Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-20
AT THE LITTLE CAPITOL

It IL q mighty slack day and uneventful
when the mills of the District government
do not turn out fair sized grist Of new.
surprising or at least interesting samples
In the government line. There h nearly
always something doing OF greater or less
import at the little capitol" In fact. the
officials OF the municipality have long since
been wont to place in the lost column
those days which do not produce something
worthy OF note In local annals by the time
1t is necessary to close up shop.
One Of the latest actions of the municipal
authorities that has been violently thrown
into the glare of the limelight is the re-
issuance or revival of an antiauated ukase
to the effect that the elevators in the
District building shall not be used to carry
employees of the District other than the
Commissioners and the heads of the de-
partments, down from upper to lower floors
In other words, the great majority of the
city's trusted and efficient servants must
walk down stairs when they are engaged
in transacting the citys business and only
the favored few may ride.
Since the PRONUNCIATION of this order the
burden of the District employees song has
been Drill, ye terriers. drill. 1t is TO
walk. walk, walk, for the clerks and mes
sengers. and there is no way open for them
but the stairway. No more can they step
into the District building elevators tthings
of beauty and joys forever) on the fourth,
fifth sixth floors, and smoothly glide
to the lower floors without the exercise
of their powers of locomotion. The COM
mssioners and heads Of the departments
go whizzing by at the rate OF about one
floor to the half minute in the exclusive
elevator cars while minor, meagerly PAID
employees walk laboriouSly down the stair
ways and gaze with envious eyes upon the
fortunate occupants of the sliding cages,
no doubt rejecting with bitterness upon
the irreverent sentiment, the rlci, tney
ride in chaises. and the poor they walk.
etc.
Heretofore it has seemed to be the gen,
eral impression that elevators are oeSlgneo
and installed in tall buildings for the pur-
pose of facilitating the transaction of busl-
ness, the saving of the time and strength
OF persons having business on the upper
floors, and for the use of any one VINO
had a right to be in the building. The ele-
vator has come to be looked upon as a ne
cessity, just the same as are public ofn-
Gals In the District building. however.
where. apparently, time is no object in the
transaction of business and where walking
is considered a healthful exercise, the eIe.
vator is evidently considered as sort OF
luxury. like Turkish BATH
Under the circumstances the elevators IN
the six-story building which is the home OF
the District government might be made
source of revenue when they are not IN use
by the high officials by charging the clerks
and messengers employed on the upper
floors fare for riding from one story TO
another. The positions in the office or the
assessor OH the first floor will be at u pre-
who are employed In the executive office
five stories up. or in the health department
in the sixth story.
For the clerks and messengers who work
daily on the floors above the first story
there is perhaps but way in which they
may avoid walking downstairs. The adop-
ton of one plan suggested will take them
back to the days of their boyhood and Will
revive old and cherished memories of rapid
transit down the smooth cellar door or
along the polished baniSterS in the wide
main hall of their youthful homes. 1t
would, no doubt. be a cheering and eNhil-
arating sight, although perhaps somewhat
undignfed to see the upper-Hoor employees
at the District building reverting to the
banister- riding practices of bygone days in
order to avoid walking tediously down the
long flights of stairs. Imagine the old
trusted employe, whose locks have become
slvered with the SHOWS of many winters
spent over his desk at the District building
picture this white-haired servant of the
municipality climbing joyfuly onto the ban
listers at the upper stories and sliding glee-
fully down to the lower floors in order to
save his weakened limbs from the unusual
exertion of descending the hundred steps.
The institution of this youthful practice
at the District building, however, would
soon probably be the subject of later
ukase and the practice would then have to
be INDUCED IN surreptitiously, and this
might result unfortunately for the employees
The stairway seems the only safe means of
descent for the District employees, now that
the "closed door, sign has been pasted on
the eleVa tors,