The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-08-06
WASHINGTON LETTER
(FRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, d. O., July 30, 1905

The temerity with which President
Roosevelt has declared that after being
run for nearly fifty years rs a union of
flee, the government printing Office is to
be an open shop, that no discrimina
ton shall be made between union and
nonunion labor, is the talk of the day in
Washington. On top of Mr. Roosevelt's
decision to that effect, moreover, comes
the news that he proposes to make an
investigation of the methods employed
with view to securing the perform
ance of the work of the Public Printer
on an economical basis and the politi-
clans are aghast. That the President
will undoubtedly lose the labor vote is
the unanimous prediction of all that
have recently come to Washington.
A prominent democratic Congressman
now in Washington declares that the
Presidents stand is undoubtedly due to
the advice of the New York republican
politicians, many Of whom have visited
him at Oyster Bay and who have AS
sured him that his former position of
friendliness to the unions was going to
lose him the support of his own state
where the employer class is all power
full. Mr. Roosevelt has decided that
the Wall street vote will prove more
valuable to him, accompanied as is al
ways is by generous contributions to the
campaign fund, than the labor vote,
much of which would be cast for the
democratic candidate when it came
time to vote is the explanation of the
Representative referred to-
Apparently little progress has been
made in the postoeice investigation dur
ing the past few weeks Before Post
master General Payne left Washington,
several weeks ago he announced that
there would be several more indictments
before his return but he is scheduled to
return next Monday and the indict-
ments are not yet forthcoming. Even
the arrest of George w. Beavers has not
yet been accomplish ID, although it is
expected that he will be again indicted,
| this time by the District of Columbia
grand jury. Tomorrow evening the
statute of limitations will have run on
every action of former assistant post
master general Perry Heath and as
there is no indicati IN of his prosecution
it may be safely predicted that he will
escape the condemnation of the courts
AS sort of side issue Charles Emory
Smith. through the columns of his news
paper, and Civil Service Commissioner
Proctor have started up controversy
regarding the administration of Smith
when he was postmaster general which
contributes considerably to the gayety
of nations Mr.. Smith writes virulent
editorials filled with such expressions as
gangs of liars etc. and assures his in
genuous readers that his enemies are
talking to the tall timber" but the only
appreciable effect Of all this is to lead
the leading newspapers to deplore the
fact that Smith, after demonstrating
grave incapacity as Postmaster General
should now make such IA pitiable spec
tacle of himself.
The longer the new immigration law,
enacted at the last session Of Congress,
is in operation the more apparent be
comes the fact that Senator's Elkins and
Gallinger, in their endeavors to protect
their railway associates, managed to
seriously injure the measure and to
greatly facilitate the importation of the
cheapest and most undesirable class of
European labor. 1t has just been dis
covered that the wording Of the bill re
lieves the steamship companies and sail
ing masters from the obligation hereto.
fore imposed on them of having their
sailing lists vised by American consuls
and paying fee of 81 for every sheet
passed This preCaution was most
wise one and frequently resulted in
preventing the importation of contract
labor. immigration from infected dis
tricts, etc, and moreover added consid-
erably to the income of the already un-
derpaid and neglected consuls. If the
defects in the bill continue TO develope
as time goes on it will doubtless become
necessary for Congress to pass supple
mentary measure and when that is done
there is little doubt but that the attempt
to place an educational qualification in
the way of illiterate immigrants will
be made.
Representative Livingston of Georgia
is ia Washington and expresses himself
as highly indignant at the charge made
in some quarters that he profted by
special favors from former superintend
ent of Free Delivery Machen, in that he
secured the establishment of numerous
rural routes in his district and that sew
eral members of his family and rela
tions are in the employ Of the Postoffice
Department and especially of the rural