Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-18
Senator and Treasury Officials
Warned of Peril.
POWER PRESSES OPPOSED
Advised Not to Install Them for
Printing of Money.
ARE NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Signed Skull and Cross Bones" and
Written in Different Hands, But
All of Same Tenor.

Letters threatening bodily harm to SEN
ator Smoot. chairman of the Senate print
ing committee: the Secretary of the Treas
ury. Director Ralph of the bureau of en-
craving and printing, and other officials
IT they do not cease to urge the substitu-
ton of power presses for hand presses In
the bureau Of engraving and printing,
have been received. They are signed
Skull and Crossbones.''
Senator Snoot and the officials who
have been threatened do not take the
threats seriously and have asked no pro-
lection from the police nor an investiga-
ton to learn from whom the letters
come.
The plate printers union has been fight
ing the enactment into law of the measure
reported to the Senate by Senate Smoot,
authorizing the government to install
and experiment with power presses IN
printing currency and government securi-
ties.
The printers contend that the work
done on the power presses is inferior to
that of the hand presses and can more
easily he counterfeited. They also fear
that many of the printers now employed
at the bureau will lose their places II
the power presses are installed.
None to Lose Place.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Andrews is authority for the statement
issued today that none of the employees
Of the bureau are to lose their places be-
cause of the installation of power presses
The threatening letters, although writ
ten by various hands. all appear to De
inspired by the same mind and make
similar threats.
IF l thought the letters had any sig
nificance'' says Senator Smoot, Il would
call in the police. But l reatlze tnat
they were sent by irresponsible persons
81 always make it a rule to pay no at
tention to anonymous letters of his kind
We will go ahead with the work at the
bureau just as before, in spite OF the
threats
Director Ralph admits having received
large number of threats.
Il want to go deeper into these letters
before 1 say anything publicly, because
do not know exactly what they mean,'
he said. "Of course. the letters should be
ignored on their face.
Between Two Fires.
Assistant Secretary Andrews said this
morning:
From many statements which have re-
Gently appeared in the press and from
many letters received in this office there
appears to be considerable misapprehen-
sion in regard to the attitude of this de-
power presses in the bureau of engraving
and printing.
I'VE have the misfortune in this mat
ter to be between two firing lines. On
the one side, because We still follow the
old method Of hand printing, we are at
tackled by letters from people interested
In economical administration and by edit
OrS and contributions in the daily press.
as. for instance, by the recent article in
the Independent entitled The Treasury's
Tribute of a Million Year to Organized
Labor -
No employees Of the bureau are to lose
their places by reason of the installa-
ton of power presses. in the opinion
of Mr.. Andrew. The quality of the
work on currency notes, he declares. is
not to be allowed to deteriorate. as
has been asserted would be the effect
Of power press printing. The work of
the bureau of engraving and printing
is SO far behind that recent orders for
Quality Not Lowered.
by a recent test at the bureau" sad
Mr.. Andrew, I'VE demonstrated that
bank notes made with the power presses
are just as good as those made by hand.
The employees who are protesting against
the power presses claim that the quality
of the bank notes will be lowered. The
heads of the department, of course. have
the good of the service more at heart than
any employe can possibly have.
I'VE have planned to introduce the
power presses SO gradually that not q
single employee of the bureau will lose
his position, and none of them will be
these assurances. the threats continue to
come in. showing that they are sent by
people who do not know what they are
writing about