The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-07-31
WASHINGTON Letter.

Washington, ID. T., Jul! -, IJOo'
The people of the United States did
not require demonstration of the fact
that their president Is entirely fearless
or that he proposes to administer the
affairs of the government with absolute
Justice. regardless of his own political
fortunes, but they have received 1t IN the
courageous position assumed by the
president with regard 10 the employ
ment of union labor in the various de-
partments of the government. The case
of William Miller, an assistant foreman
of the government printing office, called
forth from the president the enumeration
of policy which for % years no presl-
dent has dared proclaim. ms Is TO the
effect that no discrimination shall be
made between union and n-unlon labor
i'm the employ of the government. Mr.
Roosevelt cites the decision OF the
anthracite coal strike commission IN
support of his decision, the commission
having decided that men IN the coal
mines must not be Disseminated against
because they were not members OF
union.
Miller was dismissed by the public
printer because he had been expelled
from the bookbinders' union. Miller 5
crime was an attempt to save money for
the government 10y insisting on the per
Torrance of more work than the union
permitted his subordinates to do. 1t
must be understood that the bookbind-
ers union in Washington prescribed a
limit TO the amount of work which each
man shall perform in a day. Finally, when
Miller refused to yield to the dictation
of the union, he was expelled from ITS
membership and Immediately discharged
by the public printer for that reason,
proceeding which Mr.. Roosevelt charac-
terizes as lacking in elementary de
cencv." The president promptly ordered
Miller reinstated. This has been done.
The bookblnders have now filed charges
with the Public Printer which they be-
lieve will prove ample to warrant Miller $
discharge, but they have also issued a
statement to the effect that they cannot
work in the Office with Miller, but will be
rompelled to strike if he is retained IN
his present position. The unfortunate
part of the situation is that the constltu-
ton of the union conflicts with the laws
of the United States, SO that II the
public printer should not find sufficient
ground for discharging Miller he could
not. according to law, dismiss him, and
the binders. according to the laws of their
union, could not remain. 1T, again, the
binders were to strike, they would be
conspiring against the government and
could never be reinstated without a
change of the United States statutes by
congress. What the outcome of this
peculiar situation will be it is impossible
to predict. In several similar instances
previous presidents have lodged the
issue, andInow that President Roosevelt
has met it squarely there are many who
believe it will not cost him the SEN
sible labor vote of the country. The
governments still little bigger than any
union, whether of capital or of labor,
and sensible capitalists and laborers will
see that it stays bigger.
Reports from Oyster Bay are to the
effect that Speaker to-be Cannon has
agreed not to oppose the consideration
of financial legislation which will be pre-
sented at the next session OF congress.
Mr.. Cannon was summoned to Oyster
Bay by the president to confer on this
subject, which the president regards as
of grave Importance. Some skeptlcal
persons maintain that Mr.. Cannon has
not yet made any promise which amounts
to anything, for the reason that 1T Is
never necessary for the speaker to OPP
pose legislation. as no legislation can re-
ceive consideration unless he actually
favors it. 1t is generally believed, how
ever. that some measure will be devised
which will remedy existing defects in
the financial system and which will at
the same time meet with the approval of
the republican leaders in both houses of
congress. The device which appears to
be most in favor is a law authorizing all
national banks to issue notes to the eX-
tent of % per cent. of their capital stock,
subject to a tax of five per cent. per an
nun. 1t is maintained that such notes
would be issued only in time of emer-
gency and would be promptly retired
when the emergency was passed, because
the tax would render their maintenance
in circulation Improbable once the en-
Urgency had passed.
Secretary Hay is doing all in his power
TO avert a war between Russia and Japan,
although there is still possibility that
it will be impossible to restrain the
cause of contention has just arisen in
Corea, where the government, which is
dominated by Japan, has ordered
telegraph poles cut down along the line
of railroad owned by Russians. Ii is
claimed by the japanese that the Rus
sian navy has never been tried and prob
ably would not fight to advantage
whereas the japanese navy has already
demonstrated its prowess.