Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-10-09

tior of politicians and labor men. In
spite of the cautious AID conservative
statement of the executive council of
the American Federation of Labor,
there are Indications that many labor
unions Will join issue with MIR. Roose-
welt and will show their Misrepresentation
at the polls. The President held con
fere'ice last Tuesday with the labor
leaders aud many subjects were dis
cnssed GA the Miller question, how
ever. there seems to have been but
slight di.cas.ion as the President sim
ply informed the leaders of bis decision.
In the statement issued immediately
| following the conferences the President
| declared that Miller should remain and
| that no Discrimination should be made
| bet ween union and non union labor in
choosing employees Of the government.
| He adted that the Law demanded this
and that the fact of a mans being a
member of q union could 20 more be
allowed to tell against him than the
fact at he was a Catholic or Protes
tant, Jew or GENTLE, white or colored.
The Executive Council of the Fedora
tion of Labor made no criticism of the
| Presidents statement, but the follow.
ing day they Issued an address to Or
ganized labor of the country in which
they stated positively that the unions
would contend for the principle of
union shops.
| The radical men ia the American
Federation, and they are numerous,
bitterly oppose the President Is attitude
and intend to bring up the question at
the coming annual convention of the
| Federation in Boston, on November
They declare that if President Roose.
yelt is a true friend of labor and ex-
poets the laborers vote he must make
the same discriminat ion between union
and n onunicE labor as he daily makes
between republicans and democrats.
They argue that the labor unions must
defend their interests against the gov
eminent the same as against a private
employer. The labor unions through
out the country continue to pass reso-
buttons condemning the action of the
administration and they seem determi-
ned that the Presidents statement
shall not end the controversy.
| Our governments about to esta blish
trade relations with Abyssinia. Mr..
Robert P. Skinner, our consul general
at Marseillss. is now IN Washington
completing preparations for his com
ing visit to King Monelik. whom he
will invite to the st. Louis Exposition,
at the same time urging him to make a
commercial agreement with the United
States. Mr.. Skinner has seen the
President and received from him a
message of profound consideration to
the African monarch. He will be TAX
en- to the nearest port in an American
warship and will have an escort of
| United States marines on his long jour-
ney overland before reaching None
lik's capital. The press of Europe sees
(, in this expedition an attempt on our
part to establish footing IN Africa,
but Mr.. Skinner has very peaceful and
businesslike intentions. Over one third
of all the imports Of Abyssinia are
! from this country and every year. we
sell Monelik's people over $4,000 900
worth of cotton goods; at the same time
we get from them ivory, hides, car
pet woods and other raw materials.
This expedition is ridiculed by some
who suggest that instead of going to
Africa We should turn our attention
to South America where the Germans
are making rapid progress against their
American and English competitors.
His many friends IN Washington and
elsewhere deeply regret the death of
Sir Michael Herbert, the British am
bassador to the United States. He
died last Wednesday in Switzerland,
Were he has gone hoping to be cured |
of tuberculosis, which was the cause of |
his death. He was ambassador to this !!
country only few months but was
we'll known IN Washington. where be !
formerly served as charge affairs and !
as secretary of the legation. His wife !
is an American and he had many per-
sGnal friends in this country, among
them President Roosevelt whom he
b ad known for many years. He was
very fond of teffing how the President |
taught him to play base ball, His
most Important work here was the set
thing of the difficulties involved in the
attack of England and her allies on
Venezuela, and the negotiation of the
treaty by which the present Alaskan
Boundary Commission was created.
The foreign office IN London has not
yet considered who is to succeed him.
President Roosevelt is much annoyed
at the continued quarrels Of the repub-
licans in Delaware. After aconferenee
with Senators Alice and Ball. the lead
ers of the opposing factions, he made
it plain that if they could not agree on
q questions concerning their state, he
would have to take action which would
be disagreeablc to both of them. The
present matter of dispute is the selec-
ton of United States attorney to
succeed William Michael Byrne.