The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-04-13

WASHINGTON LETTER,
Clerkships in the Government De-
partments--A Short Account Of the
True Inwardness of a Clerk.
Correspondence of Columbus Dispatch.

correspondence OI DlSputCL'
WASHINGTON, April /, 1876.
To one at distance the amounts paid
the clerks here looks like good compen-
sation. but when one sees the immense
amount of suffering that prevails to dav
in this beautiful city among the clerks
and their families, they soon change their
opinion. Go with me for awhile and we
will wander through some of the Depart
ments and note the results. First we 60
to the Treasury, where, with four hund-
dred tons of silver, several of gold, and
millions of dollars of greenbacks in the
vaults, there will be found as much suf-
fering as in the five points in New York.
Let us stop and chat with this grey head
ed old messenger, who says that for over
forty wears he has been in his present
place. He says that time and time again
has he been removed, as the politics
change, but his friends, who are count
less, always have him replaced on the
rolls. He has accumulated a small prop
erty, brought up family and educated
them well, and now enjoys the evening
of life by doing in his chair while acting
as day messenger il the Department. He
can give you more information in regard
to the Department and its employees
their history-than any other person.
We press him into service and pass on to
the appointment room, where we are in
troduced to Mr.. Martin, who is supposed
to control all appointments, but in fact,
does so only under the direction of the
Secretary of the Treasury. We sit down
and watch the crowd who come and go.
Here comes a young man just fresh from
some far distant State. You can tell
him by glance at his ungainly walk
and peculiar clothes. He has been sent
here by his Representative and now he
comes to ask for place. He is told that
there is no vacancy, and goes quietly off,
wishing he had remained at home Here
comes young lady who was discharged
last month, and is now trying to get re-
instated, but her Representative was de-
feated last election, and now she is told
that the quota allowed her State is filled.
Now comes a widow who pleads with
tears to be restored. She has family
of children, an aged father or mother de-
pending on her for support and she has
been out so long that she has pawned
her last piece of furniture to save them
from starvation. Mr.. Martin finally
promises to try and make a place for her
in day or two which is done.
Now comes Senator -, from South
ern State, and pompously tells Mr.. Mar
tin to put his niece on the rolls from his
State. Mr.. Martin tells him that his
State has its full number. He very dig
niiedly says 81 VII see the Secretary,
sir" and retires, while Mr.. Martin smiles
quietly. He well knows that that niece is
no relative Of the Senator, and is not
wanted to be put on the rolls to do work.
So they come and go all day long. Af-
ter discharge such as that of the Bu-
reau of Engraving, there will often be
over one hundred of both sexes, old and
young, around the door at one time, ca
ger to get hearing, by which they hope
to be replaced.
One Of the clerks discharged February
18th, by reason of Congress Iot appropria-
ting funds to carry on the Bureau, told
me to day that he knew a family of six
persons who for three weeks had eaten
nothing but bread and molasses, because
their mother, who had been employed
there at $40 month, had been discharg-
ed. At present, however, there is an
effort being made to have the. city au-
thorities take proper care of all such
cases.
We pass on to the counting room,
which we find filled by ladies', We stop
to chat with one, and notice her fingers
are bleeding while rapidly running over
the new bills, and call her attention to
it. ooh !" says she, "they hurt me terri
bly,; the edges of the new cut bills cut nv
fingers; but am afraid to say anything,
for don't want to lose my place; and
then what would do2" Next we 90
into the copying room, where but little
sound breaks the silence except the mo-
notonous scratch of the pens.
One lady tells us that frequently she
never leaves her seat from 8 O'clock to a.
and remarks that if those who think
Treasury clerks have nothing to do
would try it, they would soon be satisfied.
turned to quite young girl and ask
ed her what she would do if her "head
was cut off" the first the coming month.
She dropped her head on the table and
burst into tears. This shows how sli, hit
is the tenure of government clerk Yet
there are some who accu.l uate fortune
while clerking. One to whom l spoke
told me that twelve years ago he came
here at $50 month, and now he owned
a $4,000 house, furnished at a cost of
$4,000, and is boarding four congressman
who pay him each $3.50 per MONTH
"That old gentleman there" he SAYS,
"owns fine house, and at the close of
Office hours may be seen driving his own
fine horse and carriage, and enjoying life
as well as the best of u.s."
Here meet friend who tells me he
has just graduated a full and complete
M. D. Since coming into the Depart
men three years ago he has earned 81
400, and has read law and medicine and
been admitted to practice both, after a
full course in each he expects to remain
another year, and then hang out his
shingle as an M. d.
One gentleman here left law practice
Of $1,000 a year in Illinois, and secured a
$1,000 clerkship in the patent Office
which he held for a year, then opened
an office here as Patent Attorney. and in
six months took in $50 900 for the prose.
cution of claims that he had familiarized
himself with while in the office. At
least one half of the attorneys in the city