Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-03-29
Washington Letter.
IRON OUR REGULAR CoRREsPoNDENT.)
Saturday. March "a. 1906.

Saturday, March "A, 1906.
One of the most interesting events Of
the week was the call of the Labor DEL
egation upon President Roosevelt.
There were about one hundred and fit
ty of them IN all, presidents, secretaries
and treasurers of labor organizations
from all over the country and they
were headed by Gompers the great la
Dor leader. The president gave them
a very positive, straight from the shout
der talk in which he took issue with
them and opposed several Of their de-
mands. He was particularly emphatic
and even derisiye with reference to
their demand that the eight hour labor
rule should be applied to the lsthmus
of Panama. He told them that there
we're practically no American laborers
there and that the West Indian negroes
employed IN digging the canal would
not work much more than half OF their
time when they pretended to work, and
that the only way TO get any work from
them was by extending the hours. The
American people are indebted to the
President and Congress for the firm
stand that they have taken with re-
gard to the hours Of labor on the 18th
mus, for according to the testimony of
the engineers, it will save the country
many millions of dollars. The Presi-
dent also puts his foot down on the an.
ti-injunction requests of the labor or
CARNATIONS, but told them that while
the general government had secured
many lniunctions against other monop
lies during his administration, it had
not yet had an occasion to issue an in
junction against the labor monopoly.
He said in effect however that the lack
Of OCCASION was the only thing that had
prevented the procuring of injunctions.
The same day the labor delegates call
ed on Speaker Cannon with protests
and complaints. He talked to them
extemporaneously. quite Familiarity call
ing the President Brother Gompers'
but displayed more of the sauv'ter in
mode fortier IN re than it was usually
supposed Uncle Joe possessed, That
the labor representatives were not pleas
ed with their days work may be infer
red from their threatenings appearing
in the papers all to the effect that they
are going into politics and will stock
both ends of the Capitol with represen.
tatives and senator's friendly to their
interests.
That the entire mail of the Great
Treasury Department of the United
States does not equal in amount or in
cost of handling the annual diatribu-
of free seeds by Congress, is one of the
interesting statements made by Post
master General Cortelyou in memoir
andum sent to Congress. That it ex-
ceeds the entire mail combined of the
State, War and Navy Departments and
exceeds even that of the Pension De-
partment is also made clear in the re-
port. 1t may seem increditable to the
man who gets an envelope ofseeds from
his Congressman that the aggregate
cost Of sending out those seeds over the
country costs the Government about
three hundred thousand dollars a year.
The estimated number of packages sent
out is $4,000, computing at the lowest
estimate S cents pound the cost of
handling this matter is $4,000. This
does not include any allowance for clerk
hire the time for which, if in the aggre-
gate and including the time of carriers
were estimated at the low figure Of FIVE
minutes means an outlay of $250,O0O
for clerk and carrier hire. The distri.
button of seeds averages $4,000 pack
ages day for 800 working days per
annum which if paid for at the regular
rate would bring the Government a
revenue of $73, 900, and if sent out in
single packages as they would be in
most cases by merchants and seedsmen
would yield a revenue Of $220,00O.
Many postmasters declare that the
packages of seeds which are received at