Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-04-10
GOSSIP FROM THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.

(By the Journals Special Core spondent.)
AS result of the failure of Congress
to raise the salery of government clerks
in Washington, and because it is claim
ed that the merchants of the Capitol
City overcharge Uncle Sans employees
for all the necessities of life, a move-
ment is now on foot among several
hundred clerks, to open a cooperative
department store for the exclusive use
of government employees and their
families. Such scheme has often
been talked of but now that thorough
organization has been formed for putt
ing the plan into effect, it is quite likely
that the CLERKS Store" as it is
already called, will become a reality.
The purpose of the store is not to
antagonize the business interests of
Washington by underselling the local
merchants, the saving to the clerks
being realized in having returned to
them dividend from the profit of the
store. 1t is the purpose to establish
at the start, grocery and provision
store, and if this proves a success, to
enlarge the business until it covers all
the necessities as well as few of the
luxuries of life. As model, the
methods of the Army and Navy Store
of London will be followed, it being the
largest cooperative store in the world,
at which can be purchased anything
from pin to an elephant.
Every employee of the government,
white or colored. will be eligible to
membership, and it is intended to be 90
arranged that each share holder will be
allowed vote in the proceedings which
govern the store. The "Clerk 3 Store
will be incorporated and capitalized at
500, 900, much Of this amount being
paid in at the present time. Ten per
cent. Of the net proceeds, after pay
ment Of all expences, viii be convert
ed each year to enlarging the business,
the remaining 10 per cent. being divided
among the stockholders according to
the amount of their purchases made
during the year.
TREASURY DOCUMENTS.
The question Of what Is to be done
with the hundreds of tons of files and
records that are rapidly accumulating
at the Treasury Department is becom-
ing serious one. At intervals, seven
or eight years apart, committees have
been appointed to go among the old
papers and select those that might be
destroyed. This was found a rather
difficult task, and only few of the
records were burned.
Thousands of tons of the papers,
some of them dating back to the beginn-
ing of the last century, are stored
away on the top floor of the Treasury
building. In fact, nearly the entire
story is devoted to the storing of files
and records of every kind that have
passed through the hands of
officials during the last 107 years.
The quarters are now becomming
crowded and the question as to what
is to be done is again confronting the
the officials. Both sides of the hall
leading entirely around the building
have been filled with these records.
They are of every size, papers from
every department under the Treasury,
and many of them are from every
corner of the world. The very Oldest
records were made in 1900. They are
with reference to the custom-house
reports, which came in several years
after the establishment of service in
this country. Many of the early-day
records were destroyed in the Treasury
Department during the British raid of
1914. With the exception of those
taken away at that time and those
that have since been burned by the
officials, the files are complete.
CAPITOL HOUSECLEANINC.
The anual housecleaning has started
at the Capitol and from now on until
December the big white building will
receive thorough scrubbing from top
to bottom, inside and out. First to re-
cieve attention is the famous Statuary
Hall containing the Statues represent
the two favorite sons of each of the
States. These are now completely
hidden from view under yards of canvas
this being the only way to protect
them from dust and dirt, as they are
too heavy to be moved while the clean
ing and repairing is going on.
During the summer, Statuary Hall
with it's score or so of marble figures,
is the mecca of tourists. 1t was
expected that it would be SO, particu-
larly this summer, with the jamestown
Exposition in operation such a short
distance from Washington, but the
order has gone forth that the entire
hall is to be scraped, every vestige of
the paint removed and left in the un-