Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-11-28

NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Corespondence.)


ters are being sent out by the Navy
Department to about 1000 employees
Of navy yards in the United States,
notifying them of increases in salR
Iies, ranging from to 10 percent
This is being done in order that the
pay of these men may be brought up
to those doing similar work in other
branches Of the government service.
The N who will receive this in.
crease are draughtsmen, electricians
and mechanics.
No Salary lncreases--After the cab
met meeting last week 1t became pub
lie that the cabinet members had
been asked by the president to make
no recommendations in their annual
estimates to be submitted to con.
gress for the increase Of salaries in
their respective departments. This
will apply to government employees
throughout the country as well as at
Washington. The request does not,
of course, apply to cases Of automatic
promotion of employees from one
grade to another.
No Government Guaranty--Accord
ing to sweeping decision by the
commissioner Of patents any label
bearing the inscription guaranteed
under the pure food and drug acts,
June 80, 1906" where such inscrip-
tion Is intended to imply that the gov
ernment is responsible for the purity
of the goods will be refused registra-
tion. 1t is held by the officials that
the government simply takes the as
sertion of the manufacturer that the
goods are pure and then investigates
his business.
Depew Sarcastic.-When Senator
Chauncey M. Depew of New York
left the White House one day last
week he was asked If he had come to
Washington to see the men who he
had recently said were electing the
next senator from New York in Wash
lngton We'll, the man who thinks
he Is electing the senator has gone
to Hot Springs" said Senator Depew,
referring to National Committeeman
William L. Ward of New York There
are three or four New York men who
spend much of their time down here
telling the president who shall be ap-
pointed ambassadors abroad, ire
spective of the New York senators,
and the rest of their time is devoted
to electing our senator's. II desire
to say that the next legislature will
choose senator The 261 members
who compose that body are able, rep
resentative men. who can neither be
driven, hoodwinked nor bulldozed."
Mr.. Depew said that the old "organi.
cation" in New York is alive and 'do-
ing business at the old stand"
Difference Between Two and g.
Two hundred million two-cent stamps
which have just been printed from a
new plate and issued to postmasters
throughout the country may have to
be withdrawn from circulation. 1t is
not yet certain that this will be done,
but there is enough doubt raised to
make that action not improbable. The
new stamp, which is one Of the pref
tiest ever issued by the government,
has the head Of Washington, and be-
meath it the words 1.-TWO cents.r
There is a provision Of the interna-
tional postal union which says that
the denomination of stamps Is to be
In Arabic numerals, so that the fig-
mil Iu,1
guage for postal purposes. 1t is be-
lieved that this provision is manda,
tory, but the postofice department
regards it as suggestive and not OBJ.
? ligatory. If the provision is mand&
tory, the United States must Of
course comply with all the require
ments OF the postal union agreement
and the stamps cannot be used
in international postage. That would
not make them valueless for do.
mestic postage, but of course II
would be out Of the question TO
have two kinds OF twocent stamps,
one for domestic use aud the 9th,
er for foreign. AS the postage
rate to Great Britain has been re-.
duced to two cents an ounce and che
bulk Of foreign correspondence from
America is with Great Britain, the
two-cent stamp 10 internationally g
great deal more important than 1t
used to be.
Presldent's Labor DInner.--Sub-
jecting his guests, many OF whom
were representatives of the leading
labor organizations Of the country, to
a rapid crossfre OF questions, Presl-
dent Roosevelt at dinner given at
the White House the other night, en-
deavored to find out what labor wants
from congress and in what way he
could be Of assistance to the tollerB
OF the country. Although the dinner
began at o'clock, 1t was almost mid
night before the gathering broke up
No newspaper men were present and
news of what took place were eager
ly sought from the guests as they
left the White House. While the
President did not commit himself to
any Of the propositions submitted BY
the various labor leaders present, It
was learned that he sought full ex.
pgossion of sentiment from all Of
them Labor's attitude on various
questions were reiterated, It is said,
and the President listened interestd.
ly to each argument presented. The
dinner was a complete success as far
as could he learned, spirit of har
mony and cooperation seeming to
prevail throughout the evening. Ne
set speeches were made, the President
merely rising and explaining to hia
guests. after the last course had beer
% that he had brought them to
gether for an informal interchange Of
views on public questions.