Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1903 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Bogie time ago an investigation showed that there were 2,993 colored persona }n the various executive departments in Washington who enjoyed an annual compensation of 91,370,023.98. Certain office* of prominence under the government like the registrar of the treasury, recorder of deeds, ministers to Hayti and Liberia and others drawing good oalariee have been occupied by colored men almost continuously since the emancipa* tion. The policy of all of the Presidents from Grant’s time has been to appoint colored men to poatofflcea in the villages throughout the South, where most of the patrons of the office are colored. It has also been customary to Recognize the negro leaders by giving them prominent offices in Southern cities. A recent enumeration shows that Mr. Cleveland appointed four negroes to prominent offices, Harrison eight, McKinley fifty-two and Roosevelt fifteen, eight of whom were reappointments to tbe same offices held under McKinley.

There Is to be an Investigation ctf the Chicago postofflee and of all first-class Offices the annual receipts of which exceed 3500,000. Announcement of this far-reaching extension of the postal inquiry was made by Postmaster General Payne. “After an extended conference last year with Representative Loud we came to a conclusion that a general examination of tire larger offices should be made,” said Mr. Payne. “We thought it well to look especially into the matter of the purchases of supplies. The miscellaneous fund was increased in the last appropriation bill from SI,OOO to SO,OOO so facilitate this examination, and it will be made entirely independent of the present investigation of departmental affairs. The investigation of the city postoffleet will proceed without regard to the findings of the present investigation, but just how the examination will be made at thg different cities has not been determined.” aj-

Architects throughout the country are to be given an opportunity to compete under the Tarsney act in furnishing designs for the smaller government buildings. At present the competition is re-stri-ted to the large edifices, but tho supervising architect for the treasury has decided to relieve his bureau of much routine work and to secure a variety of designs by inviting architects to furnish plans in competition for all public buildings. A large number es structures are to be erected by the Treasury Department, and the supervising architect, when he is ready for designs for tha different buildings, will send invitations to a number of architects, most of them in the immediate neighborhood where the building is to be put up, asking; then to compete.

An automobile lawn mower, driven by electricity, is now used to cut the grass on the Capitol Park. Until this season about thirty men have been employed with small hand mowers, scythes and sickles, but the automobile machine can do the saufe amount of work in tbe 9ome time and makes a great deal better lawn. The machine looks lik« ah ordinary street roller, having a swath of about six feet. There are seats for two men in front, one of whom handles the motor and the other regulates the revolving blades, which are in nets, so that a portion can be lifted from he ground when an obstacle is renclied. This Is said to be the only machine of the kind in the country.

All Chinese' arriving In Canada with the United States as their destination will be transported by the Canadian railroads, under an important arrangement just entered into with the Treasury Department, to one of four detention camps, which will be established by the immigration bureau, that at Malone, N. Y. t being the most important. To further prevent smuggling of Chinese, the immigration bureau baa purchased ten Bertillon outfits, auch as the police now use, by which a complete record will be kept of all Chinese coming Into the country. These outfits will be distributed among the several porta of entry.

Gen. Miles, in a report of his recent Inspection of the army in the Philippines, has renewed the recommendation be made at the time of the embalmed beef scandal, that instead of using refrigerated beef the army should be supplied with beef on the hoof. He has also criticised the employment of soldiers in labor on roads in Mindanao to an extent that has prompted Major Gen. Davis to send a letter to the War Department stating that the work was necessary to the military service.

Messrs. Hanns, Jenkins and Conant, compose the commission which will represent the United States at the International Monetary Commission in London. After a stay In London the commission will visit Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg and The Hague, where conferences will be held with the officials who hare to do with the colonial possessions of the several governments. The commission hopes to be able to return to the United States not later than Oct. L

Application of the Monroe doctrine to the Chinese situation is urged by Civil Service Commissioner Proctor, who has teen giving the question study. He believes that this government must assume its responsibility as a world power and preserve Its markets for surplus products by declaring in the strongest diplomatic language that any attempt by European nations to dismember the Chinese empire is dangerous to our peace and safety and as such an unfriendly act. The men in Uncle Sam’s navy have vigorous appetites. The estimates for supplies for the ensuing year Include nearly 4,000,006 pounds of meat Among the interesting items are 220,000 pounds of frankfurters and 141,000 pounds of sauerkraut. . Beef holds pre-eminence, 1. pounds being required. This la the fluff of which heroes are mads, though when war comes they may be called upon to exist on salt horse. Twenty-two persons were from* to death In recent storms tat Bliss!a.