Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-15
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor Scenes and Incidents sketched
the soot.

congressman Hun of Pennsylvania Is one
OF the few men in the house OF representa-.
| tives who does not worry himself about
committee assignments. He knows IL does
not pay. He had an experience with the
late Thomas r. Reed which he passed up
to younger members who sought 20 i'm
press their Importance on Speaker Can
non. AT a dinner one night" he said.
Reed asked me in a severe tone OF voice
II didn't want to get a good committee
assignment so that could work. mo. I
| came here to rest" said HUH When the
committee assignments came out Hun was
| down as member OF the committee on
postoffices and post roads. That year the
| committee worked four hours every day
and the colonel scarcely had time TO an
swer letters from his constituents. Mem
bers that pestered the speaker got as
signments to the committee on ventilating
| and acoustics
The Oklahoma boomers have set a mark
In the line Of mascots. AS their special
train was reeling along over the breeze
swept prairies Washingtonward, the boom
ers spied razorback easily trying conclu-
sions with the engineer and Keeping up
with the train. The bell rope was pulled
the train stopped and the whole crowd got
on ana ran the pig into fence corner and
caught 1t. The animal was taken aboard
and brought to Washington as the boom
ers' mascot He Is registered at the RAJ
lelgh and has a room to himself for which
the delegation is paying 81 a day. over the
door is nailed the motto in big letters. "In
Hog Signo vinces." and under this the
couplet. THE Queen of the Fays herself
might ride on a sweet little pigling iusti-
fed"
Many hard working, not intelligent work.
ing bureau chiefs spend their entire time
collecting papers In reference TO a case
commenting with minute eagerness on each.
and corresponding with other officials IN
reference thereto" says a writer i'm tho
World Today. With many an official the
watch word Is a. "clean desk" His idea
In transacting public business is to refer
every letter and document TO some other
official Instead of doing business he is
putting work of on others. A simple letter
OF Inquiry to department has been known
TO bear on its face over twenty references
before the information desired by a citizen
was forthcoming. Coincident with this
mighty work of reference" are many,
many letters. and wordy letters at that,
III each OF which the case is restated in its
entirety.
The worst thing that can befall many an
aoieoodied man. ordinarily industrious is
10 nno' on assuming Office. that there is a
stenographer at his disposal This stenop-
rapher must be kept busy 1t would never
do for him or her to be idle The official
would be false to his trust So he dictatos
letter after letter. and weary are those
who have to read what is written NJ hi.
dictation.
Talk OF the congestion of the ooprts, -
Is as nothing when compared To the oh |
struction of public business due TO the fact |
that the bureaucrat is long on "references', |
ana letter writing and very short on In |
telhgent labor of an expert character He |
10 responsible FOR the prevailing notion that |
the government service consists of So |
many cement sockets for an equal numhsr |
OF well meaning persons.
III ne dared to do so the commissioner Of |
pensions at Washington could connie a |
oenghtful volume. putting therein tho
strange applications for pensions that como !
TO his office. Some of these letters belong
10 the too good to keep" class and thew
ma their way out into the world. WHARF
tney add a good deal to the hilarity OF ma
ions. Some applicants for pensions mani
Test the most childlike ignorance regarding
the method Of procedure necessary when
applying for pension. They seem to think
mat ali they have to do is to send an
appication to the pension Office and Uncle
sam VIII Forward a check by return mail.
ooiIle 30 SO Tar as to send personal letters
70 PRESIDENT Roosevelt, and the writer has
knowledge Of at least one ex-soIdier who
hat h.
riz' from $40 to s12 a month by a letter
sent to the president telling hin, tbot a,
the pension was not "rlz" by a certain
time the applicant would sine the dimmv-
Gratis"
Soon after the close of the civil war
there came to the pension ONCE in Wash
ngton the following unique and poeticaI
apphcation for pension that went the
rounds Of the newspapers at least thirty
years ago, for copy OF 1t is In a SCRAP
book that old:
to Commissioner of Pensions Washington.
ga So many y years I've tried in vain
FOR wound received in Sixty one
II frst Battle of Bull Run
)ne OF ohioes sons so brave
VINO went to the front the union TO save
And whilst Engaged in above said fight
rebel Shell took half my sight
Not content by taking an Eye
his treacherous she'll in Passing nv
ook my Eye Brow Clear of the bone
mo Left me as unconscious as a stone
burning blister of Crystal Clear
rom the jaw bone to the Ear
tut thanks to god my life was spared
meek and Eye brow but sIitely SCARED
IND one Eye was left to me
or TO wright and read Poetre
nope thst with that Eye to see the day
when unkel Sam his Cripples will Pay
The magnificent railroad terminal which is
icing built in Washington at a cost of
100000. and which will succeed the pres
mt unattractlve railway stations in the
lational capital. is described and illustrated /
" Theodore starrett in the current number
4 the Architectural Record.
According to the writer in the magazine '
eferred to, "the terminal station is a
in enduring granite to the Chi
ago Worlds fair and its architect, Daniel
Burnham." The design Of Mr.. Burnham
las been to erect a structure which NAV