The Sunday globe., 1901-07-28
THE RECORD BROKEN
The Land Office Lunch Rooms
Conducted by Clerks.
IN OPPOSITION TO A WIDOW
Even The Water Closets Have Been Turned lntO
Kitchens - Government Clerks as Chefs,
Using Government Gas, Time, and Money,
A Loud Call ON Mr.. Dawson for Rsfom-The
Numbers OF Rooms where lunches are sened

uSlOg bOIBInH6nl baSi Time, anu MONEY
A Loud Call on Mr.. Dawson for RsfOm-The
Numbers OF Rooms where lunches are sered
Since the projection of The Sun
day Globe IT'S editor has been called
upon to notice and criticise many glar-
ing abuses in the government depart
ments which were revelations to even
residents of Washington, accustomed
to many things of the kind, and which
has at length, attracted the notice Of
the press outside but this morning we
lay before a reading public the most
astounding and the meanest chapter of
official malfeasance we have ever been
called upon to expose in our more
than third of century in the press.
In the Land Office, under Chief Clerk
Dawson whom it is but fair to suppose
is in ignorance of the matter there are
clerks running lunch counters in op-
| position to the poor and frail little wo-
man who has been given the privilege
| of the basement stand! Can mean
ness and avarice conceive of any lower
| depths than these well paid clerks,
cooking, peddling and soliciting the
| trade of their fellows in opposition to
| the little woman who depends solely
on her lunch stand for a living and has
no other income?
The Globe is satisfied that when the
| following authenticated facts are call
ed to the attention Of Chief Clerk Daw-
son he will promptly suppress the op-
position lunch counters of his clerks,
who are paid by the public to render
clerical service to the government and
not staked with monthly salaries for
the purpose Of conducting ten cent
lunch rooms.
Happening into the basement at the
lunch hour we paid for and enjoyed
cleanly served and appetizing home
made lunch. Noticing the few pres
ent at such an excellently served lunch
and the very moderate price demanded,
we inquired of a gentleman who sat
opposite us why there was so little pa
tronage in a building filled with en-
ployees. He answered to our intense
astonishment:
Because so many employees have
lunch rooms"
This led to an investigation, and we
promptly made a hasty tour of the
building with the following results:
We found in rooms 303, 1888, 1923, 157-
9, 2lS, 24S, 339, 107, AZ, lunch counters
in full blast. The clerks, or employees
of the government were using the gas,
paid for by the dear public, to cook
the said lunches. Rubber tubes con-
nected with the cooking stoves and at
tached to the burners were as thick as
the leaves in the vale of Valambrossa.
The clerks were energetically and pres
piTingly frying boiling and steWing,
on vnrag hnCf1a anH ha1Gtla
In the carpenters shop, rooms 1919,
and 157, are water closets, and in one
of these rooms, we noticed the most
elaborate cooking The food thus
cooked in such an odoriferous atmos-
phere was brought back to room 116
and we watched with some satisfac-
tion the hungry clerks eat it!
In room 21S we noticed that the
typewriter's stand had a stove gently
resting on it, instead Of typewriter.
1--WE mean the machne.) The cover
was artistically draped over the stand,
and the clerical chef was businly en-
gagged in preparing the hash.
Every lunch room, as stated, had the
rubber tube connections with the gas,
and gas was being consumed in guam
titles to make the hearts Of the stock
holders of that company exceedingly
glad.
The little widow down in the base
ment wasn't in it. She had to charge
living price, and besides the food
she served lacked the palatable inn
pregnations of room 107! Poor little
widow, struggling against well paid
government clerks and free gas; how
could you expect patronage from men
and women reishing food cooked in a
water closet
Here we have government employ
ees, paid monthly salaries using gov
ernment gas, running opposition lunch
rooms, and even utilizing the water
closets as kitchens, in opposition to a
little widow who has to support her
self and dependent children and rela-
tives on the meagre profits OF her labor
and enterprise. OF all the contempti-
BILE, mean and scandalous msfeasance,
for misfeasance it is Mr., Dawson,
misappropriating the money and the
gas and the time Of your clerks in
private enterprises, which have so far
come to light this Land Office matter
takes the prize and the precedence.
1t Is an outrage and disgrace; our in
dignatiOn is such we can scarcely nnd
words to express it, and we are posi-
/
dict of the general public in not only
demanding the suppression OF these
lunch rooms the Waste Of government
time, money and gas, but that an ex-
ample or two be made of the chief Of
Eenders and especially of the chef who
utilizes the water closet as a room for
the preparation Of food.
Mr.. Dawson, the public will be ia
formed on Sunday next Of the action
you take in this matter, and it will be
pleased to learn that the little widow
i'm the basement is not only given
chance to exc out living by the sale
of her cleanly prepared and wholesome
victuals, but that the chefs in the up
per rooms who draw monthly salaries
have their stoves sent to the junk
| shops.
There will be a considerable saving
in gas to the government and the
time now utilized in cooking and
which is paid for by the public can be
| given to the respective duties for
which clerks and employees are twice
each month given the good, fiat money
| Of the worst served and the most be-
neyolent government on the fact Of the
| earth.