Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-16

them at regular intervals Practically
all We're sensejess. One day, however.
he wrote a perfectly sane letter. 1t was
at a time when everything was being
settled by law. He wrote that ii things
were not changed shortly bootbiackS
would have to hire lawyers in order to
have legal advice as to which shoe to
polish first"
Without waiting for further particu-
lars, the reporter left. That was the Of
flee of the Supreme Court!
Suppose you We're in charge Of a fac
tory. Suppose some one wrote and ask
ed you to send him n fractional part Of
the output of that factory for a single
day, a part SO small that it would be
is one manufacturer who didn't d.
rector Ralph, head of the bureau of en-
craving and printing, received this letter
short time ago:
Il found your name on the catalogue
about your business in the money fac
tory. like you to help me buy the price
Of machine cost 81 BOO. / want much to
earn money Accompanying the letter
was a photograph of large peanut
wagon, together with letter from the
firm selling them, stating the price. etc.
Perhaps the most pitiful letters ever
received by government official lie at
present in the files Of the bureau of en-
craving and printing. They came as
result of a newspaper story written by
frivolous reporter. II seems that he went
through the division where old money is
destroyed, and, in describing 1t, said that
it was nothing for the men to toss ten or
fifteen millions into the macerating ma
chine sight so unpleasant that he was
forced to leave.
Shortly afterWard letters began to
come to Director Ralph One was from
an old woman and ran: There is
mortgage on the home of 5000, please, oh
al tlot 1l1
away Send just a little to me, to save
the home" And another: I'VE owe $1,2Oo
on our church. Won't you send US that
much from the money you would other
wise throw away?'
There was no humor IN those letters.
They were sincere appeals for the money
Uncle Sam evidently had no further
to them
Fortunately for the directors feelings,
all the letters are not pathetic. One in
particular dealt with a plan to prevent
all possibility Of robbery of money The
secret Lag In putting mark on the bill
just what the plan was, subsequently,.
was not divu'ged hut the write pre-7'e"d
&c give a full and complete demonstration
All that he wanted was for the bureau 10
forward him $4,000 in ten-dollar billS.
the same amount IN twenties and a
similar amount in the higher dement,
nations He wound his letter UP with
this statement: Send them at once II
yOu can, but Ii you can't all right.
Please give me a receipt that viii
fatten poor mule or horse" read one
letter that came to the Department of
Agriculture-"somethi that viii make II
look fat or puffed so that they Will DO
to trade on. I will pay well for It,.
Also a letter from a man. who had evil
IDENTITY passed the civil service examina-
ton. who asked to be placed on the
list of illegibles for appointment"
Another runs: Dear Friend If you god
sum more of them pooKs left sent NEE
one The Diseases of Horses Doctor Books
and II you tonte have any more that Will
make no diverence.
Here is the plea of a member of one
of the life-saving crews. which Will
probably find sympathizers; 1t Is now in
the files of the Treasury Department:
II have the honor to write you this
request Of informations. That is to say
this; VIII you please tell me how a
man of family of six live in this costly
land and only receive from this govern
ment 1888 per month for the support
of himself and family with no other in
come? And are confined to his post of
duty the year round? With no leave of
absense, no chance to look for a means
to make matters hold out, no oppor-
tunetys offered me In no way, how ever,
but like burden slave under dread all
the time.
Queen Ester OF old said in the time
Of trouble and distress: It is death to
go and 1t Is death to stay. but l will
desolye to go, and plead to my supreme
heads for myself and family, for / cant
hold out any longer on a starvation
salary. / am used as a monkey wrench
man. for all purposes. officially and I'M
officially, as the case may be-" And. 1t
might be added. there are those who
have more than 1888 a month who agree
with the gentleman and Queen Ester.
1t has been demonstrated, 10, these
many times, that words looks and the
like cannot kill. 1t Is fortunate. for
were it possible one division chief Of the
Treasury Department would long ago
have been laid to rest. In all matters of
purchase It is the custom Of this govern
ment to first ask for bids or proposals
and then buy from firms making the low
est offer. There is nothing new about
this. nor was there anything new to the
notice to this effect sent out to Gus
toms collector some time ago with re-
gard to some wood he was DESTROYS OF
purchasing.
But the poor. unfortunate division chief
called down upon his head the wrath of
the customs collector in question. That