The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-03
DARN THAT WEBB!
What Many Bureau Men
are Thinking.
The Fact is That Hon. E. Y. Webb
Must Have BuiIded Better Than
He Knew When He Spun
II
Especial to News and Observer

Especial to News and Observer
Washington, ID. c., Sept. AL
though North Carolina congressman,
including our two Senators, seem to
be too busy at home looking after
their crops and possibly the surround
ing fences to spend much time iii
Washington Whel Congress is not in
session, some of them manage to keep
their memories green, or, perhaps, blue
would be a better word in this case,
in the minds of some of the officials
of the various government depart
mentS here.
Short and troubled have been the
vacations this summer of many a bu-
reau chief who has failed to keep the
work of his division we'll i'm hand,
according to ordinary business meth
DDS. Indeed many of these officials
have spent the time usually devoted
to trips to mountains and seashore or
to their native heaths, to a careful
study of the merry PACED circular of
searching and exhaustive questions,
prepared by the so-called Keep Com
mission. And some of these bureau
chiefs do say that but for the "brash-
ness of young chap from the wilds
of western North Carolina" they would
not be scratching their heads over a
list of inquiries into the hows and
why's of conducting the business of
their offices.
They are well aware also that the
intention of the commission appointed
by Mr.. Roosevelt to investigate the
methods of conducting the public bus
mess in the Executive Department,
and of which Assistant Secretary
Keep. of the Treasury Department, is
chairman, if their answers do not
make a satisfactory showing, is to
conduct personal investigation, call
ing before it clerks and other en-
ployees who will be put through
regular inquiSition process as was
done in the case of the Government
Printing Office. Not many of them
know that the impetus that started
this ball of investigation rolling was
supplied by Hon. f. Y. Webb, Of the
Ninth North Carolina Congressional
district, but those who do would like
to get even with him in some way,
although he, himself, probably had not
the least idea when just at the close
Of the first session of last Congress
he introduced a short resolution ask
ing for certain information, that the
result would be a general and whole
sale inquiry into methods of conduct
ing the business of the Executive De-
partments. No copy of this resolution
is at hand, but if my memory serves
me right. it asked for information
relative to the conduct of the printing
business in certain bureaus of the
Treasury Department. and was the
cause of the issuing of immediate or
ders by Secretary Shaw cutting off GER
tain expensive engraving and printing
which was being done in some of the
bureaus of his department, without
authority of law. 1t lis said that at a
cabinet meeting this same resolution
was later discussed and later yet the
President determined to forestall any
further inquiries of Democratic Con-
gressmen. by appointing a Commission
to investigate the business methods
of all the bureaus of the Executive
Departments, particularly with refer
ence to the expenditure of apprOpria-
tons of public money.
DR.. W. G. Murphy. who has been a
resident of Washington for several
years is nevertheless as a devoted a
son of North Carolina as if he had
never left his borders expresses the
hope that the Southern Industrial
Parliament will yet be a strong intiu-
ence in the upbuilding of the South
and her industries. The doctor expects
shortly to visit his mother on her farm
near BurgaW, n. c., which, although
eight-three years old, She conducts
herself After raising a regular North
Carolina family of ten children she
still has vitality and energy enough
to feed her own chickens and lambs.
The Wilmington marketmen always
quote special prices for lamb which
is the product of Mrs. Murphys Bur-
gaW farm.