Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-17
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor Scenes and Incidents sketched
on the Spot.

Minor Scenes and Incidents sketched
on the Spot.
Members Of the Grand Army carried
away from Washington some Impressions
OF the city which were not entirely pleas
ant" writes a correspondent Of the Chi
cago Journal. "They we're not Of the
city or Of the weather, for both we're beau
tiful and at their best. But there is some
thing about Washington's p~eople-always
excepting ~some-which carries a sug-
gestion of a spirit which is more than in
hospitable. 1t is the spirit of do and
work in that colloquial sense which has
become familiar to all. The Washing
t~onian-always excepting those who are
not that way-is on the make He has
something in common with the sharper
and the 'bunco' man. The resident popu-
lation-with the exceptions above noted
are versed In the art of getting a living
out of the government or out of other
people. 1t Is a game of getting something
for nothing or a good deal for a little.
1t is the habit which has given new sig
niicance to such words as soak graft
and blk 1t is that manifestation Of
human nature which reverses the golden
rule and does the stranger within your
gates and does him brown-because you
have him where you want him.
9TH Washingtonian swung out his bunt-
ing and 1t was a signal to charge Under
its futtering folds he charged right
valiantly. Thu serried ranks of hotel men,
boarding house keepers, hack drivers and
purveyors of amusement closed in upon the
boys in blue and what they did to their
pocketbooks makes Cold Harbor and the
Wilderness seem kind. Everybody had a
good time-if he didn't mind the expense.
The natives had the time of their lives.
Not even new congressman or politicians
in search Of foreign missions are 80 easy.
The veterans were out to spend their
money and the natives were present to
help them to do 1t.
Washington is a great and beautiful
city, but II the spirit of its resident popu-
lation always excepting the nice people,
were to be typihed by anything symbolic
II should be a leech rampant, with the
Latin for I graft inscribed all over It,"
Anybody with a hankering for the de-
lightful post of tombstone inspector at
$1,000 can have the Job by passing an
examination on tombstone art on Novem-
Der IL. The examination will be con-
Quoted by the United States civil service
commission. The vacancy is in the quar-
termaster's department OF the army and
the duties will be mostly at Boston. To
pass the examination 1t is requisite that
the candidate know about tombstones, the
material OF which hey are made and what
to put on and under them. He, or she,
should be able to read, write and figure
inscriptions and a little exercise in a tomb
stone factory would be of inestimable ad-
vantage.
1t may be stated that cemetery expert
ence is not required. But in the xamina-
tion experience counts so per cent, while
all the rest OF the things together count
the other 80. No night work is required
Of the tombstone inspector. Most Of the
work will be clerical In its character and
half OF the examination is in the branches
usually given for clerks; the other half is
exclusively tombstone. Some knowledge of
material, quality, cost Of stone, and in
scriptions will be needed.
Some years ago." writes the Washing
ton correspondent of the Boston Transcript,
the Bureau OF Harbor Statistics made a
compilation of the length OF time which
would be necessary at the advance OF wages
resulting from all Successful strikes for
the men TO get back the money they had
lost by being out Of work. In some strikes,
which were rated a. successful 1t would
take as long as six years for the employees
to recoup themselves for their direct loss.
although the average was only about three
months. u the partially successful strikes,
the designation OF a compromise class, the
length of time necessary averaged about
OIL year. II the present strike should be
settled now, after twenty-one weeks of
idleness, on the basis Of a ten per cent in
crease. It would ordinarily take four years
for the miners to get their money back.
But In practice il would take them q very
much less time. since their work would be
steadier for the next year than ever be-
fore and aside from the customers VIII
have been driven way by the strike. never
to return, there would be about so much
demand TO be met anyway. A Ave per cent
increase in wages would be very slow
in making good the immediate losses.
Blu the greater loss to miner and oper-
ator alike will come in the popular educa-
tion which this strike has afforded in the
use OF substitutes. This Is really important
in view Of the vanishing supply Of anthra-
cite, and Its effect on the immediate mar
ket will probably be marked. 1t seems
likely, too, that congress will repeal the
duty on coal this winter, at least upon
grades approximating anthracite. and this
would be doubtless something Of a loss to
the American producer unless 1t were done
by means OF a reciprocity treaty with Can
ada by which that country admitted our
coal free. Then the trafAc OF accommo-
dalton along the border line would amount
TO about as much In one direction as In