Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-05-15
GOSSIP FROM THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
(By the Journals Special Correspondent.)

(By the Journals Special Core espondent.)
Now that all things point to the re-
tirement of Secretary Loeb from the
service under the President to accept
the presidency of Washington's big
street railway companies, the question
is being voiced as to who will succeed
to this important post. Many names
have been suggested but it is more
than likely that the plum will fall to
Frank H. Hitchcock, now First Assis-
tant Postmaster General. In support
of this belief it is pointed out that
Mr.. Hitchcock, in temperament, habit,
and looks would make an ideal Secre-
tary to the President. He is of pleas
ing address, alert, diplomatic and is
intimately informed with the details
of national politics, obtaining much
of his knowledge from his association
with Mr.. Cortelyou, in the manage
ment of the last campaign, in his
position. in the Postoffice Department
and in his recent tour of the South on
a political mission for the President.
He row contemplates making West
ern trip for the same purpose. He
was slated to assist Secretary Cortel-
you when the latter was transferred to
the Treasury portfolio but for some
reason the change was not made and
it is hinted now that at that time the
President had him in view for the
position of Private Secretary, should
Loeb resign the place. Mr.. Hitchcock
is an expert stenographer, just as is
Mr.. Loeb, so that even on this score
he would be as serviceable to the
President as is the present secretary
when it comes to the matter of receiv-
ing confidential dictation.
NEW OFFICE BUILDING.
When Congress meets again next
December, the members of the House
will find the new House of Repre-
sentative's Office building about COM
pleted and ready for occupancy. In
beauty it will rival the Congressional
Library and will be one of the show
places of Washington. Each con-
gressman will have an Office room to
himself, fitted out in the finest maho-
gany Office furniture that can be
obtained. There will be one general
conference and lounging room which
will be so elaborate in fixtures that it
will require several months to COM
plete it after the room is ready for
the furniture.
As yet, the work on the tunnel con-
Meeting the building with the House
end of the Capitol, has not been start
ed. This tunnel will be about eight
hundred feet in length and when it
is finished the Representatives will be
enabled to go from their respective
offices to the Capitol without going
outside the building. The tunnel will
be sufficiently wide and will be lighted
by electricity.
1t is in each room of the House
Office building that machine resemb-
ling the telephone will be placed, the
wires leading to a mechanical device
on the Speakers desk in the House of
Representatives. This instrument
catches every sound OF cpeech uttered
in the chamber, SO that all a member
has to do in his private Office to know
what is transpiring over in the Capt.
tol, is to place his ear to the machine
and listen. In this way members
will know what is constantly going
on although they are far removed from
the scene of action and if their pres
ence is needed to participate in de-
bate, they can be in the midst of it
within five minutes.
Secretary Cortelyou has taken
action to prevent further robberies of
government sub-treasuries like those
which occurred in Chicago and st.
Louis. Uniformity of methods, in
cluding bookkeeping, must hereafter
be observed in all these offices. In
addition, there are to be frequent in
spections by agents detailed by the
Treasury Department, these inspec-
tions to be absolutely without warning
and to be complete in every detail.
In the matter of inspections, years
often elapsed between the visits of
government agents. In the case of
Chicago there was no inspection of the
accounts usually until a transfer of
the Office by one sub-treasurer to
another occurred. The word of the
sub-treasurer and his reports were
accepted as sufficient. When Mr..
Williams was sub-treasurer his
accounts always balanced and gave no
evidence of a need of examination.
But hereafter whether sub-treasurer
is a good official or not, he will find
a Treasury agent swooping down upon
him and calling for the production of
his books and cash.
The Treasury Department still lacks
any clew to the perpetrator of the