Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-18

same species has discovered that the tides
of the ocean may be harnessed to generate
power and revolutionize the world.
VERSATILITY of thought and effort
marked the career of one Bug in Wash
ington, who turned up year after year ear
nestly advocating all his old propositions,
and generally with some new design for re-
forming the world He secured the intro
duction of bill providing that the entire
United States should be resurveyed; not
only the public land States, but all other
States that had not been under the Govern
ment survey. The bill directed that in the
resurvey all lines should be run northeast
and southwest, and northwest and south
east, instead of north and south and east and
west, as at present. All houses and buildings
were to be RACED to the ground and rebuilt.
The new buildings were to be erected accord
ing to the new survey SO that the corners
would point to the present main points of
the compass of the present time. The pur-
pose, explained in the bill, was to have all
buildings constructed so that the sun could
shine on each side of the house during some
part of the day, thus preventing the growth
of moss, which is detrimental to health.
Another project of the same Bug was to
change the outlet of the Mississippi River
so as to send it's waters through Lake Borgne
and thence into the Gulf of Mexico, with the
object of preventing floods and freshets. He
also had scheme to improve the navigation
of the Mississippi River by new kind of
river boat of light draft and high speed. He
claimed to have scheme that would result
in fifty or sixty miles an hour. All of his
propositions were urged year after year.
He always found Senator or Representa-
tive to introduce his bills, and also had the
documents he had prepared printed for free
circulation through the mails.
THE Bug of Cleanliness made his appear
ance in Washington several years ago,
and had bills introduced establishing bath
houses and 1aundries all over the country,
prescribing times when everybody should
battle, how often every garment should be
laundered, and regulating generally the
washing of people. Under such system of
cleanliness as proposed in the bills he had in
troduced it was asserted that germs and
bacteria would become unknown, and every
body would live to grand old age.
In this same category might be grouped
the Pure Water Bug, who wanted the Gov
eminent to see to it that all water was boiled
before using; the Pure Ice Bug, who would
have ice manufactured under Government
supervision; the Sanitation Bug, who has
an effective plan for purifying everything
InaC comes IN contact WITH humanity, the
Drain Bug, who can prove that the death
rate is large on account of improperly con-
structed chimneys; the Ventilation Bug,
who knows that all the ills of mankind are
due to inadequate appurtenances for pure
air; and dozen Others with one fad or an
other, applying to the health of the people.
They all gather in Washington, and their
different remedies for the evils that aff1ict
mankind are urged upon Congress. The
question of money never disturbs them, and
each believes that the Government should
spend the billions his plan would require.
The Fiber Bug is one who has discovered
in certain vegetable fiber that will sup
plant silk, wool, flax, cotton, hemp, and jute,
and every other fiber used by mankind for
any purpose whatever. Publications on this
subject Government expense show
what could be done with this vegetable if the
Government would make the people cuti-
vate it by spending few billions in its Gull
ture. In text and Illustration it has been de-
monstrated beyond question that this fiber
can completely revolutionize the textile bust
ness of the country and yet neither the
Government nor the people seem to have
taken advantage of the discovery of the
Fiber Bug and utilized his ideas.