Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-24

BITS OF wAsHINTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and Incidents sketched
on the spot.
About the FIRST Of the year the Internal
Revenue bureau sprung a large oficial
wink on proprietors Of soda water foun.
tains gently suggesting the propriety
OF swearing OF and sticking to II. Not the
regulation New Year resolution, but one
that would hold water untainted by the
Juice OF the grape or the bite Of alcohol.
| Compounders OF the wonderful creations
known as summer drinks put the wink on
file and didn't say a word. A second and
more emphatic wink Is going out to the
dispensaries reminding the owners that
| the sale OF intoxicants even OF the mildest
kind over the soda water counter requires
the customary license. Failure to cough
up or quit involves penalty which the
bureau is determined to enforce. Wash
ington Dispatch says an order has been
| prepared for distribution among the col
! lectors OF internal revenue, warning them
that drug stores. candy stores and other
establishments that sell soda water and
other beverages in which alcoholic liquids
have been introduced, must pay the reg
ular government retail liquor dealers
license. Several years ago the department
made a ruling that where an alcoholic
! navoring syrup is used for sprinkling into
| a glass of soda water a quantity so small as
| to merely give a flavor to the water, the
| special tax of liquor dealer is not re-
quired to be paid for the sale Of such
beverages So great has been the trade
established under this exemption, however,
that 1t is now found necessary to revoke
this ruling.
The Treasury department, under strict
orders from Secretary Shaw, who Is some
| thing of a teetotaler, is determined TO
break up the business OF druggists who sell
soda water drinks mixed with whisky,
wines and other spirits. The tax is $2j
a year, and II this is collected by the
government 1t is likely that the local
authorities will also require a regular
| liquor selling license to be taken out. Ger
tain syrups require a small percentage Of
alcohol in them to prevent fermentation.
| The tax is not intended to apply to cases
OF this sort. but only where the alcoholic
mixture is added after the beverage or
syrup has been received from the manu-
facturer of the same.
| AS a result of the Investigations In the
Postofice department by Assistant Postmas-
| ter General Brstow an order has been is
| sued by the postmaster general that FIVE
men now carried on the rolls as book
keepers" but really employed to repair
cancellation machines, report for duty at
the postofices to which they are assigned.
| The government rents cancellation ma
chimes from the makers, paying a rental Of
$3.50 to $400 year Instead Of having the
manufacturers keep the machines in order,
the Postofice department has been paying
these ive men, who are rumored to be en-
ployes OF the manufacturers. There is no
appropriation for machinists, and the men
appear on the rolls as ''bookkeepers." I'm
der Mr.. Payne's order they will have to go
to work at bookkeeping or resign.
The men are George E. Barnard nomi-
nally attached to the Boston postofice; R..
H. Bruning, to the ONCE at Cleveland, o.;
]. H. Elliott, Syracuse, N. Y; William z.
Estes San Francisco, and e. H. Merritt,
Grand Rapids, Mich. They have been trav-
cling ever the country at government ex-
pense, inspecting machines at a cost Of
thousands of dollars yearly. Mr.. Payne
said that hereafter each postoffice would
keep it's own machine in order.
Plans have been completed for the new
$500, 900 structure that is to be erected for
the National museum IN Washington, and
bids for its construction will soon be called
for. The regents of the Smithsonian in
sttution are experimenting this work, and
1t is their idea when the new building Is
completed to have a complete rearrange-
ment of the exhibits now in the National
Museum and the Smithsonian institution
buildings.
The new structure is to be devoted to
the scientific collections Of the government,
the present National museum building to
the Industrial arts and the old Smithsonian
building to the Smithsonian and National
museum library and art collections. The
regents propose that the scientific collec-
tion in the new building shall be the finest
in the world, and an offlcer Of the insttu-
tion makes the statement that already
many OF the branches to be covered have
reached a perfection that is not equaled in
any other museum in the world, even the
great British museum. The chief subjects
to be covered are biology, anthropology,
geology, zoology, botany and American his
tory. The present National museum build
ing will be given up to a great exposition
of Industrial art, including the already i'm
mense and unique collection Of the museum
and many additions that the regents are
planning to secure as rapidly as possible.
The museum will be modelled in its scope
and general plan after the Victoria and
Albert museum OF Great Britain. Among
the chief departments will be those OF land
transportation, boat models, implements of
war and electrical apparatus, of which the
museum already has rich collections.
The plans for the Smithsonian building
contemplate the creation in time OF a mag
niicent library and art gallery. The scien-
tihc library of the institution is already one
Of the finest In the world. Its scope will
be broadened and 1t will become a much
more important unit in the general scheme
of the institution. The plans for the art
gallery are ss yet tentative. The new
structure will be 4s6 feet long and 345 feet
broad, with height of four stories.
Negotiations are practically concluded
between France and the United States for
the establishment Of parcels post agree
ment. Secretary Hay is conducting the
correspondence and all that remains
r to be done is to put the agree