McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1919-03-28
New York Letter.

peOple IN dSnlNgLOn anu ELSEWHERE,
and wish your readers knew them
as | do. And | am beginning to get
some very appreciatiye letters from
them concerning our New York cor
respondence. The latest to write was
Hon. E ]. Ayers, Chief Clerk of the
department of the Interior, and the
right-hand man of Franklin K. Lane,
our great Secretary Of the Interior,
Of whom it has been said that if he
had not been born outside the United
States. he certainly would be in line
for the presidency, for he is one of
the very great men in the Presidents
cabinet.
The rise of Mr.. Ayers is almost
unique in the history of the civil SER
vice. About twenty years ago he
was messenger at about $500 al
year. Now his salary is many thous-
ands Of dollars year, and he has
10000 workers under his care, some
Of them among the brightest men and
women in the service. Mr.. Ayers
writes to me that be has been made
president of the Home Club Of the De-
partment Of the Interior to succeed
Franklin K. Lane, who founded it.
The Club supplies the neeessaries Of
life TO its thousand or more members
at cost price, cutting out the profit of
the middleman, and entertains them
with lectures, balls and classes of in-
strnction in many useful branches at
night. Before coming here was
chairman of the food supply commit
tee of the Home Club, and chose my
committee from the nine bureaus of
the Department, one from the Patent
Office, one from the Geological Sur
vey, one from the Indian Office, etc.
Three Of them (and among the most
valuable) were ladies. We were in
correspondence with dozens of big
canning factories, fruit-drying estab-
lishments on the Pacific coast. pecan
growers of Georgia, orange growers
of Florida. cheese makers OF Wiscon-
sin, etc, and were preparing to save
our members 1--WE had 1700) at least
one-fourth the regular cost of living,
Mr.. Ayers was on the Board of Di-
rectors. We all gave our services on
evenings, free. We were getting a
thousand dozen eggs and half ton of
butter week from a North Carolina
town, aud peaches and apples direct
from the farmers of Maryland and
other states, while the various ex-
press companies promised us, through
their managers who attended these
meetings, to gather produce from the
South, North and West, and deliver
4 to our Club in Washington. was
called here by the Department Of JUS
tice, and helped gather in the Hun in
stead Of something to eat, but Mr.
Ayers and Others kept up the work
and they are bent on lowering the
price Of living for their members
Something like this has existed il
Russia for many years on an immense
scale, and that is what has kept many
of them from starving, although the
miserable Bolsheviki have probably
destroyed the cooperative system ol
buying, along with everything else
worth while. in that distracted coun'
try.
Mr.. Ayers is a New Jersey man
was raised on farm, and although ht
has reached so exalted a station. ant
is becoming wealthy man, he still
longs for farm life, as was proved
one day lest fall when | was at my
Maryland farm.
You see, Mr.. Ayers is ia great frient
of Hon. James L. Wilmeth, the Di
rector of the Bureau Of Engraving
and Printing at Washington. ant
both honor me with their friendship
SO one bright September day last fal
telsphoned to Jim" Wilmeth an in
vitaton to come out and dine will
Buck Snort at Seat Pleasant. Mary
land, on "gritted" corn bread an,
Maryland fried chicken. "All right
I'll come; to-day will suit me bette
than tomorrow; when snail come?
That "gritted bread caught the ca
of our old McNsiry boy (you know b
was born at the little town of Che
walla, in southern McNairy) | said
''Can you bring out MIR. Ayers?' 0
course be could. | telephoned th
Chief Clerk of Interior Department
! Mr.. Ayers said: ''Tll take my auto an
pick Wilmeth up, and well leone righ