Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-10
TEN THOUSAND CLERKS.
UNCLE SANS EMPLOYEES IN wAsHINGToN-A BIG
ARMY-How THEY ARE DIsTRIBUTED-wHAT
THEY ARE PAID.

From city of boarding-h houses Washington
has become city of beautiful residences. Re-
tired army and navy officers. successful business
men. men Of prominence in literature and
science from all parts OF the country have re-
eognized the desirability of Washington as a
place of residence, and have come here to spend
the winters with their families.
This city probably surpasses any other in the
country in its Improvement in tasteful and
handsome houses. Aside from the 'spalatial''
residences which have been built for the rich.
innumerable good, solid comfortable houses OF
medium size have gone up in all parts of the
city in recent years. These have been built
or bought by men of moderate means-govern-
.ment clerks, for instance, who have been able to
save little each year from their limited sala-
rles. and who have come to the conclusion that
to purchase good comfortable house is about
as good an investment as they can make with
their spare means.
II civil service rules were in force here, and
the government clerks were assured of being
able to hold their places during good behavior,
they would feel some security in acquiring per-
nanent homes In Washington and in Identifying
themselves with the city. AS it Is, the large
mass of the clerks feel their tenure Of office to
be so insecure that they hesitate about under
taking to buy houses for their own use, and are
HOMELESS EXISTENCE
in boarding houses or rented houses. Govern
ment clerks are, under the present system. held
as so much voting material, to be sent every
year to the several states to which they are &C
credited, to vote for the party. The result is,
that they form sort of alien body in Washing
ton. and do not identify themselves with the
citizenship of the place and its interests, as
they would II their situations were permanent
AS It Is. though, great many clerks have ac-
CURED comfortable houses. As rule, their
salaries are not large enough to warrant any
thing more than comfort when they have fam
lilies to support. In certain sections of the CITY
there are what might be called government
colonies; where row after row OF cosy houses
are erected just suited to the size Of the clerical
pocketbOOk. COrcOran street, Columbia street
ana other localities might be mentioned as SUCH
ON THE WAY TO WORK.
From half-past eight o'clock until nine in the
morning the streets are alive with people hurry
ing to their respective Offices They all have
their regular routes and time their distances ex-
actly, and the same faces can be seen every
morning at just such a corner at such minute.
Fourteenth street. Vermont avenue and New
York avenue are favOrite routes. There goes
the man with large family to support. He
can be told by the somewhat threadbare cond-
ton OF his clothes and his general wOe-begOne
appearance. He works hard and feels f0rtu-
nate II he can meet expenses. Ladies' whose
general appearance and carriage betoken a bet
ter condition in the past. but who are now
compelled to support themselves go tripping
along with their dainty lunch baskets in hand
ana also another small bundle, generally con-
tanning gOsSamer waterproof, in case 1t
should be raining at four O'Clock. There goes
the young man. cane in hand and cigarette in
mouth. He worked hard to get his place, and
with the aid of the Congressman from his s'dees-
trlct" was at last successful. He isn't sure now
but he had better have remained at
home, for the government clerkship isn't
quite what he thought it. He doesn't
red napkin, which his landlady prepares for him
every morning. Though his appetite is brisk
his lunch Is entirely disprOporLiOnate, and he
easily secretes it in his cOat-tail pocket About
nalf-past nine along comes the State department
young man. He is not compelled to be on duty
as early as his brother clerks His stylish clothes
and self-satisfed appearance betoken a diplo-
matte calling. The most deserving of praise are,
perhaps.
THE LADY CLERKS.
They are hard worked. and they work well
and receive the smallest remuneration. but the
wolf Is kept from the door of many q family by
thelr earnest endeavors. A great many of them
once belonged to families Of wealth, but reverses
came and they are glad to be able to work for a
living. In the Treasury department there are
over nVe hundred lady clerks, and in the bureau
Oh engraving and printing as many more In
the Treasury and Interior departments changes
are most frequent, and it is In these mostly that
women are employed, and every now and then
there are rumOrs of pending changes which set
their hearts futtering with dread until the
danger is over.
POSITION IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT
Is considered permanent thing. 1t is run on
a plan similar to our army and navy When
some one dies promotions take place, and there
Is chance for an appointment. In the War
and Navy departments also changes do not often
occur, and many clerk whose hair is now white
entered the service when q young man. En-
ployes perform their labors In a remarkably sat
isfactory manner. In fact, 1t is apparent that
the government clerk, taken on the ay-
erage, has greatly improved in many
respects within the past dozen years.
The government and its employees bear re-
lation to our city somewhat similar to that of a
college and its students to the little New Eng
land village where it Is located. There are
enough Office-hOlders who are residents Of
washington to make good sized city of them
selves. In the various departments the work
goes on the same from one years end to an
other, and one would scarcely realize how great
the number OF employees in the various de-
partments Is. In the Treasury department
there are
OVER THIRTY-FIVE HUNDRED EMPLOYEES
divided as fOllOws:-Divisions Of the Secretarv's
Office, SIS; bureau Of the mint, IL; supervising
surgeon generals office, IL; office of inspector
general Of steamboats,, s; bureau of statistics
81; life-saving service, IL Office of lighthouse
board, SO; bureau Of engraving and printing,
1,OOS; supervising architects Office, 90: first
controllers office, So; second controller. 63:
controller Of currency SO; Office of commissioner
OF customs, SO; first auditors, Sc; second audi
tors. ISL; third auditors, 1877: fourth auditors.
10; fifth auditors. %; sixth auditors 277 u. s.
treasurer's Office, 281; registers, 1872; office of
the commissioners Of internal revenue, 90; us.
coast survey, 100.
In the State department there are but &c
clerks.
In the War department there are 1000
clerks, as follows: Secretary's Office 80; adju-
tant generals office, AS; Inspector generals
office, 5; quartermaster generals department.
10; paymaster generals department, S. en-
glneer department, 215; ordnance department.
Is; signal Office, 1913; bureau Of military Justice
8; Col. Casey's bureau for building the State.
War and Navy departments, 14O; Office of the
publication Of official records Of the rebellion,
43.
The Interior department clerks number
1.666 as follows: Secretary's Office, 1913; patent
Office, AS land ofiice 261; pension office, go;
Indian Office, 66; geological surveys, so: educa-
fiOn burpan "a. h,r