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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1906)
mfwrxrwisw" ! 0 VOLUME NUMBER It The Commoner, h X The Commoner WASHINGTON CITY LETTER ISSUED WEEKLV WJJJiTAM J. HHYAN Editor and Proprietor. OHAHMCS W. JJKYAN ') l'ubllshor. Kditorlul Iiooms mm wn...,. On Year $1.00 Six Months 30o In Clubs of 3 or more per Year 75o ThreoMonh 25o Sintfle Copy. .. Sample CoplesFree pw Foreign Postage 32o Extra. SUBSCRIPTIONS cun bo Bent direct to ThQ Com-, 5OT5?SvS8Jft &ffl X oWK .Seal SB. Do''notr JSSSWSEJ cii'oA Btampa or "niSCONTINVANCES.-lUsound that alamo inaJori- sB.3 s" fiiibscrlbcrs order discontinuance, cither 0 "ilENeUaLs.-Io date on your wrapper .show wftin your subscription will expire. 'Tjiiift Jan. 31, OG means that payment 1ms boon received to and lnciud ii K the last issuo of January, 1900. T .wo wccics are required aftor money has been received before tno CHANGE OF ADDREM.-Jn h well as tho NEW ohivngo ot uddroH""' bvo UL.U as won an uiu-. JERTISlNG-ratcs furnished upon application. ivddi'CBS all communications to '-,.'' THE COMMONER, Lincoln,. Nob Mi. Hamilton not only came back but brought n ro'drbuclr. l''w , The way to reform congress is to begin at your qwu hearthstone. ' ', The battle for the people in 1908 must, be won by preparations in 1906 and 1907. Between tlio Hamilton comeback and tho New York Lifo putback, tlio people are enjoy ing thomsolves quite nicoly, thank you. The coal mine operators declare for the "open shopTfor their employes but steadfastly; adhere to the "closed Bhop" for themselves. Mr, Cleveland is down in Florida keeping a stern eye on the insurance directors who meet within call of 2G Broadway, New York City. It is said that John D. Rockefeller is suffer ing from nervous prostration. If lie is ho is now well aware . of what ho has caused a lot of would-be competitors to suffer. Speaking of freak measures Introduced into state legislatures, have you over noticed the re sults upon the United States senate of freak voting in tho aforesaid legislatures? Now that monkey talk is to be added to the linguistic curriculum of Chicago university the Washington Post is interested in knowing the monkey who will bo tendered, tho professorship. It is not to be. expected that Mr. Dalrymple of Glasgow will be able to appreciate the subtle humor connected with tho simultaneous publi cation of his report and the decision of the su premo court. Six hundred Moros have boon benevolently assimilated, but the benevolent gentlemen re sponsible for tho work have not devised any method of conveying information of the fact to the assimilated. TN Great Britain has ' taken out insurance pn her warships to tho amount of $60,000,000. The insurance companies consented to taking the risk after learning that there was no probability of war with Uncle Sam. m-3he report that a poulterer in New "Jersey omc &..ised a breed of hens that lays eggs with T 1 ? ? tuoroon reminds lis that what most of .ivr J"vij n j lium iu iuu; uuw. Washington, D. 0., March 26. In spite of the recommendations, of high officials of the de partment in their last annual reports that the ap propriations for the rural free delivery service could be curtailed without injury to the same tho disposition in congress is to increase the amount as shown by the house bill reported the other day. In round numbers it is proposed to spend for this service during tho coming fiscal year $28,000,000. Some of the congressmen have thought that the railroads have been getting more than their just share for carrying the mails, and efforts wore made this session in the committee to cut down the allowance, but they failed. Men and women of advanced years employed in tho Washington departments are much excited over the efforts being made in congress to not only reduce their pay, but to put them out of the service after they reach the age of seventy. It is very doubtful if there will be any legisla tion on the subject this session, however. In nearly all the departments the work is so behind that there is constant complaint on the part of tho lawmakers of the nation. The fault does not lio with the older employes in reality any more than with the younger set. Each session the high officials go before the committees of congress with ronuests for ti" slflrks. The .expend" Ateps piling up in the face of a well known fact that the average government clerk in this city does not perform,- half the labor in a year that ought reasonably tp be exacted. The salaries paid are better than the . compensation in private occupations, Each clerk besid.es has an annual leave of thirty days. Jn reality under a system of counting the Sundays the leave is nearer two months. There. ard also a great many holidays, and for almost three months in the, summer season the departments close at 1 o'clock on Saturdays. The sick leave is', energetically worked in all Of the departments, and the clerks seem to have- little difficulty In remaining' away from office day after day. And yet the average employe here thinks that the lot of the "govern ment hireling," as they like to style themselves, is a hard one. They constantly complain that they are not paid enough, and a systematic move ment has been on foot for several years to ulti mately bring about a retirement plan