4
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T LETTElt BOX CURIOS.
Strange Things Entrusted to the
United States Mails.
Thniic Tli it t Are Uititinllnlilc Are I)e-
lioftltctt lit the StnrnKe Itoont of
the Inquiry IHvIhIoii A Pluce
if Hare IntereM.
Special Chicago Letter.
Of course people try to send live
frogs and toads uud strawberry
jam and such things through the
mnils. Hut Uncle Sam objects. That's
why there's an inquiry division in
the Chicago post oilice. It was for
thu purpose of intercepting this
Tiiiiuailable matter nnd rectifying odd
blunders that the department was in
augurated. The storage room with its
vast array of merchandise of all de
scriptions resembles a curiosity shop
more than anything else. All kinds of
articles, some improperly directed and
Koine uumailable, are stored away there.
I have always been interested in this
NEVER REACHED THEIR DESTINA
TION. department and at various times have
gone through it, and frequently have
taken nn inventory of the unique things
that have found their way there. I
have seen a set of false teeth, neatly
done up in a package bearing no ad
dress, awaiting identification. Near by
were a couple of fret saws, a wig for
an actor, a pair of hair switches, a
Kansas grasshopper, a pretzel attached
to a tag directed to somebody in New
York, a can of soft soap, a box of red
pepper, grapes, candies, toys and al
most everything imaginable. Among
the unmailable matter 1 once saw a
piece of wedding cake, presumably sent
to some friend to dream upon. One
inoffensive-looking little parcel con
tained a piece of pie addressed to an
employe at the city hall. He was duly
notified that such a package awaited
his orders, but lie evidently did not
care for pie, as lie never called for it.
Another package had printed on the
top of it: "This side up with care.
Ink." The sender evidently took the
United States mail service for an ex
press company. Sometimes there
seems to be method in the madness of
those who are bent on evading the
postal regulations. Not long ago a
loaded six-shooter was intercepted, and
the next day a box of cartridges was
sent on by the same person.
Jt keeps the superintendent and his
assistants pretty busy attending to
the unmailable articles, but this is
only a part of the business. Although
ihe people have learned to lie more
careful in the transmission of mail
matter, and are better informed in re
gard to the rules regulating this branch
of the service, queer mistakes happen
ery frequently. Tn addition to in-
ALIVE AND KICKING.
tcrecpting the unmailable articles the
inquiry department is expected to un
Pingle all the snarls and rectify all the
blunders that come into the post of
fices. Some of these blunders are
amusing.
Not long ago an unstamped letter
was found in the city drop. It was
sent to the inquiry department. A few
hours later a nickel pasted to a piece
of cardboard was found in the mulling
box. On the cardboard was written:
'
z 1 MAILICI) A LICTKK j
: WITHOUT A STAMP Kid' Tlllfi :
! CM I A NCI J
t :
. ..
Tint iihtkul wu aim mint in Urn in
quiry olMiiu, wliwru u two'iit. fctjunp
v-uh put on thu uuutntupud luiUt' nnd
h lJ-4iT
JfcCJU
the balance of the money applied to the
United States sinking fund.
On one occasion a child's book was
received. It had been sent as mer
chandise, but on the 11 y leaf a girl's
name had been written, which is con
trary to the postal regulations, nnd it
was therefore held. At the bottom of
the first pnge was also written: "Look
on piige 1!20." Turning to the page
indicated the clerk fiAiiul a crisp two
dollar bill.
Sometimes things get a little mixed
up by the employes of the post office,
but not often, for the positions of the
clerks depend upon their correctness.
However, an error now and then docs
creep in. A case of this kind occurred
once when two packages, almost alike,
came in at the same time. Uoth were
in bad order, and in trying to fix them
in proper shape t'ic clerk got the wrap
pers mixed. On package contained an
alligator and the other roses. Nobody
knew which was which so they just
made a guess of it, and put a note in
the alligator box to the effect: "If you
arc expecting a box of roses, write to
Miss , of ," and in the box of
roses they wrote a few lines like this:
"If you are expecting an alligator, write
to Mrs. , of ." The post otllce
authorities did not hear of the matter
again, so in all probabilities the guess
came out all right.
About one of the most ridiculous er
rors was made by a woman in Mobile
who imagined that one of the employes
in the Chicago post oflicc was writing
her a personal letter, when he had
simply sent her the regulation notice
informing her that a letter she had
written was being held for postage.
It all came about in tills way: The
woman had answered an advertisement
requesting a "lady correspondent."
