Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-23

Soooly store OF the necessary anu oeSh"
bic cash. There are many documents. in
the form Of receipts, accounts and what
not, which. prosaic they may seem
when enumerated generically. possess. lin
a number Of instances, piquant inter-
est. .as throwing sidelights upon the de-
veHpment and history of "a great nation
ana those who have figured in its max
ing.
1t was not until Miss Mary II. Brady,
a clerk in the auditors office of the
Treasury, set herself the pleasant task
Of collecting the more striking historic
documents, which had. Heretofore, been
consigned generally to dust and obliv-
ion, that 1T was realized what would be
done in gathering a veritable museum
of documentary curios even in such an
unpromising place as an auditors Office.
True it is that an AUDITORS office is
usually depository for nothing more
sensational than dry-as-dust papers.
WeariSOme columns of figures, and long,
dull accounts. But this compartment in
Uncle Sans pocket book is not in this
class altogether, as some of the contents
OF Miss Brady's desk testify, and had
not the custodian herself taken the pains
to sort out these remarka BILE papers from
the vast number OF more routine mate
rial it is very doubtful If the curious
visitor would be enabled to contemplate
them.
Miss Brady is proud of her little mu-
scum. and she is quite pleased when the
routine of her trying work among the au-
ditor's files is interrupted by somebody
who wishes to see the yellowed papers in
| her possession.
| AS usual thing, a Cancelled check is
a mere slip Of paper, worthless and I'M
interesting. but when it's original value
reaches up into the multimillions and it
covers the purchase of a country or d
| state, or is a record of some other huge
| and historic national or international
| transaction, 1T is worth a second glance,
even In the sacred interests of curiosity.
| There are several such checks. or prop
eriy speaking, warrants. framed and
| glazed In compartment of Miss Brady's
| desk. and they are not CuriOsities merely,
but are being held by the government as
evidence of payment in the cases of these
mammoth business transactions They
| are warrants for the payment of moneys
appropriated by Congress. and they date
backN far as 1924 when $2Go,OO was
paid to Lafayette by the United States
in consideration Of his services in the
war Of the revolution" This warrant
is signed by William Fl. Crawford, Secre-
tary of the Treasury. and is receipted on
the back by Lafayette himself, in a small,
neat hand
1 w
est and Importance is that which gave
| the Emperor Of Russia $7,2nOOUO for
| Alaska, under the treaty Of 1867 This
document is worded in an imposing style,
envoy extraordinary and minister pleni-
potentiary of his majesty the Emperor of
| all the Russias''
This draft was Endorsed by Edward de
Stoecke the Russian minister, and was
deposited in bank across the street
| from the Treasury building 1t will be
recalled that the treaty under which this
purchase of the far northwestern terri
Stewards folly; yet one mine alone has
yielded far more than the price paid
| for Alaska. not TO mention the natural
| riches of that country in various respects
and its vast future possibilities. The war
| rant stipulates that payment shall be
made i'm specie. which requirement was
compiled with by this country.
| far larger and more important real
| estate deal on the part of Uncle Sam is
| represented by the warrant covering the
| Louisiana purchase. the amount being
| SIS, 000, 600. This transaction was made
under the treaty of 1905.
| 1T seems to be the impression of lots
of people" observes Miss Brady. as she
sorts out another document from her
| box. tat We simply marched i'm and
took possession of the Philippine Islands,
and that was all there was about it,
But these four warrants, each for five
| millions of dollars, tell quite another
story. for they represent the twenty
millions which were handed over to Spain
| for the Philippines"
| These warrants were Endorsed by Jules
| Cambon, the French minister. represent
ing the government Of Spain. this for the
| reason that a treaty cannot be entered
| into by any country directly with a bel
| ligerent power.
| But in regard to the magnitude of the
| sum of money involved the most impress
| sive warrant ever issued by this govern
| ment is that paid for the Panama canal.
1t is simple draft for SIC 100000 made
| out to y. Pierpont Morgan e. Co. spe-
cial disbursing agent" through whom it
| was paid to the French company. On
| the back of this document are the sigma
| lures Of members of the famous firm. A
little earlier was issued the warrant for
100000 covering the purchase of the
| Canal Zone, the area of ten miles on
| either side Of the big ditch.
| Although Cancelled and apparently val
ueless from an intrinsic point of view.
| these warrants are, in effect. receipts.
| and. as their careful custodian observes, in
case of their loss, the government would
possess no evidence Of having disbursed
| these enormous sums.
-
| But the documents that principally fas-
| cinate Miss Brady and most of her visit
ors are not those pertaining to these big
| real estate deals, but such as tend to
throw sidelights upon famous historical
| characters. OF unique interest in this re-
gard are the expense accounts of George
| Washington kept during the revolutionary
war, and here seen just as they were pre-
pared Until their recent transfer to the
Congressional Library Miss Brady had
the originals (she has now to be content
with Photographic copies). and it was al
most with reverence that she used to
bring forth black box of venerable as
| pect. on the lid of which might be faint
| ly discerned some fantastic gold lettering
| The curious might, with some la bor in
| terpret the latter to read: Account c.
| Washington with the United States Com
mencing June, 1915, and ending June
1853, compromising a space of eight
| years.
| Inside the three or four battered, calf
| bound account books are all reproduced
| by Photographic facsimiles, neatly filed
| with debit and credit columns in the
| copper-pla te-looking writing of the eight
eenth century. Although written, in many
| instances, during the utmost rigors and
| decisive conflicts of the memorable war,
| the utmostneatness and accuracy of ar
| rangement are to be noticed in these ac-
| counts They brought I'm from do V