Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-21


take tho oath OF allegiance to the United
states upon attaining their majority.
Auditing Committees Take Lite.
There are ten committees Of the house Of
representatives which are apparently Inn
portant bodies. They are the committees
on expenditures in the executive depart
ments and upon public buildings About
twenty years ago when william NJ.
Springer Of Illinois was chairman OF tho
committee on expenditures in the Postoffice
department he called his committee to-
gether and made an investigation. Some
improper expenditures were discovered and
Mr.. Springer gathered a great deal OF
campaign thunder and then the committee
adjourned sine die
II there has been formal action by any
like body in the past twenty years It would
be difficult to find record Of the fact.
These committees on expenditures were
originally formed to act as auditing COM
mittees with the idea Of keeping congress
posted upon the methods in vogue in the
bookkeeping divisions Of the various
branches Of the executive service. But
like auditing committees generally they
have shown no disposition to perform their
duties. This year, however, marks an eN-
ception to the general rule. Mr.. little
field Of Maine, as chairman OF the commits
tee on expenditures In the Department OF
Agriculture, has begun a thorough and ex-
haustive inquiry into the manner In which
the funds OF that department are disbursed.
The fact Is noteworthy that the annual
appropriations for Mr.. Wilson's depart
ment have been increased from S2.5Oo,oO0 to
1900. 900 since he first accepted the agri-I
cultural portfolio. No one expects the In-
quiry will develop anything like crooked
I,,e gaga 14,aN
men and they usually ignore formRlities
when aiming to achieve results. and II Is
with a view to the incubation of better
business methods that the inquiry is now
in progress.
While the remaining weeks of the pres
ent congress afford no opportunity to exc
tend the work Of auditing committees to
the other departments IL is understood to
be the purpose of the speaker TO insist
that each and every one of them shall
get busy" in the next congress, and that
a report shall be made upon the work and
methods of all the departments before the
end of the first session of the sixtieth con-
gress.
Congressman Use Mileage Books.
Since the first day OF January members
OF congress have learned to pay railroad
fares just like ordinary Americans and it
seems they are beginning to enjoy the
| novel experience. One result of this new
| sensation is the discovery that money can
be saved by the purchase of mileage books,
! and nearly every member who travels bo-
! tween Washington and New York has pur-
chased at least one of these convenient
I money savers. The rate of fare, one way,
between the capitol and the metropolis
has been $3.50 for many years, while a
| round trip ticket. good for ten days cost
SO Now, however, a book good for one
year, which contains ZOO mile slips can
be had for $40 and this book is available
| for any number OF persons. Mr.. Congress-
man who wants 10 take his wife to New
York for a month buys one of these books,
takes his better half and starts. When he
| comes back he still has ninety-six miles
available, which is enough to take him to
| Baltimore and back. or well on his way to
| New York again. Those who have ac-
quired the mileage book habit are fond OF
telling their friends of the discovery and
! each has constituted himself ticket agent
| for the railroad which sells the books.
Sleeping Car and Express Rates.
The Interstate Commerce commission has
| been 80 busy with the most important
| clauses of the new rate law that up to
! the present time no opportunity has been
effect the paragraphs OF the bill which
apply to sleeping cars and express rates.
| But some of the officials of the commis-
sion are gathering data which will shortly
be available. The sleeping car rates have
already been discovered to be without any
| basis of reason whatever and the express
rates, especially to ''non-competitive
points," are known to be excessive and ar
| bitrary. The commission will get after
! the express and sleeping car companies
very shortly now and the general public
| Will probably get personal knowledge OF
the scope of the rate bill as a result, be-
| cause il is very well known that the or
binary American householder who is not
| directly engaged in commerce has far more
intimate connection with sleeping car tick
cts and express charges than with freight
rates
| Filth In Meat Markets.
| Washingtonians like to brag of the clean
| illness of their city, and the beauties of the
| existing form of government The local
: governing authorities issue frequent orders
| for the control OF the morals and habits
of the people The bill poster is not per-
mitted to display a picture of a chorus
| girl unless her skirts reach her boot tops
| and the stranger who splits on the sidewalk
! is liable to arrest and fine. II would seem
that the same authorities would look after
the sanitary regulations Of the institutions
under their control without the aid OF the
| federal authorities. But thus far they
have not done so and as a consequence q
| commission of the Department OF AgricuI-
| ture has been at work investigating the
places in Washington where meats are
sold. They have discovered conditions OF
Nth in some OF the markets which would
give joy to Upton Sinclair. And as for sani-
| tary arrangements there are apparently
none-neither toilet rooms nor lavatories.
80 bad were the conditions discovered that
only a private report was made lest the
public should be frightened into starvation.
Now that they are notified officially by the
| Department OF Agriculture that the mar
kets are filthy, the district authorities are
awakening; but It took severe jolt to dis
sipate their lethargy.
Lost Thirty-six Hours I'm storm.
sTURGIs. s. D., Jan. 9O-(special Tele-
| 81 H..