She had sent her letter unsealed with
out any stamp. 3n some way it had
been overlooked and came through tlio
mails till it readied Chicago. Here it
was turned over to the inquiry depart
ment. The clerk promptly notified the
sender. She thought it was an answer
to her letter by the man who had ad
vertised for a correspondent. This is
what she wrote:
"Mobile, , Mr. Drnr Sir:
Among tlio advertisements In the Enquirer
desiring young lntly correspondents, 1 llnd
one from Chicago Enquirer otllce, to which
I will reply. I have never hud an unknown
correspondent, but know of several who
have answered advertisements, so I
thought that I would bo E plurlbus unum.
I will reserve description and ago till my
next. Hoping that my letter will meet with
your approval and a hasty reply, I remain
an unknown friend. ."
It is perhaps unnecessary to say that
Uncle Sam's prudent young man evaded
RETURNING STOLEN PROPERTY.
this attempt to open a correspondence
with the Mobile belle, and explained to
her in plain language the whole situa
tion. The criminal classes have frequently
used the postal service for returning
stolen property. Now because a thief
sometimes returns property for which
he lias no use, it isn't always an indica
tion that lie is about to reform. Jt may
simply show that he has an idea of be
ing half way square. It isn't always
convenient for him to send back papers
that are of no value to anyone but the
owner, but some of the more Ingenious
members of the light-fingered gentry
have discovered a way that is both safe
and easy. It consists of dropping a
purse or other stolen article, after, of
course, denuding it of all suspicion of
money, in the nearest mail box. The
inquiry division does the resT. Jtisby
no means an uncommon occurrence for
the mail collectors to gather up wallets
and packages of papers that have been
dropped In the boxes by thieves. Some
times the addresses arc attached ami
the articles are at once returned to the
owners. If there is no clew as to the
ownership they are held subject to fu
ture developments.
A short time ago one of the collect
ors brought in a money order that lie
found loose in a box in Canal street.
It was issued in New York ami drawn
on a post office In the state of Washing
ton. Tilts department here wrote on
to the postmaster there, and when the
answer came back a strange tele was
unfolded. It appears that the mnn who
remitted the order was also the payee.
That is, he had drawn the order, which
was for a considerable sum, while he
was in New York, and made it payable
to himself in his native western town
an a Mife way of transmitting the cash
across the continent. While in Chi
cago he was samlhagged and robbed.
The thug wiw thu money order wait of
no use to hiiu, so he dropped it in thu
letter bo v. Tin! western pot tiiinntur
wrote that hu believed tint limn' utory,
for the i'inihoii that his face Iki.-c every
evidence tliHt lie IihiI Imeu MfcVftuttt.
PltBDICIUCK 1I0VD MTKVWXIO.V.
WITHOUT SENATORS.
Several States Have But One Rep
resentative in the Upper House.
Should the ConnHttitlon lit Aniftitletl
So That Heiutlorii Could He CIiomcu
Iij' (he Dlrcot Vote of
the l'eoitlef
Special Washington Loiter.
One of the growing questions before
our neonle is whether members of the
United States senate shall continue to
be elected by state legislatures or by di
rect vote of the people.
There are now I5 states in the federal
union, and each state Is entitled to two
bcnators. Consequently, if every statu
legislature performed its constitution
al duty, there would be 00 members
of the national senate. When the con
stitution was adopted there were III
states, each entitled to two senators;
and tlie total membership of the na
tional senate was !2fl.
Thirty-two states have been added to
the federal union since the foundation
of the government. ly purchase, by
cession and by conquest the original
republic has expanded from the At
lantic to the Pacific oceans, and from
the great lakes to the gulf.
But, while the republic has been
expanding, and while its power has
A REPUBLICAN PAPER'S
been increasing, men gifted with tal
ents for acquisition have acquired
wealth in great measure. Their sons
have added to the hoards by modern
methods of speculation. They ignore
that Scripture which says that it is
harder for a rich man to enter thu
Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel
to pass through the gate called the
needle's eye. They have laid up treas
ure on earth, seeming to care little or
nothing for laying up treasure in
Henvcn.
It Is because of this accumulation of
riches that many of our people be
lieve that legislatures are corruptible,
nnd that rich men buy their way into
the national senate. No higher honor
can be attained by any man in tills re
public than that lie shall be elected
to the national senate; excepting, of
course, the presidency. Itieh men covet
the distinction and the social honor.
It is not a secret that, not many years
ago, a man expended upwards of a
quarter of a million dollars to secure
his election to the senate.
The salary of a senator is only $.",00()
a year, and the term lasts but six years.
Consequently when a man is elected
to the senate his total salary for six
years amounts to SUO.OOO. And yet a
man expended a quarter of a million
dollars to secure an election to the
senate. Why did lie do it?
He expended that large amount of
money simply to have the honor of be
ing a senator; just as he expended $50,
000 for a painting to adorn his parlor;
just as he expended $7.10,000 for a house
in a certain city.
