Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-22
STORIES or WASHINGTON LIFE.
People and Events worthy oi
Passipu Note.

| FeOpie and Events worthy OF
| Passing Note.
Onicials OF the United states treasury are
liable TO make things uncomfortable for
one OF the government engravers II they
can trace to its source the man who, APP
parently in a spirit OF fun, placed puzzle
| picture on the 1850 series OF $40 notes. In
| cldentally the American eagle Is said to be
| In state OF high indignation because the
engraver made II look. turned upside down.
| like common everyday donkey with long
ears and a white nose. on the face OF the
| bill appears an American eagle between the
| signatures at the bottom. There is nothing
about the appearance OF the bird to denote
| that IL is different from the same picture
appearing on the other bills but when one
turns the bill upside down the head OF a
donkey looks up plainly.
The treasury officials have omitted to
place an inscription on the bill. Find the
jackass." The absence Of this has kept the
| matter a government secret for some time
| Although the "jackass bill" has been in
existence for several years It was first dis
covered the other day by bank clerk in
Chicago, who thought II was a counterfeit
| and reported his discovery to the sub
| treasury officials. They had been ignorant
| or the puzzle picture and sought informa-
| tion from Washington. The answer received
was not made public except insofar as the
| bill was acknowledged as genuine The full
| text OF the message from Washington, II is
| said, was to the effect to keep the "jackass"
quiet and not let the public hear its bray
| ing
From an artistic point of view the en-
graver's work is excellent. It Is the per-
fection OF puzzle creation. The head and
neck OF the eagle, which has a peculiar
| l.f,
The light shading at the base Of the wing
becomes a perfect eye from the other view
point. 'rhe thighs OF the eagle form the
| ears OF the jack.
According to the latest official list there
are f9,446 public functionaries of various
kinds and degrees employed exclusively in
| the District OF Columbia in conducting the
numerous departments and bureaus OF the
| federal government, says the Washington
correspondent OF the New York Tribune
These are the civilian appointees in the ex-
ecutive departments, and do not include
| senators and representatives and several
hundred employees of the houses who vi
brate between the capital and their homes
in other parts OF the country. Nor does
| this aggregate include $50 or 400 army and
navy officers, active and retired. who form
a large permanent colony here. The
monthly compensation OF these 19,446 civil
ian employees amounts to 81 ,635, ,70s.S1.
Therefore, the aggregate sum in salaries AN
nually paid out in Washington by the gov
ernment disbursing clerks reaches the enor-
nous total OF SIS, ,62s, ,5O572. Besides. proba-
bly, not less than $4,000, 600 additional goes
to senators and congressman and their
highly paid subordinates. and perhaps
s1250.0 900 more TO the army and navy off,
cials, most of whom are OF high rank with
! large pay, there being constantly here not
! less than sixty generals and admirals, ac-
| tive and retired These totals form q
grand aggregate OF s23,s7S,5 ,50572 annually
paid out in Washington in the single item
OF salaries
Representative Mudd of Maryland has a
most engaging way Of picking up odd pen
| ntes, relates the New York World. Stand
ing in the Riggs lobby the other day talk
ing with Representative Gaines of Ten
nessee, he remarked in quite an finland
| way:
Funny about Crumpacker, amt it?'
What's funny about Crumpacker"
asked Mr. Gaines.
Born in Valparaiso and lived there all
his life, almost yet here come the Ameri-
United States congress-
| "Crumpacker was not born in Valpa-
raiso," Mr.. Gaines declared emphatically
and somewhat Indignantly, for he and
Mr.. Crumpacker are good friends.
BET you So he was" replied Mr.. Mudd.
Done" said the Tennesseean, and then
Mr.. Mudd drawled: by the way, there's
Crumpacker over there now playing bill
liards 20 and ask him"
Mr. Crumpacker looked up from his cue
long enough to explain
Certainly / was born in Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Ind"
Mr.. Gaines muttered something that was
not prayer.
Strange afinities in some mysterious
manner develop among senators, reports
the st. Louis Globe Democrat correspond
ent. The scholarly Lodge of Massachusetts
and Pitchfork Tillman of South Carolina
are great friends. So strong is the tie
| that when Tillman wanted the St. Louis
| Worlds fair bill to carry his Charleston
| appropriation Lodge told him he would stay
| with him to the end. For some time after
the polished. talented Beveridge entered the
senate he was an odd one. He apparently
| found no congenal spirit. He seemed to
care to cultivate nobody, and nobody Guilt
waited him. II is different now. Beveridge
! has found mis- senatorial chum As usual
the case is a friendship of opposltes. The
| senator in whom the Indiana genius has
discovered comradeship is the new man
| from Utah. Kearns. While Beveridge was
going through college and winning fame as
| a brilliant orator Kearns was prospecting
| on a grub-stake in the Rockies and the
| Sierras. Beveridge burned the midnight oil
| over dead languages. Kearns carried a
sack of -four, a fitch of bacon and pick
| into the wilderness. About the time that
| Indiana awoke TO the intellectual merits
| of Beveridge, Kearns struck IL rich In
| abandoned workings of an old mine. Bev-
eridge is famous, but brain weary. Kearns
| is on easy street, United States senator
| in search of good time. The two senators
are to spend vacation together Bever-
idge is going TO Utah to join Kearns. They
| will take wagon, saddle horses and a
camping outfit and plunge into the marvel
| Gus country southwest of Salt Lake City
| II the mood for the wild life lasts they
will go through to southern California, from
| 800 to 1000 miles. Both are looking for
ward to the first genuine outing OF their
| lives.
| Senator Plat OF Connecticut is repre-
sented as having had lots of quiet fun
| few nights ago out of a new and inexperi-