Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-15
GOVERNMENT CLERKS
suirerinxs OF the rmrioyes at Washington.
Nashville Bannerl

sufrerinxs OF tho rmpioyes at Washington.
Nashville Banner.l
The ten or fifteen thousand govern
ment clerks are having hard time of
il this winter. First came tlsr civil
service bin which proposes an exam
nation TO weed out the most illiterate
Of them; next Secretary Folger's rules
which required them to be at their
desks by . o'clock, or to forfeit part
of their pay and last and worst bill
has been formulated in congress
which enacts that they must get TO
work by $3.50 a. IN. and work until
4:30 y. III. You may be sure there is
wailing and objurgation In the hearts
and on the lips of thousands of sala-
ried employees, but no designations
have yet occurred. No designations
will occur. The government work
is far behind-hand at thou
sands OF desks, and il IL much bet
ter to have 1t expedited by imposing
additional hours ON these overpaid
pampered idle clelSrs, than by employ
the custom of the republican party
From $3.50 O'Clock in the morning to
4:30 o'clock in the evening, would not
be considered an enormous days work
by several millions more competent,
but not rs well paid, clerks in the
country. Business is disgracefully
neglected, especially in the United
| States patent Office. This Office is not
only supported by the fees paid by In
ventors for patents, but it yields a
| large yearly surplus to the United
States treasury. Yet it Is not uncom-
mon for an inventor to have to wait
from two to six months before his in
vention can be examined and passed
upon. Over one hundred examiners are
appointed for this work, and 10y proper
industry and attention to the duties
for which they are paid with the in.
ventor's irsaney, they could easily keeI
the work up t0>date. That this is fll
from impossible is proved by some few
of the examiners who do 1t, and have
time to spare; but the majority, know
ing well that they hold their places 10y
POLITICAL favor, are, as n rule, idle anc
neglectful, spending the time during
Office hours in reading newspapers
gossiping and talking politics, Tn,
number of applications for patents last
month was greater than ever made il
any previous months, the receipts o
the patent office amounting to owe
sos, 900. The commissioner of patent
has asked for an increase of force ant
room, but what is the use of in
creasing his force when he canno
make those employed work more thar
half their time? The commissions
himself holds his position not from
fitness but by political influence
many of the examiners under hin
have stronger political backing thai
; he has, and feeling perfectly secure il
/ their places through the influence G
| half dozen senators and as many rel
l resentatives in congress, they can a
t ford to defy him in his efforts to max
: them attend to the work for wliic
they are paid by the inventor. Thi
is plain, uneXnggerated statement {
the condition of things in the paten
office. A like condition of affairs eN
lists in many other offices of the COY
q eminent, and it will never be cure
until new party, through a new AZ
ministration, fills the places of thes
clerical loafers and shirks with fresl
new and competent men.