Charlevoix county herald., 1915-05-22
AROUND WASHINGTON

respondence) This week Washington
and the country have been treated to
another demonstration of Democratic
methods in running the busine SIS of the
Government.
An order of the Treasury Depart
ment, just issued, compels more thar
1000 employees, Custodians Corps, to
take an enforced furlough of eight days
without pay, between now and the
first of July because there is no money
to pay them.
This order will affect 4,575 persons;
and by far the larger part of them are
women, who earn their living by mop
ping floors and cleaning rooms in the
Federal buildings in S96 cities scattered
all over the country. These women
earn about $50 month, and the loss of
eight days pay will be grievous hard
ship to them. Some men are affected
by this involuntary vacation, the high
est paid of them being the Chief of the
Custodian Department at New York,
who receives salary of 81, 800 year.
The order bears the signature of
Asst Secretary Byron Newton, who
says, by way of explanation, that Con-
gress is to blame. He asked the De-
mocrats at the Capitol to give him
81, 500, 600 for this work and they gave
him only $2,65O,OOO.
1t is suggested here that the Demo-
Gratis have never regarded cleanliness
as next to goodness and that their
failure to appropriate money for
scrubbing floors is in line with ancient
party tradition. But it is equally signifi-
cant that the Treasury Department, re-
CARELESS of Congressional action, seems
to have plenty of money to hire expen-
sive lawyers to defend John Shelton
Williams against the lawsuit instituted
by the Riggs bank. Messrs Brandies
snd Untermeyer are reported to be get
ting $4,000 fees for their service in
this case. The motto of the Treasury
Department evidently is: Thousands
for defence but not cent for decency.
The President has refused to furnish
the Industrial Relations Commission
with the correspondence which he had
with Governor Ammons of Colorado re-
garding the strike in the coal regions
of that state; and it is limited that Mr..
Wilson is seriously displeased with the
farcica manner in which Chairman
Walch has carried on the work of the
Commission.
1t is doubtful, however, the presi-
dental displeasure will reach any very
effective result. Chairman Walsh long
ago demonstrated his unfitness for the
place which he occupies and he already
has heavily discounted any conclusions
which the Commission may report by
his constant habit of prejudging the
testimony of witnesses whom he has
summoned to appear The complaints
against the Commissions procedure
have been numerous, and some that
have reached the White House have
come from sources which may not be
readily ignored. The President is
known, however, to take a keen in
terest in the Commissions personnel
and it is most unlikely that he will re-
sort to the obvious method of disciplin-
ing Walsh by the adjustment of the
board. Walsh has brother who is
Senator from Montana, and the expert
ence with the ship purchase bill shows
that the White House connot afford to
ALLEVIATE the support of any more
senators on the Democratic side of the
chamber.
Nimble-witted naval officers who
discuss Secretary Daniels letter on the
preparedness of the Navy, are caustic
in their comment. One of them said to
another, "Why didn't the Secretary 90
further in his list of war material in
readiness? He could have pointed out
that in himself the Navy has an eff
fective supply of that most modern of
offensive munitions, the gas bomb"
Eyes, assented the other; and he
fastened to add, "But isn't Daniels
really to be classed under the head of