pending. especially when he ig-
Tres that the election is going against
lis party. The employees are refusing
o give up. They are saving their
money against q rainy day. Almost to
! man they figure that the next house
vii be Democratic and that they will
ose their jobs. So Mr.. Babcock's COM
nittee has had to call on each Re-
'ublican member Of congress as well
. each Republican candidate for con-
'ress for q special assessment. There
nay be an occasional crumb OF con-
fall from Mark Hannas
rust-fed table. but II will not do Bah
ock much good. This business Of be-
ne jackal TO the Mark Hanna lion In
thankless task.
Hha 1