Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-07
w ashin gton Life
Some Interesting Phases
and Conditions Observed
81 the Mation'a Capitol

come Interesting Phases
and Conditions Observed
81 the Nations Capitol
A bunch OF internal revenue sleuths are
getting a first class run for their salaries
hiking on trails Of the smoothest swindlers
that have hit the crooked pike in many
years Ordinarily their method of mixing |
up with other peoples coin would be con-
sidered raw" but Il is buttered on both |
sides with slick conversation deftly toned
to fatten the purse. Besides. the game
rips into the revenue regulations and that
starts trouble. Your unces pure food
law surrounds the manufacture and sale of
butter with certain restrictions which are
being shamefully Haunted by the crooks. |
They usually brace up to a farmer with
scheme warranted to convert one pound OF
butter into two pounds, thus doubling the
productive capacity Of the farm dairy
machine goes with the scheme. So long as
the blended product of the machine Is con
sumed by the blenders family, internal
revenue agents raise no question. But
whenever such product is offered for sale
on the market the internal revenue officers
step in, and the penalties for marketing
what is technically known as "adulterated
butter will ensue, unless the offender" has
first paid the special tax imposed by the
law on those who would sell adulterated
butter.
There has been pathetic cases recently
OF small farmers and dealers who have
taken advantage of the high prices Of but
fer to double their profits.
To take one pound OF butter and add a
pound Of milk, the milk costing only Al
cents, together with little cottonseed oil
or other lubricant, and compound the whole
into two pounds of fresh dairy butter,
right from the farm" ana sell it for 60
cents appears on the face of IL like a
profitable industry, but after a revenue
officer comes along and gathers in the in
dustry and imposes penalties aggregatng
$500, the business Of making two pounds of
butter grow where one grew before breeds
bankruptcy.
This is exactly what happened to one
small dealer near Washington. The in
ternal revenue officers have been watching
the advertisements in newspapers and
ma gaines of the butter-makirg machines,
and are keeping tab on the purchasers to
see that the machines are not put to use
that would be violation of the internal
revenue laws. A pound of butter that con-
IdlnS more IMAM 10 per cent VI HOlSNul6 10
held to be adulterated within the meaning
Of the internal revenue regulations, and a
heavy tax is imposed upon the vendor of
such a product, and IL he fails to take out
license in advance he may be subject
to heavy penalties. The commissioner OF
internal revenue has determined to wage
a war on the butter blenders.
Several hundred young women who re-
Gently arrived in Washington from var
ious section OF the country to take tenn
porary employment in the census bureau
ere about ready to throw up their jobs
and go home. Most Of them seem to have
had the impression that the work would
be light and that they could have a gem
eral good time while performing their
tasks.
Young women who had never used their
fingers except on piano were put to
work on the big punching machines that
are used in counting the population of the
country. They were shocked when they
discovered they had to do this sort Of
work, but there was a still greater shock
when they discovered that they were not
to be paid on a salary basis, but by the
piece. -r- c,1a r0. r.t--' 'if
Many of them are earning not more than
rs cents a day and they are about as dis
| gusted a lot of ambitious young women
as ever landed in Washington. Things
generally seem to have gone against this
crowd of treasury clerks. A few days after
they were set to work they concluded it
would be fine thing to bring their lunches
with them and at the noon hour go across
the street into the capitol grounds and
enjoy a sort of picnic lunch. They carried
out this program for two days and had a
fine time for half an hour, besides leav-
ing the capitol lawn Uttered with paper
boxes, napkins and what not On the
morning of the third day each one OF
them received a typewriter notice signed
by the chief of police of the capitol squad
serving notice that lunchlng on the capitol
} grounds was not permitted
Now the newcomers have to eat\ their
lunch in the quarters in which they are
employed. Some of them are still hopeful
that things will yet come their way, but
a majority is confident that temporary en-
ployment by Uncle Sam is not what 1t Is
cracked up to be when the civil service
examination is held.
An ingenious plea for life Job in con-
gress is made by Representative George
C. Sturglss of the First West Virginia dis
trict Sturgiss got leave to print" and
several pages of a beated issue Of the
congressional record are devoted to setting
forth what an Industrious man he ha'
been and telling also of the advantages
: to a community in maintaining the same
representative at Washington Sturgiss IL
little known. He has never threatened tC
rob Payne OF the position of floor leader
He explains his shyness in debate by re-
lating how busy he has been at committee
: work. Altogether he makes out that
congressman life is quite laborious. H'
l says: