Daily Republican., 1880-03-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Government Clerk Life-POints OF
News at Our National Capital.

News at Our National Capital.
Special Correspondence Of the Republican
WASHINGTON, D. c., March, 5, 80.
As promised in my other letter to
give yon the other side Of the Govern
ment clerks life, have submitted a
q few facts.
There are In this city Government
clerks who have been in Office since
about, the commencement Of time, aud
some of them are considered Of intrisic
value as clerks. In fact Government
clerking Y, something that person can
only learn by experience, and when
the routine Is gone through with, and
the task accomplished, it makes them
Thoroughly conversant with the duties
that are devolved upon them. Some
persons at distance from our city
imagine that a government position in
sinecure, q sort Of Gas the vulgarism
has it, "soft snap" but as general
thing 1t is quite the reverse. The "fat
Offices are obtained only by the great
est influence and consequently there
are some but not many in our city.
There Is no harder work than to be
cooped in badly ventilated Office with
a number of clerks, and then wiring
out All existence from 8 o'clock until
4 o'clock. The duties are equally as
hard. For instance let me illustrate,
take the case of man applying for
a Pension. He sends his afiidavits and
additional proof On to the Department,
and as in every case expects that his
case shall be acted upon the very
first.
His statements become little mixed !;
he forgets where he was taken sick
or recived an injury he thinks he was
hurt at such place, but don't know
exactly. Now here is Just the trouble
the Government clerk has to supply
what he lacks. He has to search every
thing to try and help this individual
to get pension who really don't know
anything about his case. Thousands
of cases of this kind are on file at the
Pension Office. Sometimes you Of course
know, men don't tell the truth, and
sometimes the cases are just that sort,
nothing more than direct forgeries on
other Governments. Then again |
could mention the very arduous duties
of the clerk in the Treasury Depart
ment. There are some poor creatures
here that toll like slaves, and the ma
jority are females. refer to the Print
ing Department of the Treasury. Here
when old "SOl" is doing his very best
to make it hot and thermometers are
bursting all around US, these poor
creatures stand and toll from s o'clock
in the morning until 6 in the evening.
This is making money under rather ex-
treme difficulties.
Now much has been said of the char
acter Of the Treasury Department, and
that 1t was kiud of grand museum for
"pretty women." Well, that is 30,
they are quite good looking, the ma
jority, but there is quite goodly mum
her, who come under the other head.
Ing, kind of continuation Of false hair,
false teeth, and kind Of false everything
all done up in heap. They are what
are termed "political necessities. " They
have perch anCe, made love to some Of
the congressman and they secure the
Office as d reward of lost time while
sparkling" And tell you that's a
right cheap way of getting off. The
Treasury has however clerks (female)
who are of the very best families, and
who are deserving of the place they oc-
cupy. Women whose husbands and
brothers have fought and died for their
Government. For these the country
can never do too much, but then comes
the "giddy," impudent, wear all their
good clothes class" who 60 to the office
when they feel like it, and stay home
if they have fever blister on their lip,
which might worry and annoy the chief
Of the room should he see it. This fac
ton the country could dispense with,
but Influence" is the retainer. But
OF course We cannot have things exact
ly correct in this world so will leave
this subject and not criticise the fe-
male 'ink singers" further.
A Wilmington man has invented a
machine for reproducing scenes by elec.
tricity. When the apparatus is per-
fected 1t will play sad havoc with the
whole social fabric. A wife can cit az
home, turn the crank of the machine
and have a picture of her husband,
having nice little time with her friends
thrown upon the wall. 1t will bs use-
less then to attempt to practice any lit
tie deceptions or to make the old excuse
about going to see a sick friend, or hav.
ing to stay late at the office. The dear
little woman can telephone to the Can
tral office to look around for her dear
husband, and when the central Office
gets him into focus, fried oysters and
caramels won't fix the matter when the
aforesaid better half gets home. The
married men intend making " pool"
and buying the patent and suppress the
internal machine. The price of rope
has gone up here during the last three
months on account of the number of
murders. There are now four negroes
to leave this world oftrial and |
tribulation to go into the "Hemp" bu-
siness, the "locality" has not been de-
,ided upon. SEP
tDnctOr Clyde"