Evening star., 1938-05-11


was trounced something like 1850.
Whenever he lost a bet, be was the
first to announce it. But he usually
has won, especially election bets.
Commissioner Allen and Commits
sioner Melvin c. Hazen, president of
the Board of District Commissioners,
have served as head of the District
government since November Ia, 1888.
They succeeded DR.. Luther H. Reichel-
derfer and Maj. Gen. Herbert B.
Crosby. Their first commissions were
given as recess appointments, since
Congress was not in session at the
time
Both were reappointed for the full
term on January Is, 1884, when the
appointments were approved by the
Senate, and then in January of last
year they were renamed to their posts
by the President. That ended specula-
ton as to Mr.. Aliens possible retire.
ment at that time He had told news
paper men several months before his
reappointment that he planned to re-
sign about the middle Of November,
1886.
When he was first appointed, Com
missioner Allen was expected by many
to be the man who would be given the
job of wedding Republicans out of the
District government He answered by
basing his appointments to health,
social and welfare posts on efficiency.
committee of local physicians sug-
gested health officer at his request.
An enthusiastic worker for District
suffrage, he paraded demonstrators
disguised as Indians at the Democratic
National Convention in Philadelphia
in 1886 IN behalf Of a suffrage plank in
the Democratic platform. He hailed
the recent overwhelming victory of
suffrage in the city-wide referendum
as an important step in the Districts
long fight for suffrage.
He always has contended thas
Washington should have the right
to run its own government, as well
as have representatives in Congress
and the electoral college.
One of Biggest Jobs.
Probably one Of Mr.. Aliens biggest
Jobs was handling the local Works
Progress Administration. He was
named Works Progress director for the
District in June. 1885, and had since
held that post. Prior to that, he was
Civil Works administrator for the
District.
Mr.. Allen also has had charge of
welfare. relief and health activities Of
the District. Because he believes
health so closely connected with hap
piness, he has always kept in close
touch with every aspect of the sub
ject.
1t was back in 1884 that Mr.. Allen
slipped out of town and spent a weeks
vacation trying to get work in various
cities. He came back convinced that
the key to the unemployment prob
lem was in the division of the unem-
ployed into two major groups-the
employable and the unemployable.
Couldn't Pawn Watch.
During his trek across the country,
he tried to get job as a bellhop in
Chicago, and had other experiences in
Cleveland, Toledo, Milwaukee. He
failed to get job anywhere, and even
went to pawnshop to pawn his watch,
and learned it wasn't worth near as
much as he thought it was.
Mr.. Allen reported that he became
convinced then that 98 per cent of the
applicants for relief want only a job,
and that the "snootiest people on earth
are running the Federal employment
agencies"
Later that year, Commissioner Allen
suggested that lottery might be con-
Quoted to raise funds for urgently
needed public Improvements. This drew
considerable public opposition.
Commissioner Allen always has
sought to be both humane and ef-
ficient in administration of relief.
Once, when relief agitators demanded
that the city's welfare stations be
kept open all night so they could
demonstrate. he ordered them kept
open. Again. when a group of agi-
tators conducted a sit-down strike in
his office. he let them stay there until
closing time. then had them removed.
The Commissioner married a WASH
ington girl the former Miss Mary
Keane, daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs,
Michael Keane.