Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-01
A CURIOUS STUDY.
Ths Government Blue Book and
What Il Contains.
PEKuslNe The PUBLIC PAY ROLL.
AFsw Sinscures and Many Hard Jobs
Cupids Playful Pranks-0hiO
Political kews-Notes
and Gossip.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3l.-The Government
blue book" which is always issued Just
before new session Of Congress comes IN,
is now being prepared, and will be given TO
the pubic in a short time. 1t contains IN
each issue the names Of all government
emploves with the date Of their employ
ment, the State Of their birth, the State
from which each was appointed, the salary
each one gets, the name of the position ne
holds, and the location where he IS EN-
Ployed.
The "BIue Book
grows larger every year, or rather every
two years for its publication IS decennlsl:
That OF four years AGO contained about
coo psges in its two volumes, that OF two
wears ago had at least 1900, and and the
one f.. 1853 will contain, it is expected
l,JOO P.ses.
The hook is a curious study. There is,
as has been thousands Of times told, col-
slant rush for government position. Peo-
ple will 90 to almost any length for govern
ment pUsiuon. They come here to Wash,
ingtOu, and spend weeks and months, and
even years bere. They
Haunt Public Men
and rublic places. They sre willing to
UNDERGO any humiliation or suffer any
sgony Of expense and suspense to get place.
Failing in this, they are willing 70 pay
money for place. Often advertisements
appear i'm the d~iy papers offering one
hundred. 'wo huudred, three hundred and
even five hundred dollars to any one who
will procure them a government appoint
meut.
The President, as everybody knows gets
S-uCDO wear Some people say that the
Presidents don't save anything out OF their
salaries / hat is probably not true. There
is no reason why they should not. They
have not only their house rent furnished
free bur the expenses OF the White House
are VsiA
srrrruriatiOn for this especial purpose
iSu..e O., every session of Congress. Tne
lre.,r err certainly ought to save money
uu; ci his salary, and probably does. Posi-
by few Of the foreign representatives OF
this government save something out OF
the.r .a'rries, bat probably not. TheireE-
Ipus,s abroad are very heavy, and much is
expected Of them, both socially and per-
The Ministers
At London, Paris, Berlin and st. Peters
burg get tl5. 800 each; those at Vienna. Pc
king Rio Ge Janeiro, GeddO, Rome, Mex
leo dLi Madrid get $4,000 year each;
those 81 Guatemala, Santiago and Lima,
$1,000 each; those at Venezuela, Turkey,
Sweden snd Norway, the Netherlands,
Hayli the United States of Columbia, Bel
siunl and the Argentine Republic, $500
each: the Consuls to Rio lie JaneirO, Paris,
London and Havana, $1,000; the cabinet
officers GET 5000 year each, and
Don't Save n Cent oft.
They are really the most poorly paid men,
considering what is expected Of them, in
the government service. They are eT-
peCted 10 entertain early and often and on
3 grand scale, and instead Of having every
thing furnished them as il is for the Presi-
dent, they must furnish it all themselves.
The result IS that none OF them can save
anything ont Of the 5000 year which
they are allowed.
The collector Of customs at New York
gets $4,000 year, and should be able to
save something from II. The collector at
Boston -,tS ; 900 a year, so does that at
Philadelphia and those at New Orleans
san Francisco and Baltimore get $1,000
The comm missiOner of internal revenue gets
5000. the General of the army and admiral
Of the navy get SlJ,j 500 each, the lieutenant
general OF the army SllOOO, the vice ad-
miral in the navy 5000, the rear admirals
$500. major generals $3.50 each, and
brigad'er generals $500
The Tice-President
Of the United States gets 5000 a year. The
Senators and Representatives and stenOgra-
pliers in Congress get 3, 900 apiece, and 50
20 the Comptroller Of the Currency, the
First and Second COmptrollers Of the
Treasury and the commissioners in the
navy. \ lew COnsuls-general-not over
three or iuur-get 5000 each, as do the in
ierpreters At Peking and one or two other
IoiktS. The postmaster u New York gets
y J'n a yesr and that one ends the list of
persons IL the employ Of Government who
receive anything more than living salary.
With two thirds of these the amount they
receive is not more than they spend
a few OF the heads of bureaus get $1,000
year, and few pOStmsSters receive about
'be >swe, hIt oI the whole lOO,OUD office
lodcfs not one in ten gets more than
are wing