The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-10-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
rom our regular CORRESPONDENT.

w @4NSA@ALAN ~ = O6N -AAA5 - = AA@St
| From our regular correspondent.
The conclusion of the coal strike, rep
resenting as it does to most people, the
triumph of reason over brute fore, of CON-
mon sense over obstinacy, of arbitration
over strike, lockout and boycott, oppres-
sion and violence, is the one subject
which held public attention in Washing
ton all last week. There is unanimous
sentiment that great thanks are due to
the President for his timely, intelligent,
dignifed interference. The personnel of
the commission is regarded with marked
approval. Whether the individual be-
lieves that the operators or the miners
are the injured parties, all have conf
dence that the arbitration commission
will ascertain the facts and that its find-
ings will procure justice to all concerned
for period of not less than three years.
Beyond the confident belief that the min
ers at their convention will accept the
settlement agreed upon by President
Mitchell, and that all the arbitrator will
accept the responsibility laid upon them
by the President, no details are obtain
able. 1t is presumed that the commits
sion will hold sessions in Washington,
New York and in some city i'll the coal
regions. 1t is also known that it will
require two-thirds vote on all questions
at issue.
1t is generally accepted that the miners
will return to work not later than Wedres-
day of this week. Some apprehension is
felt over the situation resulting FROM the
employment of new men to take the place
of the strikers. 1t is estimated that about
200 such men are now at work, and
unless the operators make special effort
they will be compelled to leave similar
number of the strikers without employ
ment.
Prof. David T. Day, chief of the Divis-
ion of Mineral Resources of the Geolog
ical Survey, says that he does not believe
it will be possible for the coal output
during the first two weeks to exceed
10000 tons and the supply will not be
normal before February.
~
AS if to mitigate the relief occasioned
by the settlement Of the coal strike, the
news comes from New Jersey of the in
corporation, under the laws of that state,
of the beef trust, under the name of the
United States Packing Company, with a
capital of 1000 900, which amount it is
anticipated will be shortly increased to
IS, 900, 900. The articles Of incorporation
provide for the adoption of all the meth
dds usual with similar corporations, in
| Guiding the purchase and maintenance of
retail butcher shops. AS usual the stock
holders are dummies" clerks in the
office of the trust company which pro-
cures the charter.
W.
The Secretary of the Treasury has
finally resorted to the purchase of bonds
with view to relieving the money
stringency. Only week ago the secre
tary was deploring the scarcity OF bonds
OIL which the banks could base an extern
sive issue of currency. Now he is buying
them up and thus further diminishing
the supply. His course is similar to that
pursued by Secretary Gage and others of
his predecessors and serves to again H.
lustrate the deplorable incongruities of
our financial system.
~
President Roosevelt recently issued a
timely warning to the members of his
cabinet, in the form of circular letter
calling their attention to the lavish use of
money and printers ink in the preparation
of government publications He states
his belief that there is much useless
\ matter and large number of unnecessary
and expensive illustrations included in
many of the reports and documents pub.
lished." While all that Mr. Roosevelt
says is true, he fails to call attention to
the root of evil, which is found in con-
gressional orders for the issuing of large
editions of handsomely printed publica-
tons so that members of Congress may
have abundant handsome mementos to
send to their constituents. This whole
practice has degenerated into dishonest
scheme for making the government pay
large share of the campaign expenses of
aspirants for reelection.
~
AS result of the combined army and
navy manoeuvers, the Engineers Bureau
of the War Department will now turn its
attention to the development of more
adequate system of coast defense The
manoeuvers demonstrated the fact that
while it would be impossible for an enemy
to approach any important point along
the northern Atlantic coast by daylight
without the knowledge of the military
forces charged with the coast defense, at
night the feat is possible of accomplish
ment. Every effort will now be made to
establish system of search lights, cleo
trio signals and batteries which will make
such night attack impossible Such
system is now installed, but the recent
manoeuvers demonstrated that it contain
ed many defects which the engineers will
seek to remedy.
*x*
Those school children who have to
wrestle with the old rule, 1.-THE sum of the