Now when the expenditure of a quar
ter of a million dollars will enable a
rich man to have himself elected to the
senate many of our good people think
that a halt should be called. If a man
in one state can control a legislature
with money, a man in every state might
do the same; and hence no man could
aspire to become a great law -giver
without first becoming a rich man.
Moreover, all legislatures .might be
come corrupt.
That Is, in brief, the argument made,
by the people who favor the election
of senators by direct votes of the peo
ple. It is for the purpose of enabling
poor men to aspire, as they did in the
days of Jackson, I'olk, Clay, Webster,
Lincoln and (iarfleld; It is for the
purpose of putting the poor men on
a level with the rich men in UMplrlng
to national honor) mid distinction that
they advocate the proposed disuse.
Hut thorn Is nnotliHi side to thu que
tlon. If wealth eoiitlinio to iicmiiiiu
Lite, uud rich invli eoiithiuu tu wipH'u, I
they will have the advantage anyway,
because they can huve bigger meetings,
better brass bauds, bigger processions,
more expensive and extensive barbe
cues and other entertainments; so that,
even by n direct vote of the people, the
election of senators might be corruptly
secured. That is to say, the rich man
who would expend a quarter of a mil
lion dollars to corrupt a state, legisla
ture would spend half a million to influ
ence the votes of the people in the vari
ous polling places. The millionaire of
the present can au well afford to spend
half a million for the honor as he can
afford to spend a quarter of a million.
There Is also the danger that the peo
ple might become accustomed to look
for wholesale bribery, and enough of
them become corruptible to sell their
votes, and affect the elections.
There you have an epitome of both
sides of the argument. The reason for
calling attention to this condition pros
pectively affecting our body politic lies
in the fact that during the past decade
various state legislatures have failed to
perform their constitutional functions,
and have adjourned without electing
senators, thereby depriving sovereign
states of their right to complete repre
sentation on the lloor of the national
senate.
One striking example of this condi
tion may lie referred to without preju
dice. In LS'.M Senator Mitchell, of Ore
gon, discussing the right of the gov
ernor of Montana to appoint Lee Muutla
as a senator, after the legislature of
VIEW OF THE SITUATION.
Montana failed to elect a senator, said:
"Suppose a rich man should arise in
Oregon, two years hence, and prevent
my reelection to tliv senate. Suppose
that rich man should be in collusion
with the governor of Oregon. And, nit
er preventing the legislature from
electing mc, that rich man should be ap
pointed to the senate by the governor of
Oregon, would It be right to give him a
seat In this body'.' I say not; and I will
ote against the admission of a senator
from .Montana appointed under such
circumstances."
Strange as it may seem, two years
after Senator Mitchell had delivered
that speech the Oregon legislature was
induced to adjourn without electing a
senator to succeed Senator Mitchell.
Very soon thereafter the governor of
Oregon appointed one Corbett, a very
rich man, to the senate. The case
was considered carefully and, by a vote
of two to one, the senate refused to give
Corbett a seat. Thus a precedent was
established. When a legislature falls
to elect the governor of a state cannot
appoint a senator.
In recent years nine state legislatures
(California and Pennsylvania being thu
last) have adjourned without electing
senators. In sonic of these cases it is
known that money has been liberally
and lavishly used to bring about the
deplorable result. Ambition, avarice,
lust of power, pride of station, greed of
gain and desire for personal prefer
ment have stood between the people
and their constitutional rights.
These modern conditions have caused
many honest statesmen to advocate the
election of senators by direct otu of
t he people, instead of by the legisla
tures of the state. In order to lirii g
about this change it would be neces
sary to adopt an amendment to the na
tional constitution. Conservative men
doubt whether an amendment or this
nature would meet witli the approval
of two-thirds of the states.
Several of thu states in their party
conventions have Indorsed certain in
dividuals for the senate, campaigns
have lii-on made upon platforms con
taining the mimes of favorite sons, and
legislatures have felt In duty bound to
elect thoM' who have thus buen prac
tically chosen by u direct vote (if the
people. The pursuance of this policy
may bring about the result which so
many desire, without amending thu
national constitution.
Ml TIN D KHY.
IIoi-Iiim: lor Oil In (.'111111.
Ail Amcrlimii capltnllat in boring for
H'triuiii uiiar thu suburb of Jlu-viO,
CHILDREN'S FASHIONS.
White Krookit nml Cu notour Uniiuetari
for Tiny TotN Hie titiiii-
liiK Hummer.
Charming little dresses for girls for
spring and cool summer day wear nro
made from the soft silk warp fabrics.
Hitch as Lansdowne, Henrietta, poplin,
and yendella, and from the lino ull
wools, such ns cashmeres, ribbons
shirred over their own cords being used'
for trimmings.
