Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-20
rrRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

they would have stayed, rather than have
taken the chance of work here for few
months, then to be as badly off as before.
1t is fearful comment upon our social
system this rush of thousands to city far
away from the homes of many of them for
the brief employment of the Census Office.
1t is infallible evidence of their lack of en-
ployment at home. And they are, gener-
ally speaking, the very brigtest sort of peo-
pie. They are not persons who are failures
in life, and who have been driven to the
wall by lack of abilities. They are simply
the victims of the haphazard unscientifc
system of social economy, which usually
makes the chance environments of the per-
son the architect of his fortunes, instead of
his own skill and industry. 1t is not sys-
tenn, but an entire lack of system, rather.
Forced to Beg starve.
Look at the brief history of these people
They come here frantic for place. They
raise heaven and earth to get even the
smallest position. They are appointed by
tens and hundreds at salaries supposed to be
commensurate with their work. Apparent
ly the authorities looked upon the appro-
priation as inexhaustible, for they not only
fixed the salaries as high as they dared, but
after little while began to make promo
tions of favorites. A few months gone, and
the appropriation begins to dwindle and the
work to lessen. Dismissals become more
and more rapid. Then they come at whole
sale rate, and at first of August the author
tiles will swoop down on more than a thou
sand. They say to these people: "We
found you without work We gave you
bread for little while. Now you can go
back to your idleness and poverty again.
We have no more need of you and care not
what become of you"
We never will know what becomes of all
of them, but as to some one committed
suicide the other day. More than one of the
pretty ones have found friends among the men
of money, and 1 am reliably informed that
vice has been recruited from the ranks of
those thrown ruthlessly out of employment
by the Government of the United States.
They simply gave up the fight. The odds
were too great. How many will give up
no one will ever know.
Rapid Transit at the Capital.
Pittsburgers will be able to sympathize
with Washingtonians just now. We are
passing through transition stage as to i'm
provements in street locomotion and light
ing. Underground wires are being laid
everywhere for electric lighting, and the
avenue" is all torn up for the laying of
machinery for cable railroad. Within
few months horses will be discarded as
motors on all principal street car lines. The
Seventh street line, about two miles in
length, is as vet the only cable line in the
city. An electric storage battery line now
runs from the Treasury four miles ont into
the country to the northeast entrance of
the Soldiers Home. The Avenue line from
Georgetown to the Navy Yard, about four
miles, and the Fourteenth street line, part
of the same system, about two miles, will
soon be moved by cables All this great
length of line will be operated from one
power house, situated almost opposite Will
lard's Hotel; the site alone for which cost
$3.50, 900. After its purchase it was found
that from the nature of the ground it would
be necessary to drive piles over the whole
surface to make firm foundation. 1t is the
intention of the company to make the house |
a very ornamental one, possibly with q |
great hall over the machinery rooms, and |
the whole one of the attractions of Wash |
ington.
Storage Battery Experiments.
The Metropolitan line, which operates |
between eight and ten miles of road on diff |
ferent streets, has decided to adopt the in
dependent motor, 'accumulator" or "stor- |
age battery" system, they having been con-
vinced that it has reached condition of
perfection that will warrant them taking it
up and burning the bridges behind them.
Two or three weaker lines not yet able to
endure the expense of such change will be
permitted to operate with horses for time
yet, but all the great lines are required by
law to have the change made before the
beginning of another year. An electric
line with overhead wires has been in opera
tion for some time between Georgetown and
three miles from the city, and
soon to be extended seven miles further to
Rockville. A branch runs from mTenleytownto to
that queer speculative scheme known as the
"Glen Echo Chautauqua," near Cabin John
Bridge, the greatest stone arch in the world.
An electric line will soon extend from the
head of Connecticut avenue to the new Zoo
logical Gardens, and on to junction with
the Tenleytown line at point close to the
home of President Cleveland, "Oak
View" now in the hands of spectators.
Another will make its way to and through
the new Rock Creek National Park. An
other will extend from the Virginia end of
the Georgetown bridge over the Potomac to
Arlington and thence to Mount Vernon.
Who shall saw after this that Washington is
behind the times? One good feature of the
is that there will be no over
head wires except in the outskirts of the
,ity.
Secretary Fosters Error.
The public will probably be surprised to
earn that Secretary Foster is about to be
prosecuted for violation of the law pro-
nibiting the use of official envelopes for
private purposes The other day he re-
,eived request for a considerable loan
rom prominent citizen who has habit of
being ''hard up" He made no reply, and
he request was repeated. No reply yet
coming, the good citizen asked the re-
turn of his letters. These were turned over
BY the private secretary to the typewriter,
who unwittingly enclosed them in an Off
,ial envelope. Then the now irate borrower
oenned a wrathy letter in which he stated
that as he had been insulted, as his tender
EST sensibilities had been lacerated, he
would retaliate by having the Secretary ar
.ested for violating the law referred to, the
penalty for the infraction of which is $500.
The arrest has not yet been made, but the
,low may fall at any time.
I cannot vouch as fully for the truth Of
tory about the President and high official
vho desired the appointment OF his son to
position.
Rough ON Son RUSSELL
M, EvoalIapo1v /