Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-24
MAKE PUBLIC OFFICERS woRK.

1t is getting to be about time for Congress
to take some action towards cutting down
the salaries and fees of public officers as we'll
as to in some way reduce their numbers. 1t
is fact which some regard as singular that
for every vacancy in public Office, no mat
ter how insignificant it may appear, there
are hundreds of applicants. The explana-
ton is easy. AS a rule the duties of these Of
fees are merely nominal, while the compen-
sation paid by the government is more than
liberal. Collectors Of internal revenue and
customs, marshals, postmasters and other
like officers receive salaries and fees that
enable them 10 live in Iuxuriant ease, while
they habitually entrust all or nearly all the
duties of the Office to deputies. Few of them
spend more than two or three hours daily in
their offices, and those who have otter occu-
pations follow them uninterruptedly. If
they desire to take a pleasure trip during the
summer months they make a pre- tense of
having business to transact for the govern
ment where they wish to spend fsw days or
"CSno, hiS Vial tuSlI CABcuooS W OuClo
Sam. 1t thus happens that an offite with q
nominal salary Of not more than two thou
sand dollars year is made to return five
thousand or more.
We presume there are not more than a
hundred of these officials in the country who
| have a complete knowledge of the business
of their offices. They merely affix their
signatures to the blanks furnished by the
government, turn these blanks over to their
deputy or clerk, and go about seeking their
own pleasure or profit. The office runs alb
solutely without their aid, and their chief
labor is dons in drawing their salaries and
fees. 1t will seem 20 every man of sense
that men who are paid for performing a
service should not only keep watchful ey
over the interests of the government, but
busy himself in doing such work as he is
able to do. Deputies in the sense in which
they now exist are wholly unnecessary. All
the duties they now perform should be done
by the principal officer and the deputies
assigned to clerical desk.
| huotucE JUST CduSo VI COnpidluU dSdlHSt
the public Offices all over the country is that
they are never kept open during business
hours. One can seldom find any of them
open before nine o'clock in the morning or
after four in the afternoon. Other business
men are at their desks or stores not later
than eight o'clock, and remain there until
six or later in the evening. They often ex-
perience great inconvenience because of the
short hours of the government officials, for
if they have business to transact with them
they are compelled to leave their offices at
the busiest hours Of the day, whereas they
might be accommodated far better if per-
mitted to attend to such matters in slack
season. 1t is no hardship, we are sure, to
ask that the public Offices remain open dur
ing business hours, for neither the principal
nor subordinate officials or clerks can COM
pliin that they are overworked.
The expense of the public service could be
reduced one-balf without impairing its eff
cheney. There is no necessity for the vast
army of almoners that are now maintained
at the public cost. Let considerable Judi
cious pruning be done by Congress, and the
taxpayers will rise up en- nadsss and call it
blessed