New-York tribune., 1874-07-08
NATIONAL ECONOMY.

DISCHARGED CLbkhS'
(PRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRiDoSh'I
WAsHINGToN. July 2.-Congressmen, after ALL are
responsible for almost everything except tno
weather which is at present under the detail oi "'
officer of the War Department. Nothing pa" o'oi
takes Washington that is not lad at the uooi VI
people's representatives If the power Of rings III
Washington is broken, 1t is the fault OF Congress;
the casting away like chaif of the public money on
extravapant and unseryiceable wood payements' OF
other improvements is discontinued Congress
In blame if contractors cannot get pay LOT "oih
ILLEGALLY let il is because Congress inteferes anu
if money is scarce in the National capital iact not
TO be denied why that too, - the fault OF congress-
If bridges are not built if buildings are not erecteu'
if streets are not opened if crossings are ont Oh re
pair if wages are reduced or increased u oo''u'
houses are not full if the mails not regular
the schools are defective and if the gas bills are 100
high-who but Congress is to blame
The latest subject Of complaint against congress
in Washington is the discharge of about thousanu
clerks and employees of both sexes from the "o'eIn-
ment service with the close OF the hScal year. lho
complaint in this case is probably just, Tor "ltnou'
the action of Congress the discharges "ouiu no'
bove bcen made Yet i'm some of the offices in wmch
the force was not reduced the idle clerks and mes
sencers are 80 thick that they can scarcely help
il tbe Office of Gen. Spinner United States Treas
urer His force of clerks and dependents was hoD
reduced-on the contrary it WAS increased-and
vet fine number of idle people thronging the rooms
of his Bureau is amazing, while other offices are
depriyod of their requisite working capacity. What
il the cause of the inequality is the first question
that suggests itself. In the Attorney-GeneraiS
Office as an instance the services of four OF Ve OF
perhaps half dozen clerks were dispensed Wltn III
the Legislative Executive, and Judicial AppropIla-
tIon bill and the AttOrney-General and ms chleI
clerk both say that it will be simply impossible TO
do the work of the department In proper manner
with the force allowed by law under the new act'
The Acknowledgement and his chief officers went
before the Appropriations Committee ana proteSIeu
against the reduction of the force but the Conilt
tee thought they knew more about the SUBJECT tndh
the officers, and so the force was stricken uo"h'
Some of the oldest and most valuable OF the cierk7
lawyers in one two cases, OF long experience III Tue
donartment had TO be set aside because there was
no appropriation to pay them. II what Is said at
the Department of Justice Is true the present ciers
will have TO work more than the number OF once
hours in other departments or else the current WORK
will be left undone
But in Gen. Spinner's Office the heroic treatment
was applied The old financial Dlogenes dd not con
Committee and tore around at fearful rate. 1t Is
even suggested that he was profane; that he told
the Committee they didn't know what they were
about; that he knew his own business. having fol-
lowed it for wengh fifteen years; that they would
not even get their salaries which they did not earn,
but for him. that they knew more ABOUT buncombe
speeches and demagogsm than about keeping the
cash account of the Governments that he gave bonds
and was responsible for the money passing through
his hands. and he must, therefore, have the
force required to take care OF it; and finally,
that if they reduced his force, they might take
his Office and 90 to the bad with it. The effect OF
such torrent of logic can be well imagined Ihe
Appropriations Committee allowed the Treasurer the
force he had, and gave him handsome percentage
az an increase; and yet all the members
of the Committee who voted for IL land
even Gen. Spinner himsel0 knew that
the present force was more than adequate for the
business of the office. The force in the State De-
partmeut was not reduced, but was added to, and
tho salaries in some cases were increased. The
clerical force in the POST Office Department was in
creased somewhat, which was doubtless rendered
necessary by the constantly increasing business.
The number of clerks was not reduced in the Navy
Department nor in the general business of the In
terror Department.
The Departments which suffered most were the
Treasury and the War; The former lost about 700
clerks aud employGs-more than half Of whom
women operatives in the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. For the removal of the latter, Congress
did not directly provide. The expenses of this
Bureau, which have, cOnfessedly, been very heavy,
and amounting to extravaganza, have been paid
from the loan fund, being a percentage on the
amount of work done. Instead Of this arrangement
being contn led, Congress provided a specific sum
for the work of the Bureau in other branches of
the Departmental very wise provision, for, hither-
to. there seemed to be no limit responsibility. The
Chief of the Bureau was not restricted in the num-
Der Of his appointments and his bureau had become
a sort Of hospital where persons sent who could
not be provided for elsewhere The wages paid by
the Bureau were very small, rarely amounting
to more than $40 $50 per month for
the women. If a Congressman had troublesome
applicant for Office man woman (and the latter
sex were most numerous who importuned HIM in
the morning. followed him to the Capitol, found
him at dinner, or beguiled him from his sleep
place was at last found for her for a Congressman
can generally get rid of the other by lending
them money! in McCartees Bureau. Thus the force
was swclled until it numbered over 1900 persons.
Sometimes the appointments would be for a month
and sometimes for more, for the force was con-
stantly changing Whenever a discharge could be
ordered it was done, and additions only made
when no escape was possible. The result was that
the number became too large. More than that, the
force had reached that point where it could not
materially be lessened without great suffering
aud even cruelty. At least 400 women,
willing TO work for the small prices paid
could not be discharged without more or less suffer
ing.
There were'some eases exciting the deepest COM
miseratOn. When the names of those TO be dis.
charged were made known in the Printing Bureau