, 1901-12-09
RED TAPE.

Col. A. X. Green, special agent OF
the secretary Of the interior, is just a
little disguised with the red tape con
nected with the departments at Wash
ington. Some months ago he was pro
NOTED from the position of inspector
of United States land Offices and sur
veyors general offices to the position
of chief of the division of forestry.
His offices at the capital were furnish
ed comfortably with secondhand furn-
iture from the senate and house Of
representatives chambers, but he had
no clock.
The chief clerk of the department
was appealed to n that gentleman
remarked:
Make n requisition, sir
The requisition was made and in the
course of two or three weeks it was
returned, with the query whether an
electric clock or a Seth Thomas clock
was desired. The requisition was
again sent in with the information
that it was an electric clock the for
estry division would like.
About a month later a man dropped
into Colonel Green's office with a clock
on his shoulder. which was deposited
on the counter.
You are not going to leave that
clock there, are you?" remarked the
colonel. 81 want it hung on the wall"
81 cant hang it," replied the work
man. at is not .my business to hang
clocks"
"Who Toe hang clocks?"
ooh. there is a man employed for
that purpose"
The colonel again posted off to the
chief clerk and the chief clerk remark
ed:
Make a requisition. sir"
The requisition for a man to hang
the clock was accordingly made, and a
couple Of weeks later along came a
man to hang the clock He looked up
the darkest place in the room and be-
n climbing his step ladder.
What are you doing?" asked the col
onel.
Hanging your clock" was the re,
ply.
81 don't a it hung there" said
the colonel, but in the light, where We
a see what time it is"
But that wall over there is granite"
remarked the clock-hanger.
Cant help it." said the colonel.
There is where l want the clock. and
nowhere else"
For two days the clock-hanger la
bored drilling a hole into that granite
wall. He then drove a pine plug into
clock to the pine plug, leaving it awry
upon the wall.
AS he was climbing down off his
ladder the colonel ventured to remark
plumb the clock.
"Oh, no." said the hanger. 81 am
not employed to plumb clocks"
Again the chief clerk was appealed
~ III that III Ddut lHulNluuul IeLldTh-
ed:
Make a requisition, sir"
The requisition for a man to plumb
the clock was duly made and in course
of time a man with a step-ladder ap-
peared and plumbed the clock. AS he
was leaving the room, the colonel no
ticed that the clock was not going, and
in some heat asked:
For heavens sake, are you not 60
ing to start the clock?"
NO" replied the clo]ck-plumber. lit
is not my business to start the clock.
There is a mar employed to do that
work"
Again the colonel appealed to the
chief clerk, who remarked:
Make a requisition, sir"
In two or three weeks the requisi-
ton came back, with the query ap-
pended: What kind of a clock is it,
electric or Seth Thomas?"
The requisition was returned with
the desired information, when the re-
ply came back that. the electric clock
starter was away in Ohio on a thirty
days leave of absence and would not
be back for several days.
About that time Colonel Greene was
called to Oklahoma by Assistant Com.
missioner Richards to assist in the dis |
posal OF the Indian lands but upon his
return two months later was pleased
to note that his clock had beer started.
The very end of the red tape had been
reached in about Ave months.