The San Francisco call., 1907-03-17
LETTERS UNFOLD STORY
OF LITTLE GIRLS FAITH
Her Appeal to Governor
Brings Her a Special
Thanksgiving Day
FEAsTs ON TURKEY
Strange Incident in Career
of Former Secretary of
Treasury Shaw
By Ira E. Bennett

WASHINGTON, March le.-Secretary
Shaw was rummaging through HIS desk
the other day. getting ready TO turn
over the money bags OF Uncle sam TO
hts successor, George B. CortelyOu,
when he ran across a bundle Of papers
covering an incident in his career as
Governor OF Iowa All but one OF the
papers consisted OF little letters writ
ten 10 him by an s-year-old Iowa girl.
who had asked an unusual favor OF the
Governor. The other paper was his re-
ply. The correspondence tells its own
story, and no one who loves children
can read II without a smile.
The first letter was as follows:
IIvERNoRE, lows, Dec T. 1901.
Dear GoyernOr-please can we have another
Thanksgiving day and have n next Thursday
good things I ant very big But I like turkey
Please let Us have IT, Your friend.
MARY ZIGRANG.
This appeal so touched the heart OF
Governor Shaw that he not only
granted it. but sent to his little cor
respondent a fat turkey In order TO in
sure the observance OF his proclama-
tion. which was in the form Of the fol-
lowing letter to Mary's parents;
DIES MONIES. Iowa. Dec 6. 1901
Having been informed that Mary zigrang of
Liyermore, Iowa, was III on the 2Sth day OF
joining in the festivities incident 70 Thanksgiv-
Ing day, i therefore recommend that, at con
and Mrs. zigrang together with their family
and such young friends as Mary may choose 20
with thankful hearts for country, home and the
blessed influence or children, partake OF such
bounties are usually served in Christian
thanksgiving and that special attention be
given that Mary shall be bOuutifully supplied
with that portion OF the national bird and such
other CQl1caring : most cOnCpnfal 70 her.
l. N. SHAW, Governor Of Iowa
In a few days this news arrived
from Livermore:
LIvERMoRE. Iowa. Dec l3. 1901.
Dear Governor thank you for your kind let
Ter ano for letting me have a InaRksgiElng % & os{
me J shall always keep your letter. Il came
70 late for me 70 send you an invitation to
YOU could have been Esre. Gou are nice, good
man. anc ] wrote 20 SsntR Claus to bring you
MARY ZIGRANG.
The Governor Of Iowa replied in
proper vein. and received this reply:
LIvERMORE, Iowa. Dec. 2l, 1901
Dear Governor got your letter and picture
last sunday Dec. 18th thank you for both. your
picture very pretty j was glad TO get II,
win send you my picture soon my last was taken
with my brothers but today / had my picture
tbis 8rd Of January Is my birthdsy Have YOU
3 little girl as big as met i have four brothers
but not any sister at all Goodby Your friend.
MARY ZIGRANG.
Meanwhile Governor Shaw was ap-
pointed Secretary of the Treasury. and
Mary closed the correspondence by eN-
tending congratulations"
LIvERMORE, Iowa. Dec. 81, 1901
Dear Governor am real glad that you have
q place IN the Presidents Cabinet and send ms
congratulations. bat / am sorry that you mus
esye lows for Washington y s % t4r SSay
PSI send you my picture today don't you
think il looks just like me- ,,,,...,
People who think New York is out
Of the running in national affairs, on
account OF the general disability OF her
two Senators, should cast an eye over
the executive departments. In addi-
tion TO the strong man from Oyster
Bay. the State Department is admin
istered by New Yorker from Clinton,
and the Treasury Department by q
silent man from Hampstead, l. ].
With Roosevelt, Root and CortelyOu IN
charge OF everything, and particularly
Of foreign relations and money mat
ters. New York can get along nicely
without any representation at all In the
Senate.
Eugene F. Ware Of Topeka, former
Commissioner Of Pensions. read the
other day OF a night session of the
Senate which was attended only by
Vice President Fairbanks and Senator
McCumber. chairman OF the committee
on pensions. With Mccumber to offer
the bills and Fairbanks TO pass them.
ssl pensions were granted to deserving
Veterans in si14y-six minutes, an aver
age of fifteen a minute. This appealed
TO Wares poetic muse-it responds
readily TO almost any old excuse-and
he dashed of this brilliant poem, which
he sent TO Senator Long:
on-came the bills in grim plstOons. in column
after column:
Aud ali alone McCumber stood. undaunteo but
sun on the solid phalanx came. fifteen in every
Horstius standing on the bridge was simply
Ten members Of the Sixtieth Con-
cress from Ohio viii be under 30 years
of age J. r. Harding OF Middletown
is only 29. and he Will be the youngest
member of Congress. T. 7. Ansberry
Of Defiance will be 33 when he takes
his seat; Matthew Denver and PaHl
Hawland will be "a. The other six
youngsters have already served in the
Fifth-ninth Congress. They are Cole.
aged 30: Longworth. who is 36; Taylor,
81. Mouser. also 81; Dawes, 3e, and
Baunan, 80.
The Navy Department Is watching
with interest the development of for
eign navies as revealed by recent re-
ports. The rapidity of construction OF
big ships Is as notable as the increase
in size. Japan is a close second TO
England in quick construction. Brit
ish builders boast that they can turn
out a battleship in twenty months. The
Japanese battleship Satsuma was
launched eighteen months after her
keel was laid Japan is now busy con-
structing armored and second-class
cruisers as well as one battleship Of
$4,000 tons, the Oki This vessel and
two frst-class armored cruisers, the
Ibulxi. OF 1900 tons. and the Kurama
OF $4,000 tons. viii be Launched this
year. as well as the second-class cruis-
ers Megami. Tone and Odbo, OF 5000
tons each.
Russia viii begin the construction Of
two battleships this spring, each of 21.-
500 tons displacement, with a speed
Of twenty-one knots and armed with
ten 12-inch guns. They will be equipped
with turbine engines. The Russian
programme indicates clearly the deter
mination OF the Government to restore
the navy to a high rank among the
powers. Reforms in the personnel are
cd