Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.

From our Regular CORES DondenLJ
Washington, DC. April 81 -Secre-
tary Taft has gone to Ohio to personal |
~ take up the fight against the ma
chine wing of the Republican organi-
cation. He is up against hard for
nation, and the situation has been
complicated by the fact that the Pres
ident has aroused the animosity of the
labor Union element by his remarks
during the Hartman controversy in
Jumping Hartman and Eugene Debbs
and Meyer and Hayward. the acc used
murderers Of Gov. Stunnenberg of
Idaho. In the same category as ''unde-
sirable citizens The labor element
holds that as Meyer and Hayward are
about 10 DO brought to trial for MUIR
der, the Presidents remarks will have
the eff ,ct of prejudicing justice against
the accused. Therefore labor unions
In various quarters have entered stren-
uous protests and are preparing to in
ject themselves into the fight In Ohio
and to take an active part in the gen.
eral campaign as anti Roosevelt bodies,
more with desire to crafty person
al desire for vengeance than for the
principle involved.
Word has been received at the State
Department Of the signing at Amapala
ola treaty of peace between Nicaragua
and Salvador. This marks the end of
the present Central American war, and
the treaty provides for general peace
conference of the Central American re.
publics in the near future that 1t is
thought will insure the continuance
of peace in that region for years to
come. The President has received
congratulat0ry telegram from Presi-
dent zelaya of Nicaragua, thanking
him for the part he had personally tax.
en- In bringing about the cessation of
hostilities. The peace pact containing
the provision for a general peace con-
ference is the same In effect as that
signed on the Marblehead about a
year ago, but which was never put into
effect owing to the strained relations
between the Central American cOun-
tries at the time. Now that the pres
sure has been relieved by fight, the
air is cleared and it is thought that the
conference will be held with some
chance Of success.
Patent Commissioner Frederick l.
Allen has resigned from the important
post he has held under the Interior
Department for the past six years, and
will follow the example of some OF his
predecessors in office and return to the
practice of law. Commissioner Allen
has not had an altogether tranquil
time in his long administration. The
Office under bis care fell dreadfully in
to arrears of work, and there were
many criticisms Of bis administration.
A good many influences were at work
to GUST him from his job, but it took q
good deal of time and much effort to
pry him loose from such good offici.
al salary. His successor has not yel
been named, but quite possibly it will
be assistant Commissioner Moore -
What is needed in the offiOe above al
things now is prompt and effective
business administration to clear up thu
long list of arrears with which the Of
gee has been struggling for some years
past and for which Commissioner AL
lens incompetent administration is al
fault.
: A new record was established In the
Dead Letter Office this month in tht
return Of undelivered letters to TIT
writers This has always been a serl
Gus problem, and till a few months ago
1t looked as though the Dead Letter
Office had become SO c0ngested that Il
never would be able to catch up ant
return dead letters with reasonable
promptitude. The work has been sys
tamatized under the administration Of
Assistant Postmaster General P. v
DeGraw. He held from the first time
he took Office that there was no reason
why Dead Letter mail should not e
back to it's writer's Immediately. He
set the force in the Office to cleaning
up the arrears and two months age
succeeded in returning IA. 4SS letters
This record has been badly beaten this
month, when 20 .30S letters were return
cd, leaving arrears of only 10000 to be
dealt with. This Is a cheerful con
trast to the situation a few months
: ago when there we're over zoe. 900 let
tiers in the division waiting vainly fol
return.
DeGraw is himself an old newspaper
man and was formerly manager of the
. United Press in Washington. He il
an expert telegraph operator and has
the distinction of operating daily the
r shortest telegraph line in the world. II
is little over 80 feet long and runs
from bis desk into the next room tc
that of bis private secretary and con-
fidential clerk, both of whom are ex
operators. Mr.. DeGraw uses the teIe.
graph line instead of the telephone in
directing his two assistants. He some
times uses it also for dictation, and
will sit at his desk and dictate letters
by wire to bis clerk in the next room.
1t is very private sort Of communi.
cation too. for there are not many Wis
: itors who can tread code" and the line
: is much less subject to caves dropping
than telephone line would be.
Baseball News.