The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-29
GOVERNMENT PATRONAGE.
The Departments at Washing
ton as Political AsylumS.
Facts that the Republican Pa
pers seek TO Conceal.

pOliLlCdL dSN luiHS' AhC SOOu Pi"SS'
have gone to working politicians-tO
men who have influence with the par
ty at home that may some time be
of service to the administration, or to
those who stand in the way of aspir,
ing friends of the heads of affairs.
Raum, Hawley, Upton, Comptroller
Porter, Register Scho6eld, Director Of
the Mint Burchard, in the treasury
department, as a host of others i'll the
other departments are the kind ofPer-
sons who are appointed for their pOlit-
ical influence. Others, like Judge
Lawrence, recently appointed first
comptroller of the treasury, are chos>
en- because they are in tie way of the
aspirations of persons whom the ad-
ministration wishes to help. This
time, Keifer of Ohio was in danger Of
loosing his seat in the house because
Judge Lawrence intended to contest
for it. LawreLce, however. has been
landed in the treasury department,
"biletted on the nation" and keifer
is safe.
A walk through the treasury or
interior department is sufficient to in
form anyone of the character Of the
great majority of the male clerks en-
ployed there. They are the weaklings
of the fock-the men for whom some
one has to care. Many of the them
have Il certain amount of cultivation,
and among the best Of them there are
some bookish men and some who write
fairly well.
THE HEAD OF A BUREAU.
Or chief of room, is more than
likely to be conversable sort of
person. A man without ambition
and with literary taste can do Il good
deal of solid reading out Of hours
His work is not severe. He goes To
his office at nine in the morning and
leaves at four in the afternoon-in
these hot days ut three. He has ac>
cess to the congressional library, or
can get it from any one of the hun
dreds or so of congressman who never
read themselves. 1t is not surprising,
therefore, if now and then one stum-
bles on man of considerable learning
in some speciality. As rule, howev.
er, the reading of these department
clerks in desultory and fragmentary.
They have as little application i'll this
respect as they have in any other.
They are mere browsers i'll the field of
letters.
Most of these people are the friends
of active politicians. They are men
who are unable to take care or them>
selves; who cannot find employment
in ordinary business; who have not,
in short, the talent for getting on
They are men without energy and
without courage. Were their tenure
of office sure, they would be hahpy, for
the government is not very severe
task-master. There is the constant
dread of removal, however, which
makes them turn pale at the first sug
gestion of Il change of administration.
They know that the chances are that
that will throw them out in cold
world us pensioners OH the bounty OF
the friends who obtained their places
for them, or to starve. 1t is the same
with the women as with the men.
They are from the ranks of the help
less. There is nothing to urge against
their characters from this fact. 1t is
a fact. however, that they are the wId-
ows and orphans of politicians or the
friend of politicians. They are often
very efficient clerks, and the charity
is well bestowed.
THE STATE DEPA RTMEET.
TO 90 back TO the clerks in the de-
pertinent, by far the best men are 20
be found in the sPte department,
which is conducted % Il better system
than any other. The pride of the
state department is largely in its old
clerks. Nothing could bring about
the discharge of Asst. Sec'y Hunter,
who has worked up to his present po-
sition through fifty one years of faith
ful service. If they get good man
in that department they keep him. 1t
is not SO in the other departments,
and the truth is, they very rarely get
a good man. Most of the under
clerks in the treasury department are
loud young men, who throw away in
dissipation their slender stipends and
slenderer chances of promotion, and
live in cheap rooms in cheap boarding
houses. They prefer this sort Of thing
to home and hard work.
The politicians endeaver to cover
up and hide the number of appoint
ments made by them. The Official
Register" of the government pretends
TO give list of employees and the sal
ary paid each class. The Republican
officials, however, are unwilling that
it should be known how much of
A GREAT ASYLUM
The different departments have be-
come under their management, for
the "Register" does not contain the
names of all who are employed, nor
does it always give the tul! salaries
paid, the amount paid for fees and
piece work especially being Ommitted.
The navy department list, for instance,
contains the names of only 12S civil
ians. while there are employed almost
10000. In the post-ofice department
Ia -. cr n,nst1nastarS lacks . 000