Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-24
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
is FIRM FOR PRINCIPLE
Local Men and Outsiders Who Are
Candidates for Post.
W. F. GUIDE URGED BY FRIENDS
Madison Davis Another Resident Of
Capital Who Has Many Advo-
cates-Department officials
in Field.

With fresh in memory the speech OF
President Taft at the banquet rendered
him by the citizens of the District May
0 last. and the ideal of District men
for District offices" constantly before
them, the members of the commercial
bodies and citizens associations Of the
city. and Washingtonians generally, are
intensely interested just at this time in
the speculation that is rife concerning
a new postmaster of Washington to
succeed the late Benjamin F. Barnes.
Next to the civilian Commissioners.
the officer whom it is generally believed
should be most closely identified with
District affairs is the postmaster of the
city. Just as the postmaster of New
York is New York man. and the post
master of Chicago a Chicago man, by
a policy from which no President ever
thinks Of departing, so Washingtonians
believe their postmaster should be
Washington man.
Will Taft follow in the footsteps of
Roosevelt and appoint an outsider? Or
will he consult with the men identified
most closely with District affairs, as he
intimated he would do in that speech last
May? These are the questions.
Fr1uC1ple at STAKE.
Everywhere nothing but the highest
praise is heard for the work and per-
sonality of the late postmaster. 1t Is
only the principle that is at stake. it Is
claimed, and principle that District men
have fought for since the foundation Of
the city.
Already there are many receptive
cond dates in the fed, and a number OF
nth har w
enthusiastic friends. They include office
holders accredited to various states and
Simon pure Washngtonians.
While the impression left by Mr.. Tafts
speech at the first banquet ever rendered
a President of the United States by rep
resentative citizens of the District was
that he wished to see home rule given
as much a chance as possible this side
of the franchise his actual language was
a matter of moment, and there was some
searching yesterday for printed copies
of the speech.
What Mr.. Taft Said.
Following is what the President said
soon after beginning his address,:
Il hope for close intimacy; 1 hope that
we may come together and we may dis
cuss these things, because certainly we
need it,
By these things he referred to ques-
tions of District government brought for
ward by speakers that had preceded him.
Near the close the President said:
Now, my dear friends, l want to say
to you that l have got into constitu-
tional discussion here that / did not an
ticipate, but 1 hope it has not clouded my
meaning, which l intend to make clear as
possible, that l am deeply intereste. in
the welfare of the District. l am deeply
interested in securing good government to
every man, woman and child IN the DIS
trict, and to secure, as far as is possible,
fcyiv, 1oyo NJ he
such voice as the people of the District
require in their local matters.
This is assurance say men who heard
the speech. that Mr.. Taft will not use
the local postmastership as a plum with
which to reward politician who
helped him in his campaign. Others be-
iieve the President was generaliZing and
meant to give no such assurance.
Guide Urged by His Friends.
William F. Guide. president of the
Chamber of Commerce and a director of
the Board of Trade, has been mentioned
most prominently of actual Washington
citizens for appointment as the new post
master. Mr.. GUIDE denied yesterday that
he had any knowledge of a movement in
his behalf. His friends merely smile and
say they will take care of his candidacy.
Mr.. GUIDE wouldn't say whether he would
take the job if it was offered to him.
Another man who is pushed, and whose
name will undoubtedly be presented prob
inently to Postmaster General Hitch
cock, who will make the formal recon-
mendation to the President to fill the va
cancy, is Madison Davis, who was as
sistant postmaster during Postmaster
Merritts administration and now has
charge of Station B. on Capitol Hill. Mr..
Davis is everywhere regarded as an au-
thority on postal matters, having written
extensively on postal history and been
intimately connected with the actual run
ming of the Washington office for many
years. He is Washingtonian, born and
bred.
Department Candidates.
The present assistant. N. A. Merritt.
son of the former postmaster, Is also q
candidate and is understood to have
strong political backing. He has lived In
Washington for twelve years. but, it Is
said, keeps his residence and votes in
New York, his native state. Two Post
Office Department officials who have been
named for the place are First Assistant
Postmaster General Charles B. Grandfeld
of Missouri and Auditor NJ. 0. Chance
who halls from Illinois
Behind Gus ]. Karger who was one Of
Mr. Taft's personal representatives dur
ing the last campaign both before and
after the republican convention, are said
to be the members of the Ohio Republ-
can Club of the District, who intend to
present his name strongly to Mr.. Hitch
cock and the President.
Mr.. Karger represents the Cincinnati
Times-Star. the Cleveland News and the
Columbus Dispatch at the capital and
has lived here for the last eleven years.
His friends claim that he is in every
sense Washingtonian. Mr.. karger in
sists that he knows absolutely nothing Of
any movement to make him postmaster.
Other Local Candidates.
Among Washington business and pro-
fessional men whose names have been
mentioned by their friends for the place
are D. J. Callahan. secretary of the
Board Of Trade and general manager Of
the Norfolk and Washington Steamboat
Company; Francis Scott Key-Smith. a
young lawyer well known throughout the
city; William r. Shannon, real estate
dealer and builder; Arthur Moses of the