The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-06-11
"Month when roses blow
And clouds are highest I'M in air. -

"Month when roses blow
And clouds are highest up in air."
that is to say, the month sacred to the goddess
Juno, to wit: the month of June, is,engaged in
serving the United States government in tn o
exalted capacity of an Enumerator Of the
Tenth Census. He was appointed to the hon
orable and lucrative position simply because
of the vast political influence which he wields
in the community in which he lives and moves
and runs in debt. 1t (the appointment) was
made, as we have intimated, purely for politi
cal reasons. as a reward for the vote which he
would have cast for Mr.. Hayes, had he been of
age at the last presidential election. 1t is
specimen of the fnesSe with which. the Repub-
lican party controls the ''machine' which
grinds down into the dust the poor and labor
ing freeman, and holds in base and servile
subsection millions off, honest people, groaning
beneath its CALLING yoke extract from DO
litical leader in an exchanged AS an enumer-
ator he is privileged to be called government
oticial-to fancy himself trife better than
other men--to swell out his chest-to put on
airs He might even wear good clothes and
drive livery teams and smoke nice fat cigars
but as the general government did not incor-
porate in his commission provision for liqui-
dating any bills which might be contracted in
these. directions, he is forced to curb the lofty
flights which the appointment naturally pro-
commonplace and rational.
1t is not, dear brethren, such an enviable DO
siton as the careless and unthinking might
imagine. Though we may clothe it with the
personal dignity which contact with journals
tic surroundings has insensibly Injured us to-;
and though outwardly we may exhibit the
glittering trappings which are the accompani-
ment of an official position under the govern
ment; yet beneath the fair and gilded exterior
turks the undying worm Of discomfort, which
like q in the hud fpafia off nt,rd
cheek. And we can assure you that in an oc-
cupatinn of this nature there isn't any cheek to
spare for bugs to gnaw upon. This invading
the sanctity of the home; this crawling over
fences and stealing up back paths; this con-
stant, haunting fear that with our honestest
intentions we are taken for map-peddlar;
this sneaking, hang-dog sensation which ac-
companies the personal questions which we
are forced to PROFOUND; this eyer-present dread
that some man will fire our mangled body out
of window when we ask him if he is idiotic
or insane; this cold, stony stare when we ask
woman's age this perpetual smiling when we
know we are but villain still this intermina-
able keeping wary eye out that we may not
be taken for book agent and mercilessly shot;
all these and more combine to weigh us down,
and as inevitably as the mills of the gods.
which are as sure and deadly as they are slow,
are crushing out our life, sapping from us the
last lingering drop of an upright manhood, and
bowling once proud form in sad AFFECTION to
the earth.
And all this for miserable pittance of four
dollars day and find ourselves. We can find
ourselves now, but can we be found at the end
of a month? One becomes lost in contemplat-
ing the awful possibilities with which this
query is freighted. There was a time when to
become an employe of the government, have
nothing to do but to dress well, clip our finger
nails and sign vouchers for fat. salary, was the
acme of our aspirations, Now, alasl we realize
that even the path of such person is not en-
tirely strewn with sweet-smelling roses, and
that there is such thing as government Off
country,