Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-17
FINGERS IN MANY PIES.
A FAVORITE BUT FORBIDDEN
WASHINGTON PRACTICE.

Clerk Hooper Running an Insurance
BUSINESS in Connection with the Post
Orhee Department-JOhn l.. French I'm
to the Same TrIck-Dorman b. Eaton
as Speller.
WASHINGTON, May 16.-The recent
cases OF government officers who have left
the service to engage in prosecuting claims
before the departments recalls to an Off
Ger of the Post Office Department some
thing in similar line. a few years ago
MIR. Hooper, an old clerk in the Office of
the Third Assistant Postmaster General.
secured the agency of prominent life in
surance company. He was no man Of
tardy eXpedients. He had his in
surance office in the same room where
he performed his clerical duties. He
run the two shops as one, except that he
seemed to pay more attention to the insur-
ance business. The insurance branch of
this combination spread, and became
very good thing. The department was
visited every day by people who wanted
to see Mr.. Hooper about life insurance
policies. Finally the consequent inter
ruption of public business became a mat
inconvenience
Hooper was told that he could not
carry on the insurance agency in
the department. He then took an
ONCE on Seventh street, just opposite
the department building. He spent most
of his time in his new office. He had
little sign painted which he would stick
up on his desk when he went over to his
insurance office. 1t read: ''GOne over to
Seventh street; will be back in a few
minutes. ltsoon became to be thing to
laugh at, for HOOper's sign was
displayed nearly all the time. 1t
was also becoming daily
struggle with the clerks in the depart
ment to evade HOOper's determination to
insure their lives, willy nilly. Finally
he received the ukase. He had either to
become department clerk solus or an
insurance agent sOlus. 1t nearly broke
his heart to do it, but it could not be
helped. Hooper sold out his insurance
business. There was another similar
case. John l.. French used to be chief
clerk of the contract office. He was a
ME insurance agent too. French went
out of place when it was developed that
he had hand in the star route frauds.
But for awhile he worked very
assiduously and prOfitably the life
insurance racket. Every mail contrac-
tor insured his life in French's company.
insured, but thought that they needed an
insurance policy in French's company in
their business. French also assailed the
department employees to have their lives
insured. He was cOntempOraneOus in
the life insurance business with Hooper.
tie gave up that branch of his business
for the same reason that Hooper did.
Hooper, by the way, was very thrifty. He
was Treasurer of the CONGREGATIONAL
hIIHHh al Il
around the church notices in envelopes
bearing the advertisement of his insur-
ance company.
pretty far newspaper story reaches
me from New York fellow professional.
About four or five days before the
name of the immortal and inmate
nal keim was withdrawn as Xaminer to
the Civil Service Commission, Dorman B.
Eaton, the President of the commission.
wrote letter to the New York Times, |
answering structures which that journal |
had made on Keim's selection. AS Eaton |
is our official head and front of the civil |
service reform, the managing editor of |
the Times gave instructions that his let |
ter be printed without the change of a |
word or comma. When the letter an |
peared in print imagine the CONSERVATION |
Of the managing editor when he saw the |
word marshal in the sense of an official |
resignation ana not as name Spelt with |
two lPs. He called for the proof reader |
and the night editor. He began to rave |
and howl, as managing editors sometimes |
will do. eve were tOld,'' they answered |
in chorus, 'tO print according to copy, |
and we did" The copy of DOrman b. |
EatOn's letter was produced. 1t was |
found that copy had been followed. Eaton
made the mistake himself. He had spelt |
the word marshal as if it were marshall.
Owing to the fact that the carriers who
take mail to the special post offices will
have to be paid out of the general fund of
the department, instead of by the Post.
masters, there will be a piling up of addi-
.lonal work upon one official. He is the |
Third Assistant Postmaster General. the |
genial Mr.. Hazen. Hazen signs warrants
)y hundreds daily for the payment for
POstmasters and mail service To pay
he carriers mentioned will put about 3D.
$50 signatures more quarterly upon hIm.
Hazen said to-day that his hand had be-
come so used to signatures that it
would not mind the addition. | asked
lim. as a matter of curiosity, how pens
asted in signing the words "a. b. Ha-
zen." He said he had the best pens he
could find, and that one pen generally
stood five hundred signatures.
Potomac.