Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-24
Do POLITICS ON
GOVERNMENT TIME
Bureau Chiefs Wage Hot Cam
paign for Appointment of
E. W. Parker
MAKE CONGRESSMEN GASP
Write kilograms and Letters
Galore, but Avoid "0tficiaI
Business"'Frank
MAKE CoNGRESsMEN GASP

WASHINGTON, July 23.-Dozens of
kilograms urging that pressure pc
brought to bear on President Tart 10
appoint e. w. Parker as CHER or the
bureau of mines have been sent out OF
Washington to prominent men over
the country in one of the hottest pu-
reau campaigns which has ever been
waged here.
Unusual as the bringing-pressure7to
bear suggestion is, the feature Whlcn
has made the older departmental heads
and members of congress VINO are
still in Washington gasp when they
learn of the methods used in the cam
paign, Is the fact that the elegrams
are signed by a bureau chief OF the
department of the interior, the full
name and title George Otis Smith,
Director, Geological Survey" appear
ing at the end of each message.
While the good time of public Off
GERS is being used up in the campaign
in writing kilograms and letters ga
lore, yet it should be said In justice
to all that the kilograms are not going
out as Official business" Telegraph
franks are being conserved with
vengeance. Director Smith, however,
has not told anyone whether the tele-
grams were paid for by himself or
Mr.. Parker, his candidate.
Members of congress who are inter-
think that 1t is not exactly the proper
thing to make football of President
Taft's best piece of conservation legis-
lation in the game of bureau politics
and that the policy of forcing the in
dorsement of a candidate on the presi-
dent through the means of tele-
graphic campaign such as is belng
Waged is almost going the limit.
Three men are prominent figures in
the bureau campaign, and these are
Director George Otis Smith, DR.. Joseph
A. Holmes, former chief of the tech
nologic branch OF the geological sur
vey, which became the bureau of mines
in accordance with the act of congress
on July l, and F. w. Parker, statis-
tician in charge of the division of min
eral resources, subordinate and friend
of Director Smith in the geological
survey The lines of the fight have
been closely drawn, with the field
against DIR. Holmes and with the sur
vey forces working hard for e. W..
Parker.
Holmes is now technologist of the
bureau of mines and Smith is the tenn
porary head and hlS superior, having
been appointed by President Taft to
organize the bureau on July l. Holmes
has been in charge of the line of work
of the geological survey which is now
performed by the new bureau for
perience In mine and fuel investiga-
tions and study for the prevention of
mine accidents, he naturally has been
the leading candidate for the new
place from the beginning. He is op-
posed, however, by Director Smith,
who is understood to have the SYM
pathy of Secretary Ballinger, his su-
perior. Holmes has received indorse-
ments from practically everyone else
having an interest in the mining in
dustry, including both the mine oper-
ators and the miners themselves, and
these have long been in the hands of
President Taft, along with petition
from sixty-two senators, asking that
he be appointed.
So far as the present campaign is
concerned, Parker is still in it, and his
only opponent is obliged to rest on his
oars and take no part in the active
work. owing to the fact that Holmes
is now a subordinate in the new bu-
reau, which has only a temporary
head he must maintain a dignifed
silence, for any activity on his part
would be disloyalty to his present
chief. Director Smith, as permanent
head of the geological survey and
temporary head of the bureau of
mines, however, considers himself free
in his dual position to continue cam
paigning for Statistician Parker. The
latter, because of the friendliness and
activity of his chief, finds there is no
need to work for himself and is also
able to maintain a dignified silence.
Meanwhile, the work of bringing in
fiuence to bear on President Taft is
going merrily on.