The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-09-15
WHY PALMER LOST POSITION
WAS UNABLE TO STEM TIDE OF
FRACTIONAL DIFFERENCES
THAT SPRANG UP.
President Roosevelt Believed That
Printer Was Not Proper Person
to Conduct Establishment.

Public Printer F. w. Palmer, whose
resignation was recently called for by
President Roosevelt, lost his job not
because he attempted to unjustly dis
miss two of his subordinates, but be-
cause of Mr.. Palmer's unfitness tC
manage the largest printing establish
ment in the world, says a report that
comes from Washington city.
1t has been known for many months
that Mr.. Palmer would have to go, but
the president has experienced some
difficulty in finding competent man to
take mis- place. Twice the position has
been offered to high grade men, men
who are today managing big printeries
in New York and Boston, and twice
the tender mas been declined because
these men could not afford to sacrifice
$4,000 position for one paying only
$4,000.
The salary of the public printer is
one of the great drags on the office.
Printers competent to fill the office
properly will not serve for such a SAL
airy; at least, very few Of them will;
they do not feel that they can afford
it. There is no printing Office in the
world that employs as many people,
consumes so much material and turns
ment printery in Washington. So
enormous is this office that it is main
tanned as a separate institution, not
connected with any department, but
directly under the supervision and the
control of the president. An every
day printer can not manage this big
office; it takes a genius, and unfortu-
nately, though he has held the place
for II years, Mr.. Palmer is not a
genius.
Mr. Palmer was first appointed pub
lie printer by President Harrison.
When Cleveland was elected Palmer
went out but was reinstated by Presi-
dent Mckinley, and mas served ever
since the beginning of the first Nc
Kinley administration, being reap
pointed by President Roosevelt. While
it is true Mr.. Palmer knows a great
deal about printing and about govern
ment printing in particular, 1t is a
well-known fact that he has, during
his last term, been public printer in
name only. He has not been the real
director Of the printing office; the ac-
tive management has been in other
hands, especially in the hands of Mr..
Ricketts,, the foreman of printing. So
far as the actual management of the
business is concerned, Ricketts, has
been quite competent, and deserves
credit for the manner in which he mas
run the office, Notwithstanding he was
$4,000 man, while Palmer drew $4500
Palmer came in good and strong,
however, in the employment of print
ers, coposstors, binders and other
workmen. He it was who listened to
the senator or the member with a pull;
ne it was who found means and rea-
sons for creating vacancies in order
to make room for favorites; he it was
VINO stood in with the powers that be,
and who made himself solid with some
of the most influential men over in the
capitol. But by pursuing this course
Mr.. Palmer did not strengthen inim-
self with the president. It is a noto-
rious fact that one could go into Mr..
Palmer's office at any hour of the day,
and he would fail to observe the first
trace of government business before
the public printer. Mr.. Palmer took
life easy, drew his comfortable salary,
and let others do the worrying.
But in time the president got an
mixing of what was going on in the
printing office, the Keep commission
did the rest, and from that day Mr..
Paimer's fate was sealed. But had he
not tried, before losing mis- own office,
to wreak vengeance upon two of his
subordinates whom he imagined were
conspiring against him, Public Printer
Palmer, instead of being turned out on
the world on the 18th of September.
might have been permitted to enjoy
his sinecure for an Indefinite period
His rash act displeased the president
viii fully understood the relations be-
tween Palmer op6 piol,o+tc o,a ~