Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-18
THE GOVERNMENT AT WORK.
XV-Miscellaneous Federal Organizations
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

dents cottage. The old soldiers con-
sttute fitting guard of honor while
the head of the nation rests among them.
The home was founded through the &C
tive work Of Gen. Winfield Scott. After
the Mexican war funds were available
through the confiscation of property, and
Gen. Scott. seeing that many Of his vet
Grams needed a home in which to spend
their declining years. addressed himself
to the task of founding this Institution.
The Government Hospital for the In
sane, known locally as St Eliza
beth. is one Of the most remarkable
institutions for the feebleminded in the
world. In addition to caring for all the
insane Of the District of Columbia and of
the army and navy, ii cares for the con-
slant stream of poor unfortunates who
and the departments in Fighting imag-
mary wrongs or protecting them from
chimerical foes. Few weeks pass that
some poor crank does not turn up at the
W bite House to enlist the aid of the
President Some of them are armed
and dangerous. One finds in ST. Eliza
beth the man with the perpetual mo-
ton scheme: the woman who was con-
verified by John the Baptist, and is one
OF the characters in the wonderful proph-
ecy OF Revelations; the deluded fellow
who thinks every man in America is
against him, and who was caught with
court seals and other equipment In his
possession through which he fabricated
Judgments for damages amounting to
S;0OOO.OOO. and the demented citizen who
1mag1nes he is Uncle Joe" Cannon
There are number OF other independ-
ent organizations in the executive se,1--
ice of the government whose activities
are full of interest and fraught with
many possibilities. The isthmian canal
commission is directing the great task
OF dividing the Americas and uniting the
commercial world II Sfa
in Washington, through which the home
end of the operation of the greatest COM
mlssary and supply department in the
world, an important railroad system and
a complete steamship line is directed
The Philippine commission is to the legis-
lative assembly of the Philippines what
the Senate is to the Congress of the
United States, and upon it devolves the
administrative end Of giving to those
islands a stable government suited to the
needs Of their inha bitants.
The Library Of Congress is not. &C
curately speaking, a part OF the execu-
tive branch
Library of Congress of the gov
Not Executive Branch. , t." dut,ss srs
closely related to the executive service.
1t is the custodian of several million
books and pamphlets, the supervisory
agent of the copyright organization and
the practical head of the American library
system. It's card index Of literature is
the most complete in the new world. Just
now it is engaged in the work of estab-
fishing a card index of all literature in
the Libraries of America, thus amalga-
mating their treasures into one vast col
lection. No library in the country has
complete collection Of literature. At every
one OF them works are frequently called
for that cannot be supplied. 1t is the
aim OF this new system to Great a sort
of literary flying squadron made up OF
the rarer publications, ready to move to
the demands of the serious student,
wherever he may be. 1t will take years
to work out this system. but what al
ready has been done gives promise Of
ultimate success.
When the library was built it was
thought to be large enough for many
years to come Every facility for eff
carrier that acts with almost human
intelligence; a hydraulic curtain closer
which will close a hundred windows by
pressing button single time, and an
underground book tunnel that carries
books to the Capitol quicker than the
feetest messenger. But recently new
stack was found to be necessary. In
equipping it they have so planned that
even the electric lights are put out by
a clock system. 1t is supposed that the
attendant finishes his mission to the shelf
In five minutes, the light is cut off
at the end OF that time. If he has not
completed his task he must press but
ton to turn the light on.
These articles have dealt only with the
executive activities OF the government
The legislative branch is confined en-
tirely to Washington, and while not as
large as the executive branch it Is more
powerful. in that it controls the funds
of the nation, and unless it loosens the
purse-strings the hands of the execu-
tive service are tied securely. But ever.
the legislative branch is not so powerful
as the judiciary. for the Supreme Court
can completely tie the hands Of Congress,
while Congress. in turn, can tie the
hands Of the President and his fellow
workers of the executive force. 1t is
true that Congress and the President,
acting jointly, may enlarge the Supreme
Court and pack it to meet their views,
but this has been a power seldom re-
sorted to.
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