Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 200, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1913 — $2,000 RUG IS BIG LUXURY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

$2,000 RUG IS BIG LUXURY

Secretary of Navy Balks at Fine Floor Covering Offered for His —.. _ Office. , Washington. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Danielsffias lofty ideas of artistically beautiful things, and is specially fond of oriental and Persian rugs, but he is also loyal to democratic simplicity. When the secretary went to his office a few days ago he found the place crowded with rugs of every description. Officers and clerks on duty had been joking among themselves as to the auction was going to begin." The secretary was informed that there was a balance left of an appropriation for furnishing his apartment, and that the rugs were there for him to make a selection for his office. Mr. Daniels finally selected One large rug as being to his liking. A clerk had told him that the purchase, must be made before he left the of-

flee, as the allowance would lapse If not used. “I thought those rugs might be bought for something like the figures we poor folks down in North Carolina pay,” said the secretary. “1 picked out my rug, all right But they told me the price was $2,000, and wanted me to sign a warrant for it It was a beauty—pearly blue, with aIV the iridescent misty amethystine shades of a mountain sky. But $2,000! My ideas of democratic simplicity could not get up to that figure, and I told the boys to take the whole blamed outfit away and that I didn’t want any rugs at all. These here are good enough for me.”

Secretary Josephus Daniels.