that if. put into operation would virtually mean a civil pen sion list. About a year ago President Roosevelt ap pointed what is known as the Keep commission, tho object.being to make an examination of the departments with a view of finding out the best means of improving the efficiency among the em ployes. From his own investigations the presi dent does not believe that much corruption ex ists, but he has made it plain in some recent talks to officials that he is strongly of the opinion that in nearly every big bureau there is a slack state of affairs. The government printing office is a notable instance. While it is true that the printing office, is the largest of its kind in the, world it has been apparent to nearly every one of sense and judgment for some years that it has been too extravagantly operated. This is partly the fault of congress which has not adopt ed the suggestion repeatedly advanced by some members that there should, be a rigid Investiga tion of the big shop. If this were brought about it is the belief of many that fully $1,000,000 a year could be saved. Representative Charles Landis, of Indiana, chairman of the house print ing committee, has contended that this would, be the case; but the trouble is that the average republican knows that if a saving is effected. at the printing office it means a heavy reduction in tho force, and they have the establishment filled with, their partisans whom they are cautious about offendlng. .The passage of the bill to reorganize the consular service is bad news for a number of the office-holders who are filling the more im portant positions like London, Paris, Berlin, and Liverpool, as the enormous fees will be cut off. In future tho government will get all the fees that have been going into the pockets of the consuls-general. London and Paris will have a straight salary of $12,000 attached. In years gone by the London consulate has-been worth any where from $25,000 to $60,000, depending upon the condition of trade. In March of last year the president appointed Robert J. Wynne to this pos ition and at the time it was easily considered the best office from a money view tho executive had at his disposal. Mr Wynne had just re tired as postmaster general, and before going into the cabinet had been the first assistant postmaster general. - While in the latter office he was instru mental In unearthing the frauds in the depart ment. A number of the officials were indicled? tried and sent to the penitentiary, It was. on account of his activity In exposing this crooked ness that President Roosevelt determined to re-' ward Mr. Wynne by sending him to London. , Since congress has passed the bill referred to .. there is talk, here that Mr. Wynne will not reW, , main long in London. The bill generally 'raises , the pay of the consuls, and that was accomplished.- by lopping tiff the fees that were allowed at tlte' -big posts, ";.;;:; The, Jamestown exposition will receive sub-; - stantially all the recognition asked by the offl- cials of the company, and it is expected that con-" gress will vote about $1,600,000 in addition to the sum of $260,000 that was appropriated by the . last congress for the entertainment of tho offi cers and men in the foreign armies and navie's ,; expected to visit us next year. From an Indus- -trial standpoint the Jamestown exposition will not' be a Mg affair like that held two years ago at" St. Louis. It was never intended by its pro motors that it should be. It will be different from ' anything of the sort ever undertaken in the Uiii ted States, and it is expected that the naval H features will be- the mostr interesting of the ex-. "Trfbllfon. A's" is well known the expolsTtttomsg ue neiu on Jtiampton uoaas, unquestionably one of the finest harbors in the world. Many months ago President Roosevelt offi-;" daily invited the nations of the earth to par-' ticipate in the celebration in honor of the plant"-" ing of the first English speaking colony on the American continent. He has done all in his. power this session to impress upon congress the: necessity of extending the aid that was asked by :,i the exposition company officials, and largely: ;. through his efforts and several members of the cabinet who appeared before -the house commit--' . tee a favorable report was ordered on the billi '" ' In 1913 the people of the Pacific slope pro-: pose to hold an exposition at San Francisco. That -X will be in honor of the discovery of the Pacific ocean by Balboa in 1513. ' " .:;- i'UiCt: v, ALFRED J. STOFER.C," . ' , ' EVERYONE MAY HELP . 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X. - THE COMMONER'S SPECIAL OFFER Application for Subscription Carets Publisher Commoner; I am interested in in creasing The Commoner's circulation, andde n0UTt0 6end4me tt sPPly oi subscription 22:f?li,J- aBrn e to i1S0.ray ut?ost endeavor to fl0!1 th caras. aa will rem t for them at tho rate of 60 cents each, when sold. Namb. BOX. On STnKBT No P O , Statk , Indicate the number of cards wanted by marlcing X opposite one of the numbers print ed on end of this bltvnlt. If you believe the paper Is doing a work that mer its encouragement, fill out the above coupon and mall it to THE COMMONER,. Lincoln. Web. ' r V "'v ;'.' -ry, ' 1 :TU ! w3SIS&S --"rR.' .' y-K'fe -IjfrwJt- - w..tou...,-... ; "'l V--