Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-10-04
NATIONAL CAPITAL SIGHTS
OSCAR WOLD WRITES HIS FIRST
IMPRESSIONS.
More CoIored Folks Than Thought For.
AtWaShington'S Tomb-Destroy-
ing and Making Money.
WAsHINGToN. ID. C-. SEpr.

WASHINGTON, ID. G., SEPT. 81.
EDITOR CENSOR; | arrived here Aug
ust 16, and as soon as l had rested lit
tie reported to the appointing officer
When he heard l had just arrived he
said ] coula have that day off and re-
port again in the, morning This was
exactly as | wanted it, so my first day
here was spent going over the city aud
taking in the sights The first thing
that struck me was the number of col
ored people. Expected to find few,
but not so many as they seem to be all
over. Near the White House met an
old fellow who offered to show me
through all the government buildings
FOR fifty cents, and as only had one day
to look around in, thought | could save
time by taking him up on it. The first
building we explored was the White
House. Went into every room we could
get into and saw the pictures of all the
presidents In the East room is piano
that the guide said cost @27, 600. Out-
side the White House are two small
trees imported from some foreign coun-
try, aud according TO the guide they
cost 81, 800 apiece. There are also a
number of other trees there and all
kinds of flowers. In the treasury build.
torn bills from the clean ones, OF those
good enough to 90 back into circulation
The torn aud soiled bills were tied up in
bundles of one hundred each and sent
to a room where they had machine
that punched four holes in each bundle
of bills. Each bundle of bills was then
cut in two lengthwise and each calf sent
to a different department. Thus one
4 80 =
also saw them print money, but do
| not know how many processes each bill
has TO 60 through before IL is completed
Near the state, war and navy depart
ment building are number of guns
Two guns captured by Dewey at Man
| liza are mounted on the front porch
Above was about all could take in the
| first day. but since then / have visited
the capitol library and navy yard
The rCfunda is the most famous part
of the capitol, and it occupies nearly the
entire central part of the building 1t
! is 90 feet in diameter and $50 feet high
! TO the canopy On the canopy of the
| dome Is painting that cost nearly $50,
/ 900 The central figure is Washington,
on his right is Freedom and Victory at
! his left Around them are figures rep.
I resenting the thirteen original states.
From the outside gallery, at the base Of
/ the dome, a person can get good view
| OF the city and the Potomac river. The
! library is Just east of the capitol Ii il
| not as large as the capitol hut is much
! nicer 1t is finished in marble aud il
neatly decorated They have all kinds
| Of books and manuscripts there, also old
| historical letters. Saw one letter from
Major Andre to Washington, asking to
be shot instead Of hanged. A week age
last Saturday | visited Arlington, Vir
1 ginia, the national cemetery This used
! to be the home of Gen Robert e Lee
Hia house is kept II abnut the same al
it was when he left it, From there yor
can also have good view of Washing
ton Last Saturday l took boat ride
- Mount Vernon, Geo. Washington
| old home 1t in l6 or II miles from
here, but the round trip fare if only Fifty
cents and as the admission Is twenty
five cents, the trip only costs seventy,
FIVE cents. Mount Vernon is q very
pretty place and | think Washington
must have lived like an aristocrat,
went through the house and peeped into
every room The one in which Wash
| ingtou died WIS quite large and light,
but the room where Mrs Washington
! died was small and with only one old
| fashioned window, and from that you
can see Washingtons tomb She want.
| ed tn be removed to that room before
she died The kitchen is short distance
| from the main building Ii is quite
small The floor is of brick and very
uneven There was no stove bnt a large
| open fire place.
The morning after | came here report
ed TO the appointing officer again and
was sent TO the auditor for the postoffice
department, who sent me to the chief
of the inspection division and then
was set to work at auditing money ord
or statements There are quite few
of MS but there are all kinds of state
ments, too, as there are something over
| thirty.seyen thousand money order
Offices ia the United States and most ol
them render monthly and the balance
| weekly statements AS | was assistant
postmaster four years at Hannaford
North DAKOTA. the work comes quite
easy.
This is fine city but everything Is
high Even fruit is not much cheaper
| here than farther wet. The usual price
for board and room l. so so andsS25 q
mouth, depending on the location Out
side Of the treasury have not seen a
single silver dollar since ] came Here
they use one and two dollar bills. Felt
q little lonesome at fret but about q
week after came here, met one OF my
old acho0lmates at Ia Crosse, by the
name Of l. r Jordan. He Ia from La
Fargo Now. whenever ! feel lonesome
on Sundays, / can get on car and 10
over to his place, as he is married mar
and lives at Hyattsville Maryland, and
there can make the Sundays 90 toe
quickly. Yours truly
CScAP VOID