The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-14
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

Washington, Aug. 14-Uniforms of bullet proof cloth. such as has recent ly been invented in Japan, will prob ably be prescribed by the army au- thorities for the corps of aviation, it is learned at the War Department The circumstances which will bring about this order was the recent wounding of an Italian Flying scout who was struck. high in the air by an Arab bullet while over Tripoli.
 Capt. Monte is the name of the Italian officer who thus gained the distinction of being the first aviator to be wounded by a rife bullet. He was badly wounded, but gripped control of his senses and piIoted his fragile monoplane back to his own camp, landing safely and delivering to his commanding officer valauaable infor- mation of the enemy which he had gained on his flight. His machine was hit four times by the enemy's ''duci-hunters.'
 . Capt.. Monte also succeeded in drop ping ;some damaging bombs in tho Arab ranks
 His experience, however. has dem onstrated to army scientists studying the needs of military aeroplaning, the necessity of better protection for pi- lots against rife fire from the ground. It ig probable that in the near future the aviator's seat in all army aero-s
 
 arrnor from, firing from beneath. There will also be an investigation of the bullet-rGoof clothing recently brought out in Japan, with the idea of, adopting some such sort of uni form for the members of the signal rorpa
 When U. S. Treasurer Lee McClung has nothing else on his mind he can find time for official diversions by answering letters from cranks. Every now and then some one springs "a new idea whereby the people of the Unit ed States may have plenty of money without skimping or worrying about small change.
 Recently McCiung got a letter from G western man who had a proposition which If worked out would enable ev- cry person in the country to borrow all the money he wanted at any tin,e
 and from the public funds mot other wise appropriated" as the states was that nobody would have to both- CT the pesky banks and any old kind of collateral would do. The effect on the government wasn't specifically described in the letter.
 4notner letter rom gentleman m0destly describing himself as s'ths King of America" demanded that the Treasurer call in all the money in circulation The purpose of the writ CT wa&n't quite clear This letter first want to the office of the Secre. tary of the Treasury but wound up in McCiMng's office and the genial Treasurer, had to reply to it formally.
 Then aGFin McClung Is kept busy with leHterN writers who want Confed- crate and other worthless kinds of money redeemed Quite frequently a its way to him. There is a premium on some of the obsolete varieties of A'Gfin plsste@s." but other varieties are practically worthless. The premium exists merely because there is a de- rnand for this old paper by certain collectors and ntaxnismatists.
 For careful supervision of Depart l ment xpenditureS-carefu from his tandpoint-Attorney General Wicker sham probably has something on most cabinet officers It has long been the l custom of government officers to make | use of the little emoluments which | come within their prerogatives. Thus l R cabinet officer would In most cases | believe hiErgelf entitled to use of theI Granhang prfvileGe even when sending Dur persoral letters. If he made a speech he would have the Government | Printing ofice print 1t at government | expense.
 But not go with Wickersf1am. fl he addresses any member of his fam fly by mall he uses stamp which he | paSs for himself. If he sends out any nnan matter which might under any circumstances be constructed as prf- vate business and not strictly con- rerned with the governments affairs he pays for the postage. When he makes a speech and his friends send [ In for copies he has 1t printed at his own expense. : \ It iE not so long ago that Secretary Knox was severely criticised by House committee for keeping his valet on the pay rolls of the State Depart Wnent as a. messenger
 "Omcers of the government depart Enents stand in less fear of Congress men and Senators than they used to-, observed the private secretary of a Cabinet off1Cer lately. 'H was not so long ago that a Congressman coming into a Department and approaching a chief Of. q bureau looked like an aw- ! ful biR man Lots of times he didn't need to tcOrne at all to get what he wanted. He'd just sit at the tele- phone in his office and call up the Mead of the bureau. When the gov brnment employe found out that ConEresgman was at the other end of Ehe wire there would be a great com motion. The chief and his assist ants would work themselves into a paroxysm of energy to get the states man anything he wanted. If he wanted a star route established by the Postodfce- Department he got 1t. If he wanted a. constituent transfer red he got 1t. If 1t was impossible to accede to his demands profuse apol ogies and promises were offered in lieu thereof.
 But now it's different. If a. Con grasssnan wants something he puts his application in In the regular order. Nobody turns the office upside down If he approaches. He waits just as long for an interview as anyone else, gets the same treatment and no dis tinction Is made. Government clerks have got wise to the fact that a Con- gressman is not such gigantic prop osirion after all.