The Colorado statesman., 1922-05-20
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

WashlngtOn.-Acc to the view
points of protectlonists and free trad
ers or near free traders, the tariff Is
either blessing or curse, a tax or
reward. This year the tariff accord
ing to everybody's viewpoint is pretty
much of a puzzle.
The bonus, which also according to
the viewpoints is Il blessed thing or
a blameworthy thing, also is much OF
a puzzle. The tariff and the bonus,
therefore, are twin puzzles confront
Ing the majority in congress for solu-
ton.
The tariff with all its intricacies and
with all its uncertainties arising out
Of lack of definite knowledge of eco
nomic conditions in Europe, and the
bonus with all its perplexing features,
are as nothing in the way of puzzle
to something of which the world al
ready knows and which happened re-
GENTLY in the bureau of engraving ana
printing. 1t Is the chief puzzle OF
them all and members of congress are
not alone in trying to find an answer. All
Washington is interested, and to con-
siderable extent all the country is in
terested. Certain it is that there Is
concern among the federal employees
everywhere throughout the country in
this recent happening
Time in its passing has not carried
away with it interest, suspicion and
some other things connected with the
discharge while ago of thirty-one en-
ployees of the bureau of engraving
and printing. Some FEW of these dis
charged ones have been reinstated
The others still are minus their jobs.
"The Hidden Mystery"
To this story there well might be
transferred the title to a book which
was circulated during the war and
which occupied the attention of GER
tain officials of government This book
was called "The Hidden Mystery" al
though why it was necessary to use
the adjective "hidden' before the word
mystery" no one seems to know.
officials of the government, includ-
ing the President of the United States,
have had their attention called sharp
ly to the so-called hidden mystery of
the bureau of engraving and printing,
and in way probably not altogether
to the liking of these officials, high
and low.
Washington is trying to find an an
swer to the question: why were
thlrty-one employees of the bureau
fired by executive order?'
A dozen or so answers, more or less
haphazard, have been made to the
question by persons who think they
know and by others who give answers
for the sake of getting mental en-
ployment and for nothing else. There
was rumor at first that there had
been in the bureau a duplication of
government securities, to the possible
resulting loss of security holders.
Then there came the fiat statement
in denial: Nothing to it,"
Then it was guessed that labor union
and antilabor union activities within
the bureau had caused dislocation of
the machinery of orderly procedure.
Mayhap there is something in this
and then again mayhap there is moth
ing in it.
Other answers have been advanced
and one of them, of course, is that the
discharges resulted from the desire
of the party in power to open the
higher civil service positions in the
various bureaus of government so that
a ready approach might be offered by
this administration or any other ad-
mlnistration to men and women to
whom the wish was to give employ
ment.
Administration Saws Nothnu