The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-11-24
Our 0lio.
The Blue Book--A Curious Collec-
ton of Names.

G1On OF Names.
The government "Blue Book, which is
always issued just before new Congress
comes in, is now in course of preparation,
and will shortly be given to the public.
This book contains in each issue the names
of all the government employees, with the
date of their employment, place Of birth,
state to which accredited, where employed
and in what position and at what salary.
The book is curious study in many ways,
but particularly SO in the fact that each per-
sons salary is given. So many people
struggle so hard for government positions
that a few facts as to their value may not
be out of place. The President, as every
body knows, gets $4,000 year. Some
people say the presidents do not save any
| thing out of their salaries That is pro-
badly not true. There is no reason why
they should not. They have not only their
house rent furnished free, but much of the
expense of running the White House is
paid out of the public purse. An appro-
priation for this especial purpose is made
at every session of Congress. Possibly a
few of the foreign representatives of this
government save something out Of their
salaries, bnt probably not. The ministers
at London, Paris, Berlin and St. Peters
burg get SIT 800 each; those at Vienna,
Pekin, Rio de Janeiro, Yeddo, Rome, Mex
leo and Madrid get $4,000 year each;
those at Guatemala, Santiago and Lima
$4,000 each; those to Venezuela, Turkey,
Sweden and Norway, the Netherlands,
Hayti, the United States of Columbia, Bel
gium and the Argentine Republican ST.
500 each; the consuls general to Rio de
Janeiro, Paris, London and Havana $4,000
each; the Cabinet officers get S8, 900 yeer.
The collector of customs at New York gets
$12, 1000, and the collectors at Boston and
Philadelphia $4,000 each, while those at
New Orleans, San Francisco and Baltimore
get 81, ,000 The commissioner of internal
revenue gets $4,000; the general of the
army and the admiral of the navy get $13,-
500 each; the lieutenant general of the army
S11 900, the vice admiral in the navy $9,-
600, the rear admirals $4,000 each, major
generals 81 800 each, and brigadier gener-
ais $500. The Vice President of the
United States gets $4,000 year. The sen
ators and representatives and the steno-
graphers in Congress get s., 900 apiece, and
so do the comptroller of the currency, the
first and second comptrollers of the treasu-
ry and the commanders in the navy A
few consuls general not over three or four,
get $4,000 each as do the interpreters at
Pekin and one or two other points. The
postmaster at New York gets $4,000 a
year And that ends the list of persons in
the employ of government who receive
anything more than a bare living salary.
With two-thirds of these the amount they
receive is not more than they are expected
to spend, and not more than they do spend
A few of the heads of bureaus get $1,000
year and few pOstmasters receive about
the same, but of the whole 100. 900 Office
holders not one in ten gets more than
enough to live on. In the "Blue Book"
there are columns upon columns of names,
with salaries ranging from $500 to 81 800
a year. Take, for instance, the Office of
supervising surgeon general of the Marine
Hospital Service, which is now intrusted
with the task of protecting the whole coun-
try from yellow fever and cholera. Its
efficient head gets $4,000 year, small
sum compared with the earnings of physi-
clans in practice in large cities, while the
remainder of the employees actually average
less than S100 a month apiece. The aver
age position for which the average clerk
struggles, and bores his Congressman to the
verge of distraction, pays, to begin with,
about 81 900 a year, and seldom reaches
more than fifty per cent. more than that,
while not few who spend months in search
of Office are finally content to begin at $500
a year, and happy if ever they reach 500
nor month