Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-15
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and Incidents sketched
on the spot.

BITS OF WARRINGTON LIFE,
minor scenes and Incidents sketched
on the spot.
Elderly clerk in the government service
In Washington are threatened by a com
mittee OF the house OF representatives
with a reduction Of salaries as a penalty
for the offense OF being burdened with
years. They are not charged with incom-
potency or inability to do their days stunt,
but they are guilty OF hanging on TO their
jobs and thus obstruct the admission OF
new material in the departments. The
committee insists there is a superabund-
ance Of old men in the departments and
something must be done to secure new
blood. Hence the committee has formu-
lated a plan for enforced retirement at
the age Of s. years 1t is calculated that 1t
now costs the government about S2,O0OOO0
annually TO keep on the pay rolls clerks
who have attained to the ages OF more
than 70. II is to make this saving in pub
lie expenditure, and also TO increase the
efficiency OF the departmental service that
the new plan Is being worked out. There
will be no pensions, for the aged depart
ment clerks unless the clerks themselves
provide such pension by voluntary annual
contributions to a fund for that purpose.
The new policy is not to be put in force
against the aged clerks now In the service,
but a date is set few years hence for
the new law to be put in operation and all
clerks who enter the public service after
this year will do so with the full knowl-
edge that they must retire without pay
on reaching the age of 65. II Is expected
there will be a lively contest over the uues-
ton when It is brought into the house as
an amendment to the legislative appro-
priation bill
1t requires a great deal Of perseverance
on the part Of the experts employed in the
redemption division OF the treasury depart
ment to ascertain the original value and
genuineness Of the badly dishgured bills
sent in for redemption. But they are well
posted in the business and are seldom II
ever imposed upon. The regulations of
the department requires that before
rnutilated bill can be redeemed at least
three-ffths Of the bill shall be delivered
TO the treasury. The expert has a piece
Of glass the size OF the bill. This is divided
into forty squares and is laid over the
bill to be redeemed il the remnants fill
twenty-five squares.
Burned money and bills that have been
gnawed by mice are the hardest to work
on. The mice-chewed bills require great
patience and care. Each of the pieces is
carefully laid out on fiat hard surface,
and then with the assistance of strong
glasses magnifed so that It can be placed
In proper position with regard to the
others. The experts have a copy OF every
bill that has ever been issued by the gov
eminent. These are used as models as soon
as enough Of the bill has been laid out TO
establish the issue. No bill has ever been
received at the treasury department in a
condition which has made It impossible to
straighten it out and establish its charac-
ter beyond doubt Nor have the experts
ever been obliged to work on bill longer
than the eight hours of the working day.
Some years ago General Grosvenor was
member Of the committee on rivers and har-
bors of the house, and this story is told OF
how he accommodated a newspaper friend.
In those days there was stronger pressure
than at present among the correspondents
to get the advance items in the river and
harbor bill, so that every man who had
friend on the committee was expected TO
LAY down on him and get the different
items The year OF which this story is told
the committee as usual tied itself up and
agreed that It would not make any features
public until the bill was reported to the
house But as usual some members
'Ieaked" A man from the far west pro-
cured the Pacific coast items and one or
two other large items enough to make It
appear that the bill was getting out. These
Items were turned over to man who knew
General Grosvenor well and the battle be-
gan. The general did not want TO give
up" but the newspaper man was persistent.
pointing out how nearly every other man on
the committee had taken care OF his
friends" and that it was not right for the
general to allow his friends to get left. The
outcome was that the young man got his
items in the bill and enough to help out all
his friends who were in the plot.
The next morning there was a stormy
meeting in the committee on rivers and
harbors. General GrOsvenor opened the ball
with denunciation of those who made
much of a pretense Of secrecy and yet gave
out everything pertaining to their sections.
He said that the main features of the bill,
as we'll as whole sections had been made
public, and he knew they were accurate
because the newspaper men had shown him
the figures The committee had seldom re-
ceived such a lecture as General Grosvenor
gave them, and few who had been guilty
Of Tipping Off few Items to friends re-
GREETED that they were not as faithful and
virtuous as the Ohio representative. They
resolved to follow in his footsteps in the
future, and many of them did so. When
ever there is trouble over 'leak' in the
committee every member now tries to get
his indignant protest in first. General Gros-
venor will be missed by the newspaper men
Of Washington, as well as by his colleagues,
for he was a good news man.
The library of congress now contains
u 344.6ls books, no. 1852 pieces Of music, 1sS 724
| prints and STA maps and charts. accord
ing to the annual report OF the librarian.
Herbert Putnam. just presented to con-
| gress.
/ The library gained 6S, 1851 books and about
10000 pictares and pieces of music during
| the last year. There were bought p sos
books, l6.S4S were received by gift, ll.76S
by copyright and 6,474 gained by exchange
| with foreign governments.
Representative Longworth visited the
senate one day this week. Fearing the
ordeal of congratulations likely to occur
he came in very quietly and was well
within the chamber before he was seen
Senator Kean was quick to offer his con-