Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-09
DOING NOTHING BUT
JUST COUNT MONEY
Treasury Clerks Are Counting
Fifteen Thousand Millions
of Uncle Sans Dollars
$4,000, TONS OF SILVER
Or 1900 Tons Of Gold-In Silver Dollars
Would Reach Once and a Half
Around the Earth.
$4,000, TONS OF SILVER
By Burton X. Standish.
written for the United Press. }

written for the United Press.)
Washington, April 9.--Nothing to do
but count money. Weigh great sacks
Of gold, paw over great bundles of
bonds, check up on notes. This may ap.
peal to the chap who can figure out his
whole fortune on the fingers of his left
hand, but it is proving a bore to the
employees of the United States treasury
department, who are slaving to give
Carmi Thompson a clean bill and let
John Burke assume the treasuryship Of
the United States with every penny Of
Uncle Sam 8 funds accounted for
The quadriennial count which began
several days ago, is a task which would
take a single man, counting dollar by
dollar, some 300 years to finish. For
there is a billion and a half in the
vaults, the biggest surplus known in the
history of the nation.
During the count, not cent of the
money will leave the vaults. Secretary
of the Treasury McAdoo appointed a
committee of employees to seal up the
strong rooms, saving out enough money
to meet current expenses, and until the
counters officially began, the seals were
unbroken. Armed guards stand over
the workmen to see that they are not
molested and to guard against "mis.
takes" Some 20 years ago a workman
made a mistake" putting slugs of
lead in several sacks it tooks months
to figure out the shortage, the count
having practically to be done over.
AS it would be impossible for the
count to be made dollar for dollar inside
of many years, the counters are working
on the weight basis. Sacks Of gold and
silver containing $1,000 are carefully
weighed and used as a standard, BY
these the rest Of the money, similarly
sacked, is weighed on scales that regis
ter almost to hair Thus, it is expect
ed that the task will be completed in
about two months. After all is verified
Mr. Thompson will turn over the cash
officially to Mr. Burke, take a receipt
for It and heave one grand sigh--for he
no longer will be responsible.
+ Washingtonians who are fond Of max
: ing observations and comparisons just
, now are finishing their "sizing up" Of
President Wilson 5 new cabinet. Classi
fication, according to whisker is i'm
J possible, because only one member wears
G them. Classification according to age
. is difficult, because all are young. Sc
, the classification is being made BY
Q noses and chins.
The average Of the cabinet IL 81
years and 5 months Secretary of Com
merco Redfield-he with the roseat,
vhiskors--is tho "patriarch," having
attained the ripe age Of 55. Secretary
Bryan--once styled the boy Orator Of
the Platte us next in seniority at SO
Secretaries Houston, Lane, McAdoo ant
Garrison and Postmaster General Burle
sen are still romping youths under so.
Anyone unkiud enough to remember
the ages Of the Taft cabinet member
, knows that only two members Of that
body were less than 50--secretary Of
War Stimson and Postmaster. Genera
Hitchcock.
An awful secret Of state leaked out
Of Secretary Bryan's department. Ant
when one realizes what a catch.all Of
secrets that department is, the more
; awful this secret becomes. II was just
a day or two before President Wilson
sruned "dollar diplomacy" into ob.
livion with reference to the Chinese