The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-23
Tempting Washington Jobs
Are Only an Utopia.
Topeka StenOgraphers Glad To
Be Home Again.
IT COSTS TOO MUCH To LIVE
Nations Capital Just Like
Boomer Western City.
One TOpekan's Rent Raised
From SIS to $15Q a Month.

Is, the Oc3L
place in all this country in which not
to spend a vacation at this time. In
Washington the profiteer has attained
his highest state of development He
controls anything and everything. ard
national ca pital visitors are his daily
nourishment. With il all 10000 new
clerks and stenogra phers-half OF
them dimpled stenographef ladies
from every section of the country
join the regular residents. the COM
gressional delegations and the volun-
teer workers in paying toll.
Congress, which has sought thru
investigations to control the profit hog
and to regulate the packer. the grain
speculator. the clothing manufacturer
and the coal man. has done nothing to
control the situation in Washington.
Now you go to the profiteer to buy q
good seat in a theater. to secure a
lower berth in a Pullman train ana
even to land a place to lay your heavy
head when night falls.
The Washington of a year ago is
gone. The quiet and ease of he place
has disappeared. War activities have
made Washington a maestrom. Thou
sands of people rush to Washington
| and rush back home again. Hotel ac-
! commodations a few months ago were
ahead of the requirements. Now every
| day Is convention day. Rooms are
reserved days, even weeks, ahead. All
rentals have gone skyward-
| Tempted Stenographers.
Thousands of clerks and stenog-
ra piers, tempted by offers of good po-
| sitions are now trying to make pay
| checks balance expense accounts
Every day there is a wild, mad scrani-
| BILE for some place to sleep. Every
| day the desk, typewriter and note book
army tries to eat meals consistent
with pay checks Many have given
UP in despair. Others fight vainiy 10
| overcome the situation.
In the main the schools which pro-
duce stenographers while you wall,
are alert to opportunities They mst
| the war demands with night sessions.
| Thousands of girls rushed to the work.
| Now hundreds of them are trying 10
get back. They were assured OF post
! tons as soon as they secured civil
service commissions But civil serv-
| ice commission seems easier to secure
! these days than a package OF garden
seeds from a congressman VINO Is
candidate for reelection
So today Washington houses 40, 900
new clerks and stenogfaphers. The
rare beauty from every section OF the
| country seems to have gone to WASH
joy of a trip to the capital these days
IA survey of the powder puff prfn-
cesses who came to help win the war
with note books and typewriters
| From the little. short. stoeky ones 10
| the willowy angular kind, there is an
endless parade--blondes brunetteS.
the Helen of Troy from Dayton. Ohio.
the Louise of Prussia from st. Louis,
| the Cleopatra from Topeka and the
| Venus from Minneapolis-al1 are there.
| Every train brings new recruits. Every
| mail brings a check from papa and
starts the weary back home again.
| 1t isn't the work surrounding the
| war activities which takes the heart
out of that army behind the army. IL
| is the ceaseless vigil of the profiteer.
| Congress has directed Investigations
| into extravaganza in the cantonments.
| speculation in grain, meat and pota-
| toes 1t has fought vice and sin ana
| corruption. But the fight seems to
have been for every one and every
| thing except the people and the sur
roundings in Washington. =
One Topeka man went to Washing
ton nearly a year ago. He rented an
apartment which cost him SIS
month Two days before his rent was
| due for March, he received a notice
| that the rental would be $50 g
| month. There was no explanations
The Topeka man could keep the
| apartment or move.
Another Topeka man was in WASH
| ington last week. By wiring ahead
| three days and waiting an entire day
| after his arrival, he secured a room IN
a popular Washington hotel. A sim
liar room had been occupied dozens or
| times. always at rate of $3.50 to 50
a day. This time the rate was 81 q
| day. Was there a convention in the
| city? No. Just the war-and the
| profiteer.
| A Topeka girl returned home a few
| days ago after spending several weeks
| in the Washington service. She Is an
| experienced stenographer and unusu-
! ally efficient. She had served num-
Der of years in an important Santa Fe
general office department. In WASH
ington she was placed in the bull
PEN of a big war department and in
A-1re 80
letter. The bull pen" is a large quad.
rangle where a number of girls are
stationed for stenographic service
| when needed. The trained Topeka
stenosrapher spent most of her Tins
copying form letters and working with
girls whose business college certfff-
Gates were barely dry.
They're Coming Back.
Another Topeka stenographer went
from the state house. She left an
$50 a month job to take a 800 q
month job in Washington. But the
profiteers left nothing for the stenoR-
rapher. Now she is back in the state
house.
Anxious to attend a popular the
atrical production. several Topekans
last week sought reservations at the
box office. Only upper balcony and
gallery seats were available. near-
fy hotel. however, provided excellenf
first floor seats. The profiteer COT
lecteG 80 cents seat for the service.
Pullman reservations are another
avenue opened to the profiteer who
works in the national capital. vCp~
able to secure a lower berth at the
union station or uptown ticket offices.
the traveller may find that for an
; extra so cents or dollar, he may
find a hotel clerk who knows a MAN
who has changed his plans and u
, willing to part with reservation
! on the very road which he wishes 70
travel.
OF course Washington has not lost
her beauty. But from a show spot
she has changed to busy city. The
|, new life has given Washington new
, idea And until sleeping in the park
-. IL FOL HI =