, 1881-04-09
The BIunder of OMee-Seeking.

sire puoic employment VIC sly az
visedly considerable part Of the populs
ton, because the number of persons
having public employment IN federal,
State, city, county and local Offices Is
very great, and for every one actually II
office there are probably at least hall
dozen who would like to get in- We have
seen somewhere a rough calculation which
prodnces quite startling result. The
federal government employs somewhere
near one hundred Thousand people,
There are probably twice as many State,
'city, county and local Offices, which would
make a total of three hundred Thousand
places. Ii We reckot the office seekers
at an average Of FIVE for each OF these
places. which does not seem too high Il
some gentlemen HinSide OF politics
whom We have had the advantage OF con-
suiting on this interesting matter, We
have a total Of three hundred thousand
men holding Office and million and a
half hopins for Office, at any given mo-
ment. That makes a very considerable
part Of the adult male population, in fifty
millions Of people.
President Garfield, our Washington
correspondence reports, is SD beset by
applicants for federal offices that he can
not afford even two minutes apiece To
these anxious gentlemen. Yet those who
besiese him aspire only to the higher
and best paid places, which are cnmpara-
lively few in number. The members OF
th- Few cabinet are also, reports say, IN q
state of s.ese, and have hardly got into
their places when they find themselves
solicited to make places for others Why
is all this rage for public employment
The country is prosperous; the means
of obtaining living Are plentiful; honest
industry is getting fair paw IN all sections
of the country. Moreover the rewards
Of Office are extremely slender in this
country. The highest salaries which are
paid by government are for places which
require very uncommon ability TO hll
them respectfully, and the lower grades
of the federal service are so poorly paid
that it has always been a marvel to us
that the labor is, ON the whok, SO we'll
and so faithfully performed Moreover
a government office lacks the one element
# stability, which in private employment
often and rightly makes low pay acceP-
table. The government clerk or func-
tionary Of whatever grade IN this country
knows that once in. four years he IS very
likely to be turned adrift, and that no
matter what his fidelity or capacity, he
NAV at any moment be forced to give
wsy to some political favorlte, as he IN
the beginning was the means Of displac
ing some one else. Finally. IN only 4
very few exceptional places are either the
duties light or the perquisites heavy or at
all important.
what is true Of federal is equally true
of State and other local Offices. Still,
with all these, which. one would think
serious discouragements to othce- seeking,
it seems probable that nearly two millions
Of our fellow citizens prefer public 10
private employment. How is this busi-
ness blunder-for that 1t is-to dc ac-
counted for. A public office leads to
nothing, except in few cases, where the
talent shown in the higher places enables
their occupants to enter profitable private
occupa.ions. Still worse, public employ-
inert units men who have been long IN
it for the struggle with the world. 1t is
4 disabling occupation, and it IS conceded
that four wears in public office crippleS
tie man almost always for the rest of his
life. Still, lnen hunger for office, and
with, as many cases show, the very
slightest consideration Tor their own
future and that Of their families. 4
western Washington tradition re-
tes-applied during one OF the late ad
ministrations fos consulship- He was
not particularly fitted for a high place,
and had 10 powerful hackers or pro-
nounced claims, even in his Own belief /;
he had been Il faithful and effective party
worker in his own locality, and he had
set his heart on consnlship. The then
Secretary of State, being obliged to give
him a hearing, assured him that there
were few vacancies and many applicants,
but finally sugg sted the eonsulship at
Jerusalem salary twelve hundred dol
lars. On this the western man spoke out /,
in the language Of one who had suddenly
seen a great light: - Sir, said he to the
AUGUST Secretary of State, II have a
wife and four children. 1t would take a
wear $ salary to get us to Jerusalem and
a year salary to get US back, and ] doubt
If we could get oh with the remainder OF
four wears pay. should like you to
give me a consulship to the New Jerusa-
lem, where they say the streets are paved
with gold" The Secretary Of State po-
litely replied that he had not yet been
able to establish diplomatic relations
with the New Jerusalem, and the wes-
tern man went home a wiser, but also. a
poorer man, having spent several weeks
cf time and more money than his faulty
could spare in an attempt to get an once
about the pay and the duties of which he
had not taken the trouble to think be-
forehand Undoubtedly he Was fortunate
in not getting place.
when man can do nothing else to
make living" Washington gossips ma
liciously assert, '' he either asks for a
government Office or takes to lecturins-
Not very long sso a gentleman appeared
in Washington who demanded an office
OH the ground that he had twelve child
rem aud needed bread for them. A man
who had brought twelve children into
the world ought to have a provision out
Of the public treasury that was apparent
" his simple theory. The Secretary OF
State. to whom the case was made known,
remarked that he thought this " hns
instance Of the re-pro-ductio ad dts'T'.dn.;
bat the joke fell fiat on the ears Of the
poor fellow, who foolishly imagined that
any government salary whatever Is big
enough to keep twelve children ssomaehs
full
A holder of government employment
enjoys, it is commonly supposed, Ger.
tain amount Of social consideration; and
40 doubt this has something to do with
the rage for Office. II is symptom OF a
kind Of social scramble; though 1t Is
paying a good deal for a very h.tie when
men abandon the legitimate paths OF IN
dns,ry to accept small pay with uncer-
tain tenure liz order 10 secure SOCIAL eie-
ration. But this is, without doubt, the
moving impulse OF a great deal of office
seeking; and it is sentiment which,
false as it is, has obtained Judgement IN
the public rI,nd. An eminent statesman
recently said to young friend who hesi'
tated about accepting place which,
without lis solicitation, had been offered
him: 81 You should taks it; IN my Judg-
meut, when . man has for some time
exercised certain influence on the pub
lie he must take Office or the public Will
droo him. because il will believe that he