The National tribune., 1907-03-21
RECONNOITERING
THE DEPARTMENTS.
The Old cliqaes and Gasss On the Ground
Looking Over the New Secretaries.

Since the new Cabinet officials were
installed March last there has been
an invasion Of Washington by several
interests that have hitherto kept at bay.
There has been Q grand assault upon
the Interior Department by q host Of
old-time looters, to ascertain whether
they could get into favor with=the new
Secretary OF the Interior, Mr.. Garfield.
There has also been a movement upon
the Post-Office Department to see what
the attitude Of the new Postmaster
General, Hon. George Won L. Meyer,
would be.
The Treasury Department was in a
little different category, for according
to all appearances one financial group
in New York was, highly favored there
retary Shaw kept strict hand on the
business of his office, but among his
subordinates there was a free and easy
way with a coterie of National City
Bank representatives, which, according
to current rumor, was exceedingly val
liable to the National City Bank. That
has been 'cut out" For Mr.. COrtelyou
was determined from the start that the
National City Bank and the Standard
Oil interests should have no favors from
him that were not given to all others
alike. AS he would give out all the
news himself, he intended to see to it
that no financial clique got it ahead Of
the others.
The railroads have been piling in on
Postmaster General Won L. Meyer. This
is the season for weighing the mails in
the western section of the country.
Hitherto the railroads have been great
ly favored by the Government in these
matters. The Post Office Department
officials have allowed the roads to know
in advance that a weighing was coming,
and have winked at a plan by which the
average for the contract period was
reached in a way decidedly advanta-
geous to the railroad. For example.
the mails on a given route would be
weighed for seven days. and the aver
age daily mail would be struck by di-
viding the entire weight by six rather
than by seven OF course, the railroads
returned the favor by contributing fat
sums to the Republican campaign
funds. but in the long run the railroads
gained immensely. They were paid
enormous prices for their transporta-
ton of the mails, and anyone who cried
out against the outrage was anything
but a patriot. AS the railroads did not
always give up generously to the Re-
publicans in the last campaign, certain
of the Congressional highwaymen of the
Republican faith undertook to "swat"
them on the Post-Office Appropriation
bill last month. At the last moment,
however, it was arranged and the
question Of divisor. as 1t is called, was
left alone. Postmaster General Cortel-
you. however, upset these nicely laid
plans for further campaign contribu-
tions and further fat profits to the rail-
roads by issuing an order just before he
left for the Treasury Department. He
announced that the average weight of
mails should be struck by dividing the
total by the actual number Of days of
Weighing.
And now the railroads are coming
down upon Washington in force. pro-
testing that all this is unfair and that
the Administration should be more con-
siderate of them. 1t remains to be seen
how firm Mr.. Meyer can be. He knows
the value of campaign contributions.
He had hand in collecting much ofl
the fund for Roosevelt In 1904 Butt
Mr.. Meyer is regarded as an upright
man, and probably will adhere to the
last ruling Mr.. Cortelyou made before
ceasing to be the head Of the Depart
ment.
The men who want to loot the In
dians, wards of the Government, are!
anxious to know whether Secretary
GARFIELD is going to be as firm against
their schemes as Secretary Hitchcock
was. So the veterans of many pocket
enriching scheme in the old days arei
back here now. getting the feel of the
Department. They have trooped in here
from Oklahoma and the Indian Terri
tory, and have learned from Secretary
Garfield that he intends spending a cou-
Pile of months there this Summer in
quiring into conditions for himself. Hell
is going slow in many other matters. |
All the old schemes that Secretary
baked are being revived, for
hope springs eternal in the breasts of
the Interior Department grafters. Sec
retary Garfield is not regarded as
very strong personality in official
but he has the opportunity
of a lifetime now to acquire a great
reputation.