Girls' skirts are gored, but do not
have the ultra-sheath effect of the skirts.
In vogue for their elders. The prettiest,
bodices for girls are thoso which, itt
reality or appearance, are worn with
under bodices.
A model that Is becoming to girl
from four to six falls straight from n
hort yoke, the scam being hidden un-'
der a deep yoke shaped in four long:
tabs. A picturesque hat for such u
frock is a large straw with wide brim,
trimmed only with u crown sash unit
huge sweeping bow of silk ribbon.
Piques are shown In many styles for
both little boys nnd girls of all sizes.
They are. attractive when new, but
they are ditllcult to launder, a fact
worthy the attention of the mistress of
the household where labor Is at a pre
mium. They should always be shrunk
before they arc cut.
For wraps there Is nothing jauntier
for small children than thu reeTer
jackct; these are made In a wide range.
of materials this spring, from plain
cloth to pique. Some are braided, some
are trimmed with heavy lace, overlaid
on collars, put on jabot style down the
edges from plaits, set on or in plaits in
insertion style, etc. Wide-shaped col
lars are on practically all child rcn'B
garments.
There is a marked revival of white
and wash goods for children's wear
The children in fashionable famiTies
aro frocked in white Sunday, Monday
and every day in the week all the year
round. Necessary warmth is secured in
underclothes which reach from neck to
ankles and in outer wraps.
Nothing washes so easily and well an
white, and it soils no more quickly
than any ilght-liucd wash fabric. Hut.
there are, none the less, many pretty
ginghams and percales from which to
niake selection.
The little tots too young for straw
hats are wearing delightfully pretty
headgear made of shirred, finely twilled
Japanese silk, with plaitings of mull,,
which fluff nnd fall and fly about tho
faee. Lace is interspersed with the mull
on some lints, and bows of ribbon and
rosebuds are a pretty addition. The
close-fitting bonnets are not confined,
to infants this spring, somu of thflm
being made with lacclike straw braid
crowns, nnd looking quaint as can be
on little women who have reached the
toddling stage Gentle woman.
UNCLE SAM'S BOYS.
A Graphic IlCNorlplloii of the TaKlncc
of Hollo l.y One with
ii llromic.
There have been several accotuitn of
the capture of Iloiio, but thu following
is the most succinct and vivid 1 have
heard, says a Manila correspondent. It
was given between drinks by a Milesian,
jacky from the fleet to a group of ad
miring soldiers in the Senate saloon, on
the Kscotta. Holding aloft his empty
glass he discoursed as follows:
"We was a-staiiding at quarthcrn
wnitin' fur the lingers to do aythcr the
wan thing or the it her, for the giural
had suit tliim word they must aythcr
surrinder or git out, when 1 heard a
howlin' over in the transport beyant.
" 'What's the matter wid them Tin
nessays.V says 1.
" 'Thcy's fightiu' mad,' says the gun
ner. " 'What fur?' says I, kind of interest
ed loikc.
" Mieknsc tlicy's been on the ship fur
a wake,' says he, a-grinnin' loiko a bab
boou, 'and huvn't lied a drink of wIiiih
key since they left Manily.'
" 'Cod rlst them,' says I; and jus' their
T heard the ouhl man that's the cap
tain swear, for the angers, instid of
surrenderin' or gittin' out, was a wurk
in' on their intrinehments.
" 'Oi'll stand no more such foolish
ness,' says lie. 'Open up on 'urn,' says-,
he, 'and we opened up. ll'ys, ye ought
to of seen it. Iv'ry toime we let oil" u
gun we opened a new strate through
Hollo, till ycu could throw a stone troo
du town any where ye planed. Thin the
Petrel sailed in an' let 'em have it wid
the machine guns, au'slic jistswept the
pebbles oil' de beach. Thin we landed
in the boats, an' after us came the
moonshiners, yellin' like ivcry man f
'em owned a private sthill and was
afraid of losln' it. We chased thunngcru
out of the town and way Into thu couu
thry, till it was too dark to chase Via
any more, and then the rctlircat sound
ed, and we canie back to town, and whin
we went into quart hers fur do night.
1 11 in Tlnnesays detailed tin min from
ivcry company to start a dlstliillcry."
St. Louis (ilobe-l)emncrat.
HaUeil Apple with Honey.
Wipe as many apples as desired and
remove the core at one end without run
ning the knife clear through. Into thin
hollow put a hit of butter and a tun
spoonful of honey and plauu In u pan
ind bake, for cooking purposim it Ik
vviill to buy thu bottled honey, whhih in
fruu from wax and will kp for mi In
dclliiito tiinn.St. Lou in tllobc.llmo-orat,
