The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-05-09
WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.

III uOeS Hob uppc'ti tiitb tiic tiloII VI
the Western Federation of Miners to
enlist the labor union element of the
country against the President has been
very successful. The attempt turned
on an appeal to the labor element IT, re-
pudiate the President on account of his
utterances anent Hayward, Meyer and
Pettibone, the three members of the
Federation now awaiting trial In Ida
do for the murder of Governor Steun-
enberg. The President had referred to
these men i'm one of his letters as 'un-
desirable citizens" CHASING them along
with Hartman and Eugene Debbs,
which was in itself almost enough to
make any class of men hot. The more
radical among the labor men were
quick to seize on the opportunity toap-
neal to the labor unions all over the
country for endorsement and rebuke
To the President. However, the appeal
has fallen decidedly fiat. An example
of how it was received was given ut n
meeting of the Central Labor Union in
this city this week. The resolution of
sympathy with Meyer ct al and of con-
demnation for the President was never
nut at all. The union contributed $40
toward the expense of the murder trial.
which was fair enough, but further
than that ignored the matter altogether
Organized labor has never figured Sc
riously in American politics, and If 1t
has not risen to the present opportuni-
ty, it is not likely to do so.
ky
OF immense interest to the cotton
growers of the south is the reported use
of paper as n substitute for cotton
abroad. 1t will be remembered that
recently paragraph went the rounds
of the papers saying that they were
making clothes of paper in Germany.
This bald statement seemed rather in
credible, but the Department of Com
merce and Labor had the story inves-
tigated by the American consuls In
Germany, and report from consul
Carl Hurst of Plauen makes it seem
that the subject is worthy of some at
tention. He says that paper as we un-
derstand it is not used in sheets tor
making clothes, but that there is an
immense industry springing up, espec-
tally i'm Saxony, in the spinning of pa
per fibre into yarn and thread and then
weaving it into cloth. The new yarn,
made from wood fibre, is called "Xylo-
lin.n 1t is the result of years of scien-
tific research by Herr Emil Claivez, q
noted German chemist. The process is
a secret one, but mills are springing up
all over the country, and it is said that
preparations are being made to estab-
lish mills and exploit the process in
this country. The wood fibre thread
has peculiarly valuable qualities. 1t is
very cheap. about half the cost of cot
ton. 1t wears well, is light and takes
dyes of all sorts much better than cot
ton. Sometimes it is woven alone, and
sometimes in combination with cotton
yarn. It's uses are manifold. 1t is
made into clothes, carpets, gunny
sacks, canvass shoes, and score of
other things. Its cheapness recon-
mends it, and so far as experiment has
demonstrated, its wearing qualities are
very good.
or course, there have been great
many discoveries i'm the past Of ''arti-
fetal silk" and there are undoubtedly
great many materials used for adul-
terating silk. But most Of these pro-
cesses have caused more talk than they
have caused real injury to the silk bus
iness. 1t may be that it will prove the
same with this substitute for cotton.
But the report of Consul Hurst is so
full and circumstantial that it is possi-
bic that there may be more in the dis
cOvery than is usually to be found in
such alleged inventions.
XXX
This week there was celebrated in
Washington the ninth anniversary of
the battle of Manila Bay. This has
come to be fixture, and it is always
marked by a dinner at one Of the ho-
tells, where the guest of honor is Admit
raj Dewey and as many of the captains
who served under him as can be gath
cred together. This year there were
but three of the AdmiraPs captains
alive, and only two who could be pres
ent. All are now retired for age,
though Admiral Walker is still on ac-