Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-18
Government Rt Work
Miscellaneous Fed
eral Organizations.

honor while the head OF the nation rests
among them The home was founded
through the active work Of General Win
field Scott After the Mexican war funds
were available through the confiscation OF
property. and General Scott. seeing that
many of his veterans needed home in
which to spend their declining years, ad-
dressed himself to the task of founding
this institution.
The Government Hospital for the Insane,
known locally as st, Elizabeth's. is one Of
the most remarkable institutions for the
feeble minded In the world In addition
TO caring for all the insane of the District
Of Columbia and Of the army and navy, IL
cares for the constant stream Of poor un-
fortunates who seek the aid OF the prcsi-
dent, congress and the departments In
righting imaginary wrongs or protecting
them from chimerical foes. Few weeks
pass that some poor crank does not turn
up at the White House to enlist the aid OF
the president Some of them are armed
and dangerous. one finds in St. Eliza
beth's the man with the perpetual motion
scheme; the woman who was converted
by John the Baptist and is one of tho
characters in the wonderful prophecy Of
Revelation; 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 dam
ages amounting to $4,000 900; and the de-
mented citizen who imagines he is Uncle
joe Cannon.
There are number OF other independent
organizations in the executive service Of
the government whose activities are full OF
ties. The Isthman Canal commission Is
directing the great task OF dividing the
Americas and uniting the commercial
world 1t maintains a staff in Washing
ton, through which the home end of the
operation Of the greatest commissary and
supply department in the world, an inn
portant railroad system, and complete
steamship line is directed. The Philippine
commission is to the legislative 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 inhabitants.
! The library OF congress is not, accurately
speaking, a part Of the executive branch
! of the government, but its duties are
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 pract-
| cal head of the American library system.
Its card index OF literature is one Of the
most complete in the new world. Just now
! II is engaged in the work of establishing a
card index of all literature in the libraries
of America, thus matchmaking their treas
ures into one vast collection. 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 sys-
tenn. to create a sort of literary flying
squadron, made up Of the rarer publica-
tons, ready to move to the demands OF
the serious student, wherever he may be.
1t will take years to work out this sys-
TEN, but what already 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 efficient SER
vice was installed-a book carrier that acts
with almost human intelligence; a hydrau-
lie curtain closer which will close 100 win.
dows by pressing a button a single time
and an underground book tunnel that car
ries books to the capitol quicker than the
fleetest messenger. But recently new
stack was found to be necessary. In equip.
ping II they have so planned that even the
electric lights are put out by clock sys-
tenn. 1t is supposed that the attendant
finishes his mission to the shelf in fiv,
minutes, so the light is cut off at the end
of that time. If he has not completed his
task, he must press a button to turn the
light on.
These articles have dealt only with the
executive activities OF the government The
legislative branch Is confined entirely to
Washington, and while not as large as the
executive branch, II is more powerful, In
that 1t controls the funds of the nation.
and unless 1t loosens the purse strings the
hands Of the executive service are tied Sc
curey. But even the legislative branch is
not so powerful as the judiciary, for the
supreme court can completely tie the hands
Of the president and his fellow workers OF
the executive force. II is true that con-
gress and the president, acting Jointly
may enlarge the supreme court and pack
it to meet their views, but this has been
a power seldom resOrted to.
BY PRHDERTo =. HAsKIM.
Tomorrow-Is Base BAH Hoasst3