Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-03
Washington Life
Some Interesting Phases
ana Conditions Observed
~ the Nations Capital.

NhA 9AA0AtA0nH &NNNANNN
~ the Nations Capital
'Jeffersoniau simplicity" is the first ar
ticle Of democratic faith. IL Is mouth-filling
and vibrant with thrills when turned loose
on the hastings. Just what It means in
practice Is a detail leaders haven't time to
bother with SO long as the sound warns
the cookies Of bourbon hearts. definitions
are a needless strain on vocal chords. For
tunately the country Is about to have an
exhibit In Washington OF genuine Jeffer-
sonian simplicity, all wool, homespun and
carrying the label of purity. Speaker-to-Be
Clark. the gentleman from Pike" is going
TO show the famlshed old guard how well
the traditions of T. ]. survive the bumps
and bats Of fleeting years. The Missourian
will show en-" He has ordered the ia
nous thstle-marked Henderson china, cut
glass linen and silverware and solid ma
hogany furniture resurrected from the capt.
tol storerooms and used to furnish a pri-
vate dningroom In the house wing for
his own use.
"All OF these dining room fixings were
made especially for the late David B.
Henderson and paid for out of the house
contingent fund" reports a correspondent
OF the New York Sun. They have been in
storage ever since Henderson surrendered
his speakers gavel to Mr.. Cannon, nearly
nine years ago. Mr.. Cannon never used
them nor had he a private dining room.
He took his luncheon OF crackers and milk
and mince pie or something Of that sort
in the main dining room of the house res
taLrant.
Perhaps Mr.. Clark might have done the
same had it not been Tor the thistle mono
HI 4
silver. Mr.. Henderson was Scotch; so is
Mrs. Clark. When she heard of the thistle
china a set of several hundred pieces she
suggested TO Mr.. Clark that he use it. He
locked It over and found It good.
Mr.. C1ark's daily luncheon is simple,
although he probably will serve more sub
stantial meals to his friends. Approaching
that five-elghths OF the human body is
water, Mr. Clark consistently orders each
day for his luncheon a glass of water, a
glass Of milk, a cup OF tea and a piece of
pie. First he drinks the water, then the
milk and then the tea Sometimes after
that he even eats the pie"
Speaker Champ Clark expects to walk to
the capitol every day when congress be-
gins work and walk back again. Thus he
will practice Jeffersonian simplicity and
get exercise at the same time. Mr.. Clark
has the right, II he chooses, to ride around
in a $1,000 automobile at the expense of
the government. But he has announced
that he is going to walk.
The automobile has been lying idle in a
garage ever since Uncle Joe Cannon ceased
to preside over the house. It is OF the IL
mousine type and is considered to be a
beauty. At least Uncle Joe never found
any fault with 1t. and he used II a good
deal. It was about two years ago that con-
gress decided that the speaker and the
vice president ought to have automobiles.
It appropriated the money and the cars
were purchased. All this was done in spite
Of vigorous protests on the part OF the
democrats, who thought It was highly i'm
proper to provide free automobile service
for the officials of a republic.
Mr.. Cannons secretary. l.. White Busbey,
while gathering up the effects Of the for
mer speaker preparatory to moving to
more humble quarters in the capitol, found
a box of cigars that was presented to the
speaker years ago by a manufacturer in
Georgia. They are probably the only
cigars never used by Mr.. Cannon, mainly
for the reason that they were not made
to smoke, but to chew, the giver evidently
not knowing that Mr. Cannon. while chew
ing on one end Of cigar, smokes from the
other. They were rolled as solidly as a
curl of Chewing twist" and after the four
years in which they were drying out in an
unused drawer they had become about as
porous as steel bolt.
They were TO be consigned to the waste
basket when Mr.. Cannon interviewed. Take
EN- down to Champ" he said. II don't
know about these democratic offioeseekers.
but II they are no worse than the repub-
lican kind these ought to finish them"
In a short time the cigars came back
with a message. Dear Uncle joe" 1t
said, Il wouldn't give these to my worst
enemy-not even a republican"
Samuel w. stratton may become as much
of a household name as Harvey w. Wiley.
: DE- Stratton is director OF the United
States bureau OF standards, and is about
to spend $4,000 investigating short weights
J and measures used in connection with arti-
cles which enter into interstate commerce.
! According to Investigations made by the
bureau, from % to rs per cent Of the scales
used by retailers and wholesalers in vari-
Gus states are incorrect. Some IS per cent
| OF the defective scales discriminate against
, the consumer, while only is per cent favor
him. The discrimination In favor of the
t consumer is slight, or less than an ounce,
2 and the dealer is found, as a rule, to take
to himself more than an ounce.
Print butter is said by the bureau to be
E almost commonly short in weight. In fact
, Louis A. Fletcher, chief OF the weights and
l measures division OF the bureau, states
! that the bureau never has obtained a sam
pie of print butter which showed a full
sixteen ounces to the pound.
The berry basket is said by bureau Off
| cials to be one Of the most consistent Of
tenders against the laws OF square deal
ing. Rarely is a quart" found to be q
] full quart, and often a berry measure
which Is innocent In one state is a criminal
In another. Tricks Of various kinds are
= continually practiced on the purchasing
public. A recent investigation by the bu,