Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-08

Bodee that NAH the Eroareae Oh
Events At the National Capital.
Dispatches from the summer capital con.
vey the impression that most Of the re-
sponsibilities Of the national government
have been shifted from washington to
Beverly. This appears to be a mistake. Al
least the subordinate officials in washing
ton will not concede the claim. Their
sturdy shoulders, Atlss-like, carry the bur
den of government and bend under the
weight. In solemn bearing and majestic
strut they look II. A correspondent Of the
Baltimore News puts Alvey A. Ades, sec
ond assistant secretary Of state. at the
head of a class of imposing subordinates
holding up the national machine. Mr.. Adee
Is one Of the indispensable men in the gov
eminent service. OF course, the wheels
OF the government machine might Jog along
IL he should step down and out, but they
would groan perceptibly. Always, about
this time Of year, Mr.. Adee is the real
head of the state department. When the
head of the department and the assistant
secretary both betake themselves away for
a rest, Mr.. Adee takes charge Of things.
lie makes IT a practice earlier in the sum-
mer to take a trip awheel in Europe and
then to return here about the middle Of
the summer and buckle down to work.
In the Navy department, with Mr.. Meyer
away, Beekman winthrop is saddled with
the burdens Of running this end OF the
government. That 1t is no easy task may
be judged from the fact that in one day
Mr.. Winthrop had to pass on the Sutton
case and on the awarding Of contracts for
two great battleships. Mr.. Winthrop Is
one Of the youngest men who has ever
hald an assistant secretaryship.
In the War department General oliver
takes charge Of the department as a rule
in the absence Of Secretary Dickinson. In
the Department of Justice Wade Ellis is
Just now sitting on the lid and seeing to
1t that the trusts do not lift the govern
ment up on jack screws some dark night
and take it down and dump II in the
Potomac.
Just now, Jimmie Reynolds, assistant
secretary Of the treasury in charge of GUS
toms, is much in the public eye. He will
continue to be while the new tariff meas
ure Is on trial. In addition to having
charge of the administration Of the GUS
toms law, Mr.. Reynolds is acting head of
the treasury just now, in the absence of
Secretary MacVeagh. Mr.. Reynolds,
through several years experience in the
treasury, has acquired a thorough famil-
iarity with the operations Of the intricate
laws and regulations pertaining to GUS
toms, and is one of the most popular per-
sonages that ever held the position he
occupies.
According to a brochure just issued by
the United States geographical survey, the
United States leads all other countries in
the conversion of raw abestos into manu-
| farfurad Nrodttrte alfhnnqh much 1ace than
1 per cent of the material used is mined
in this country. There are only two active
mines In the United States at present, one
in Vermont and one in Georgia, although
asbestos is found also in the Grand Canyon
of Arizona, in Wyoming and in California.
Canada is the greatest source of raw
asbestos, which Is imported duty free, for
the manufactures of the United States.
Canada's production for 1908 amounted to
1894 tons, OF a value of $2,547, sol, while
the total output of the United States dur
ing that year was 96 tons, valued at s19, e24.
Imports of manufactured asbestos into
the United States in 1908 amounted to ST.
O6S, 800, and Manufactured $12I,54s. Russia
has recently become an important producer
Of asbestos, its 1907 production being 1919
tons.
~N~ W NAc ANuNNo "oAhNAS NheN wv |
saw Washington and one who makes the
least fuss about his pedestrian stunts is
General F. c. Ainsworth, adjutant general
OF the army. General Ainsworth probably
does more walking in a year than any
other two men in Washington. Some Of his
feats would make even Roosevelt himself
look pale and weary. The general would
rather walk than eat and a good deal
rather walk than sleep. Sometimes, II the
spirit moves him, he gets up at 2 o'clock
In the morning and proceeds to walk over
long stretches in the environs Of the capl-
tai until daylight, when he gets q break
fast that would do credit to a blacksmith
and then is ready to drive through a hard
days work. He never stops to lunch. He
looks on lunch as a weakness which a
man ought not to succumb to. And when
1t comes TO getting rid Of vast amounts
of work, there are none in the army or out
Of It who have any the better of the in
d~efatIgable adjutant general.
1t is not generally known that there are
only two persons in the government SER
vice who have authority 20 sign the name
OF the president, and that neither Of these
two persons is connected with the chief
executives official household. Both are
NOiANh dhu NiSg VI alNdCnSu " AAN 6NH
eral land office. They sign the presidents
name 10 patents granting public lands to
settlers.
These women are Mrs. Margaret Wilson
Young and Miss Allne S. Slump. The first
mentioned is the secretary directly respon-
sible for this clerical work, and Miss Slump
is authorized to take charge OF II when
Mrs, Young is away on leave. Mrs. Young
is at present out Of the city on her annual
leave. and Miss Slump is daily affixing the
name of William H. Taft to land office
patents.
From time immemorial the granting Of
patents to a part Of the public domain
has been a sovereign act, and when pub
lie lands were first parceled out in this
country 1t became the duty Of the execu-
tive to sign the patents. In the early part
of the nineteenth century this became an
irksome task, which occupied altogether
too much of the presidents time, and, in
1872. a special act was passed by congress
authorizing the appointment OF a special
secretary who should have full authority
to sign the presidents name.