The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-07-15

service from bureau with commits
sioner and desk room in the old patent
Office building to a department with
$4,000 employees. including the forest
service. secretary in the cabinet and
the beginning of one of the finest
buildings that ever housed federal
department.
Veteran of the Civil War.
CAPTAIN Cooke, for he reached COM
mission rank in the civil war, was
born in Maryland just outside the Dis
trict. He was little more than boy
when the war broke out but answered
the first call of the president for vol
unteers and served with the ninety
day men at the beginning of the strug-
gle. He was in the First Maryland
cavalry and participated in twenty-one
battles and skirmisheS. When the first
enlistment was out he went in again
and served for the full three years
and at the end of that time left the
service wounded, but not disabled
Growth of Great Department.
He came to Washington at that time
and entered the service Of the govern
ment in the then bureau of agriculture.
He has letters now from Andrew Jack
son and President Lincoln commend
ing him for the place. 1t was a little
bureau at the time, and little was
thought of it. Captain Cookies ap,
pointment was under the first commits
sioner of agriculture. Isaac Newton,
who was appointed July l, 1862. Cooke
went into the service in 1864, serving
continuously under j. ". Stokes.
Horace Capron, Frederick Watts, Will
liam G. lie Due, George Loring and
Norman CoIman On the second ap
pointment of Colman TO Office in 1889
the bureau was made department
Then came Uncle Jerry Rusk. ]. Ster-
ling Morton and finally the present
secretary, James Wilson. The de-
partment had been growing ever since
it was created department. but un
der Wilson, who proved a splendid eX
executive, the department went for
ward by strides Its employees in.
creased by the hundred and when the
forest service was created by the
thousand
Captain Cooke watched the growth
and was raised from his position as
a Waterman in an obscure bureau to
be a member of the metropolitan po
lice force and the Waterman at the
front door of one of the most impor-
tant departments of the government.
The Jefferson Bible.
A few years ago congress authorized
the publication of a fac-simile of Thorn
as Jefferson's Bible. Jefferson had
this Bible in the form of scrap book
In which the life of the Saviour was set
out from the Scriptures IN chronology
ical order with especial emphasis as
to the philosophy of life he enunciated
In his sayings This material was set
down in parallel columns in the Greek.
Latin and English texts. After the
order of congress was carried out the
publishers were given leave to print
additional copies. which were put on
the market at $3.50 volume. Recent
~ there has been an overproduction.
and the price is now quoted at $1.25.
A few days ago constituent of Rep
resentative Walter Brownlow Of Ten
nessee heard about the decrease in the
price and rushed in TO tell the con-
gresham, who had more requests for
the Bible than he could FILL
ITS going for S1.25." said the caller.
well. what of it?" replied BrownIow
II can buy u whole Bible for % scents.
A Texan Defines d Vice.
Washington hasn't seen much recent.
" of that distinguished son of the
south. the Hon. Colonel Cecil Lyon.
Republican national committeeman OF
Texas. He hasn't been here since his
friend Theodore Roosevelt went to
Africa. Colonel Lyon il always sure
Of an audience when he arrives il
town, for his brand of stories is the
best on the national capitol market
since Bill Sterrett retired from the
newspaper field and became Lone
Star farmer.
Colonel Lyon was talking about q
man down in Texas who, he declared
didn't have single, solitary vice.
What would you call vice in a
manY' somebody inquired.
This stumped the Texan. He pom
dered for long time, trying to think
but 1t was no use. Then his face
frightened
Il don't know what you would call
vice, he said, unless 1t was chew.
ing gum
No Electric Fans In Capitol.
The sawInilI noise that CRATES on the
ears of statesmen when the electric
fans in the houses of congress are III
action has been stilled and viii be fol-
all time If the edict of Elliott Woods
superintendent of the capitol, is not
revoked. Senators aud Representatives
may swelter and perspire, but the ora.
tor must he heard, and he will have
his way In eliminating what has been
termed q disturbing factor to the
speakers on the door.
During the consideration Of the Ding
ley tariff bin electric fans sent their