The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-07
ART OF 'SIGNING'
How Some Public Officials Learn
Their Duties. .'.~t- F.
WATCH-DOGS OF THE TREASURY
Washington Spends the Vacation of
Congress Putting Up ''Skyscra-
pers" and Other Buildings.

From, Tho Journal B,prea., Room, 40. Post
Building, Washington.
washington, July THE practice that
some public men have of writing a letter
whenever they are about to grant a re-
quest, informing all the people who can
have any possible relation TO it, some
times leads to strange complications. MIR.
Mercer, chairman OF the house committee
on public buildings and grounds, took oc-
easlon not long ago to notify Senator
Stewart of Nevada of the fact that an
appropriation had been allowed in the
omnibus public building bill for a post
office at Keno; the efforts which the SEN
ator had made to bring this about We're,
OF course, mentioned, and qualification
which this news would give him. Now, in
point Of fact, Representative Newlands
had been mainly instrumental in getting
this item into the bill, but as Mr.. Stew
arts letter found it's way into the Nevada
papers first, he carried off a good deal
OF the glory Of the result. Stewart and
Newlands are Of opposite parties and are
political rivals. When Mr.. MERGERS at
tention was jocularly called to this Incl
dent, he replied in the same spirit that
he had not sent any letter to Senator
Jones, who is Mr.. Newlands' immediate
antagonist for the coming campaign.
Many public officials confess that they
have been accosted on the streets and
writing Of which they have no recollec-
tion. Often the official letters are drafted
by subordinates and merely put before the
chiefs for signature. One Of the assistant
postmasters general relates that when he
frst entered upon the duties of his Office
he was somewhat bewildered at the
thought of signing so many letters the
nature Of which was more or less of
riddle to him. Calling up messenger one
day who had been in the office for twenty
years, he began to ask how his predeces-
sors there had handled this part of the
business, and whether they had waited
before signing letters till they were fully
familiar with the contents. The messenger
very graciously proceeded to tell the new
assistant how he should perform his
duties.
You see this place right here" said
the messenger, pointing to the lower
right-hand corner, that is where your
name wants to go; you just sign; that is
all there is in 1t for you
Duty of the "Watch-Dog"
Uncle joe Cannon who, by virtue Of
his position as chairman of the house
committee on appropriations, reinforced
somewhat by temperament, is the recog-
nized watch dog Of the treasury, tells a
good story illustrative of the real mean
Ing Of that term. The late William S.
distinction, once remarked in his later
years, so Mr.. Cannon says, that he sup
posed he was called a watch dog because
he had sense enough not to growl when his
friends were getting near the treasury
There Is this human element in all watch
dogs Of the treasury, or rather, to hold
the figure, this doggy element In all the
statesmen who assume especial guardian
ship Of the public stores.
Building in Warrington.
The coming summer promises to be one
of unusual activity in this city in the
building trades Apartment houses and
Office buildings seem to be the structures
which are attracting the most capital.
Secretary Hay is about to build spacious
apartment house in lower Connecticut
avenue, while in it's upper course several
large sized apartment houses have already
been built. So many office buildings are
going up that 1t is a little hard to see
where the tenants are to come from unless
all the old buildings are to be left va
can't Thomas F. Walsh, the Colorado
millionaire, who makes his home here. Is
building huge Office building, to bear the
name Of his state, on the site of the old
Foundry church. A New York insurance
company has erected a skyscraper, of
modern sort, so near the treasury building
as to be a great Disagreement, in the
opinion Of persons Of artistic taste. The
so-called Court Of Honor" of the inaugu-
ration parades. or that Of Pennsylvania
avenue from the treasury to the state,
war and navy building, will soon be
guarded at both it's approaches by sky
scrapers, for on the corner Of it's western
end q high building is rearing it's un-
dignifed head. Much Of it's space will
doubtless be occupied by the navy de-
partment. The government is a large
patron of the Office buildings of the city,
and should it ever decide to supply all it's
own quarters a surprising amount Of real
estate would be thrown on the market.
H. @. Stevens