The Worthington advance., 1898-11-03
FICIAL CRANK FILE.
It Contains a Rare Collection Of
Peculiar Correspondence. 8
Only Letters from Mental Freaks
Addressed to the Department Of
the Interior Can Find .
Place In 1t.
Especial Washington Letter.

Although it is not generally known,
IT is nevertheless q fact that the de-
partment OF. the interior possesses
separate official file for the re-.
ception of all communicat tions which
are received from persons who
do not. write concerning depart
ment matters, but send, letters
to the secretary OF the interior which
are either inspired by the sentiments
of an anarchist or else the absurd ideas
of crazy person. In short,| tits "a
"crank tile," and in it are recorded all
letters coming from cranks, fools, lu-;
natics or anarchists, as the case may
be. No other: Of the executive depart
| ments maintainsa distinct file for such
communications, and whenever q pa
per of this sort is received at the treas:
ury, war, state or any of the depart
| ments other than the interior, it is COM
pletely ignored, unlessit is obvious that
reply is needed. ., At the interior de-
partment, however, the colnmunica-
tions are acknowledged in every case
where an answer can be sent, and in
its due course the paper is placed on
the "crank file" for future reference,
if any such contingency as would de-
mand the existence of the communica-
tion should arise.
The file is kept in the miscellaneous
division of the department., where ali
communications are sent which do
not directly relate 70 one or the other
divisions of the secretary's office, as
the appointments, the lands and rail-
roads or the Indian divisions. Scarce
ly day passes that some communica-
tion which must be referred to the
''crank file" does not come in. The
letters, all of which are peculiar, and
many of which are ridiculous, are
generally received from land settlers
who have claims before the interior
department and desire to have them
adjudicated. They are sent by aged
and decrepit pensioners, or else they
emanate from some poor western land
claimants, who believe that they have
been oppressed by the department and
| desire redress for the alleged wrongs
imposed. 1t is often found that when
| a land claimant or settler writes to
| the department asking for informa-
| tion as to the status of his case, or
urging immediate action upon his
claim, he incorporates personal mes
sages 10 the secretary of the inter- or
| and even to the president of the
United States.
There are many cases in which the
Writer addresses his communications
to the official personally, putting it:
"Dear MI. Secretary" or "My Dear
President Mckinley" thus disregard
ing all rules of official communica tion
Many correspondents have habit OF
writing to the department at certain
periods, either communicating some
messages Of ridiculous purport, OF
making some statements or claims as
to what the department owes them
In many cases the officials are threat.
ened with danger, but no attention is
paid to letters of that character as
they arc regarded as coming from or
dinary cranks.
One Of the most ludicrous communi
cations which has been received fol-
some time came in on December &c
New Jersey, and is devoted to state
ment of claims which he desires the
department to settle. His name is L
Fl. Frederick, and he AYERS in his
communication and in those which
have been received before, that the
government owes him $4,404,000 on
what he calls the "Frederick claim
His letter is couched in ridiculous ano
absurd language, but the climax comes
in the address which he has put on the