Evening journal., 1905-09-08
WATER ALWAYS At
BOILING POINT"
Printing and Pension Depart
ments at Washington
Scenes of Trouble
ORIGINATE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
BY Villa mWolff Smith.
Washingtnn. d O. Sent.

mental administrative departments
where the water is kept always at
boiling point, the "printery" and the
pension bureau. With the pension
bureau the trouble is almost always
started by outsiders who furnish the
fuel fo- heating the aqueous fluid,
but in the case of the printery the
devitry begins on the inside. Some
! time the trouble is begun by the un-
ions, sometimes it is started by some
one who wants somebody else's place.
but at no time is there absolute peace.
THE first Public Printer was John ID.
Defress who objected to the use by
Mr. Lincoln in one of his messages Of
the phrase sugar coated pills" De-
fress was a man OF great executive
ability and organized the new govern
ment printing establishment I'm
thorough manner. but always met an
tagonisms among the foremen and
other employees. He was cold by ma
ture and repelled rather than attract
ed the friendship and loyalty of those
under him.
When Johnson became President
and fell out with Congress Defress
stood by the President and was re-
tanned in office BY this time the an
tagonsns in the Office became more
pronounced. and as Congress wanted
to get rid of him and put in an adher-
ent of their own. Defress was legis-
lated out and Congress took the nam
ing of the man into its own hands.
After a while it was again relegated to
the President and once more Mr.. De-
lever claimed that his reign was not
good one for the government. but he
could not put down the cabals that
existed and there was ever more or
less turmoil and IL was during this
second term that there was consider
liable scandal over the misuse or rather
the misappropriation of gold leaf i'm
the bndery Mr.. Defress has had nu
merous successors and each in turn
has had his own peculiar troubles. SO
great at times has been this warning
of factions or cliques that it has been
said by members of Congress that If
the arch-angel Michael could be call
ed to the head of the bureau he could
not please.
For many months the water has been
kept furiously boiling I'm the great
, printery and all Washington has been
, eagerly watching it to see who was
3 to get the scalding by the escaping
\ steam. and it now appears that Mr.
3 Palmer is the victim. Ostensibly the
d recent order to purchase seventy two
y Lanston typesetting machines was
Y the cause of the explosion but to those
r. who have kept tab on affairs it is
e known that this was only the occa-
i- sion and not the cause. In various
m lparts OF the country may be found
Ie gentlemen who would like to stretcl
l. their legs under the table over which
II Mr. Palmer has been presiding. anc
r. to thrust their feet into his shoes
is draw his salary and make an effort al
It governing this greatest of all printing
a establishments. and they or thei
It friends have kept the air laden Will
,e rumors about a prospective change
There are many in the bureau whit
would welcome a change. Some o
al them doubtless have not been promoted
a las fast as their own conceptions o
d their merits warranted others per
ar haps were soured because some on
L else had been promoted. and then Their
l. are to be found in all large bodies o
IN men those who are ever wanting
lv change and all the various classe
ID have been waiting, like Micawher, 70
ne something to turn up. The time came
ne 1T was announced that an order hal
be- been issued for the purchase Of
large number of typesetting machine
land those who were waiting say
ne ltheir opportunity.
Nv There are two typesettng machine
as on the market and this was the handl
,v Ito be used. and at once the air wa
ar lfull of rumors more or less ugly 81
as their character. They reached IN
Iis President early one morning and h
TO leagerly threw himself into the breacl
he lIt is no part of the province of thes
is lgossipy letters to sit i'm judgment %
,g the doings of those in authority. hu
.st to tell only a little of what is gon
nv on. tell it impartially ana then leav
of the reader who pays his money {
he take his choice. The characterised
Ial action of the President was halle
nd with Joy by those at least who weI
es waiting for the cyclone to strike th
be great printery, and they at once has
n tened to join i'm the fray There Ia
ke lust been organized by the Presidef
nv la commission with a sort of rovin
.er authority to inquire into the workini
of the various departments to see
a lot of the red tape that has alway
'nc hammered Inc lIdlSAtllou OF E0Atll
Cd lment business might not be dispose
,sf with. This commission was at on,
az ordered to investigate the purchase
ms the typesetting machines. The NEE
ne lings Of the commission were held
% secret and every effort was made
a. keen its doings from reaching the pun
st lie ear but enough leaked out TO
re- Ian the world know that the monke.
hin land the parrots were loose in the hl
cot lreau and that almost everything ell
,es hut harmony could be found thei
Ia lOf harmony there was not "A sign ri
at meetings of the commission were u.s.
he for stock jobbing purposes and Il
alv President soon after receiving the r
i'm port concluded to end that part of
IN Inv announcing that the contract T
,cv lthe Ianstons would stand. This W.
st- "a victory for Mr.. Palmer and he
an once proceeded to utilize il by d
as manding the designations of Ricket
* and HAY. two Of the foremen. Tn
he lappealed to the civil Service Commi
TAI sion and TO the President and tn
ire lcame the climax. and It was "A ca
from the President for the resignat.
of Mr.. Palmer. The moral is. nev
, is luse a gun that is loaded hea
ful enough to kick backward.
OF course the treaty OF Portsmou
has been an absorbing topic Of co
versation IN all circles here. w
a. .s l. rof this The confer of no