The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1903-08-06
WASHINGTON.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, August

The temeriiy with which President
Roosevelt has declared that after
being run for nearly fifty yeats as a
union office, the Government Printing
Office is to be an "open shop, that
no discrimination shall be made be
tween union and nonuuion labor, is
the talk of the day in Washington
On top of Mr.. Roosevelts decision
to that effect, moreover, comes the
news that he proposes to make an in
vestgation of the methods employed
with view TO securing the perform
mace of the work Of the Public Printer
on an economical basis and the poll
ticians are aghast. That the Presi.
dent will undoubtedly lose the labor
vote is the unanimous prediction Of
all that have recently come to Wash.
ington.
XIX
A prominent democratic Congress
man now in Washington declared 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 assured 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 powerful. Mr.. Roosevelt
has decided that the Wall Street vote
will prove more valuable to him, &C
compsnied as it always 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 Representa-
tive referred to.
XXX
Apparently little progress has been
made IN the Postoffice investigation
during the past few weeks. Before
Postmaster General Payne left Wash
ington, several weeks ago, he an
rounced that there would be several
more indictments before his return
but he is scheduled to return next
Monday and the indictments are moi
yet forthcoming. Even the arrest oI
George w. Beavers has not yet been
accomplished, although it is expected
that he will be again indicted, this
time by the District of Columbla
grand jury. Tomorrow evening the
statute of limitations will have run or
every action of former assistant post
master general Perry Heath and as
there is no indication of his prose
cution it may be safely predicted tha
he will escape the condemnation o
the courts. AS sort of side issue
Charles Emory Smith, through the
columns of the newspaper, and Civil
Service Commissioner Proctor have
started up controversy regarding tht
administration of Smith when he wa
postmaster General which contribute.
considerably to the gayety of nations
Mr. Smiths writes virulent editorials
filled with such expressions as "gang
of liars" etc. and assures his IN
genuous readers that his enemies are
'taking to the tall timber" but tn,
only appreciable effect of all this is t.
lead the leading newspapers to de
plore the fact that Smith, after demon
stratlng grave incapacity as Post
master General, should now maxi
such "a pitiable spectacle of himself.
XXX
| The longer the new immigration
ilaw, enacted at the last session O
Congress, is in operation the NOR
apparent becomes the fact that Sena
tors Elkns and Gallinger, in thei
endeavors to protect their rallwa
associates, managed to seriously in
jure the measure'and to greatly facil
tate the importation of the cheapes
and most undesirable class of Euro
pean labor. 1t has just been dl:
covered that the wording of the bi
relieves the steamship companies an
sailing masters from the obligatio
heretofore imposed on them ofhavln
their sailing lists vised by America
consuls and paying fee of ST. fc
every sheet passed. This precautio
was most wise one and frequent
resulted in preventing the importatio
of contract labor, immigration frol