Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-05
FROM DISTRICT FILES
Passing Of a District Office.

The family of District offices has suffered
a detection in the recent abolition by the
District Commissioners of the office OF
gauger of spirituous liquors for the munich
paIity. One interesting reason for this ac-
ton is that for number of years, almost
score. there have been no duties for the
gauger to perform; but far more interesting
and in fact almost pathetic is the admis-
sion by the authorities that there is and has
been no salary to be drawn by the person
holding the title. With these two disheart-
ening facts staring them boldly in the face
there remained nothing for the Commits
sioners to do but to abolish the Office, for
1t had outlived its usefulness and no one
was DESTROYS of retaining an empty title,
however euphonious it might sound, that
stood for neither work nor cash. This ONCE
just barely escaped being sinecure In that
compensation was lacking.
While no doubt it was with feelings or
regret that an official position. made honor
able by age, had to be abolished, yet that
was the only course open to the authorities
upon a just presentation of all the facts
Perhaps in their consideration of the matter
the authorities pictured the lacerateo teel-
ings of the neglected official gauger during
the past twenty years. as he held down
the office chair and waited in vain for a
job of gauging the hilarious product OF the
distillery and of the vineyard. Probably
they imagined him sitting in his Office day
after day throughout the slowly passing
years in the midst of such hooking bust
ness signs as: This is my busy day; be
brief time is money; Save your CONVERSE
ton for the elevator man." Talk is cheap,
we are overstocked." and so on. during an
that time the gauger may have sat In ms
Office with his gauge in hand. but not even
an odor of exhilarating beverages ever OH
cally entered the sanctum. SO lar as the
official was concerned every INDIVIDUAL
might have been his own gauger or splr-
ituous liquors; each citizen might nave de-
10 ntrp
out official exactness, for the gaugers posi-
ton had relapsed into that state made
famous by the Latin expression OF the sage
of Princeton.
have been disappointing to the gauger,
still more disheartening must nave peen the
lack of salary. No wealth laden appailuoh
ever stalked through the offlee OF the gduger
ON the middle and last days of the weary
months and deposited the cheering enve-
lone on his desk. And so the gauge became
rusty in the officials hand and each night
as he locked up his office after his patient
but futile wait for duties to perform. ne
was evidently filed with the hollowness OF
it all-with the travesty upon oihcial me-
the mockery of office holding as a pastime
The extinction of this District office Is
only another OF the many Instances OF the
big concern swallowing the smaller, Tor the
District could not hope to cope with the
government In the latter's extensive opera
tons The smaller concern gave way to the
larger after a long and empty handed
struggle and finally IT became necessary 10
even abolish the Office and its title after its
duties and its salary had passed into moth
tngness The abolition of the office, ii Is
understood on good authority. has not car
ried with 1t the cause for which 1t was
created, for 1t is confidently believed that
there yet remains in Washington, at certain
appointed places, an abundance of delecta-
bic beverages for the ''spirituously in
clined. The Anti-Saioon League Is author
ity for the statement that even these places
In time will go, even as has the office of
the gauger of sprituous liquors for the Dis
tricf.