The Washington herald., 1913-06-24

Some afternoon when you have signed
thirty or forty letters in rapid succession
and become so disguised at the sight OF
your own signature that you fairly hate
1t. just pause to consider the sad lot of
the man who has to write his name as
often as a Thousand times day.
DR.. Charles II. Miller is the man. and
he makes his living, one might say. by
writing his name over and over and
over again. He Is chief Of the division
of Bookkeeping and Warrants in the
Treasury Department OF the United
States, and Is the busiest name signer
in Washington. As a rule he is among
the first to arrive 1T the Treasury De-
partment in the morning and Is about the
last to leave a. night Signing his name
so often causes his long hours. He
simply cannot get his name on paper the
hundreds of times that he has TO in the
course of an average day and get through
his work at quitting time. His associates
put on their hats and coats at 4:3o o'clock
and go on home. but Miller stays at his
desk TIL $50 or o'clock-and signs his
name. He has tried dozens Of different
kinds Of signatures in an effort TO gain
more speed. but II Is no use. As II Is he
leaves out his 1rst name and writes
merely &C H Miller" without taking his
pen from the paper, but even then his
nominative entitlements seem lamentably
long and he wishes on a busy day that
he might have Leen named A OK.
There Id used to be a disbursing officer.
or some such busy name signer as that.
one A. Day. who got his Job by virtue
Of his name He showed to the satisfac-
ton OF al that he could sign his name
much oftener in a given length of time
than any other applicant for the Job and
that the government would be money In
pocket by hiring him. At least that is
the story.
DR.. Miller, however. has more to do
than merely signing his name. 1t Is not
just a perfunctory signature, for he
must first ascertain II the warrant he Is
signing IL all that It should be. He is
the personal agent OF the Secretary of
the Treasury in issuing warrants for the
payment OF money out of the treasury.
II is an entirely different proposition from
the mere casual signing of the petition
Of a man seeking the nomination for
coroner.
Over and over again one IN asked:
How does William Jennings Bryan act
when he comes to the White HouseE
Does he swagger in as II he owned the
place, or Is his manner one OF humility
and meekness like a dressmaker's hus-
bandr'
The answer Is that those who cracked
jokes and made sweeping prophecies to
the general effect that Bryan was going
to try TO run things" slid into error.
Whenever Bryan comes around where
Woodrow Wilson is his attitude is that
of apostle toward master. Whether he
actually feels that way, or whether It
is an attitude he assumes for politeness.
one Is not prepared to say. Mr.. Bryan
not having become confidential on that
point But any close observer about the
White House has noted more than once
since March last that Mr.. Bryan has
refrained from overturning any
furniture about the executive Offices
when he comes in, or ordering changes
In the color scheme, or any other way
unduly asserting himself. To the con-
trary. he has been as quiet and inof-
fensive as a young bride paying her first
visit to her husbands folks.
The State OF Colorado has produced
a funny line OF Senatorial contrasts
within the present year. Until a few
ago that State had no Senator
except Senator Gusgenheim. He wasI
not a garrulous or oratorical Senator;
In fact. he never made but one speech,
or. IL he made more than one, 1t was
the same speech. This is it:
II desire to offer this resolution"
he laid the resolution on the |