The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-01-03
RASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsurNaroN. D. 9. Dec. 30, 1882.

WAsHINaToN, ID. @. Dec. 30, 1882
TO the Editor o. The McrristOwn Gazette
Late Saturday night, when the
stores and streets of Washington
were thronged with purchasers Of
holiday goods, a brilliant light was
seen in tho dome of the Capitol i'm
dicating that Congress was hold
ing night session. The Senate
was sitting mp with the civil service
bill, and il held its vigils until near
" midnight. The bill has since
passed the Senate, but the prospect
for really practical aud Informative
civil service legislation is not good
The evil is great, ut the country is
greater, and one goes his way to
his farm and another to his mer-
chandise, while third asks: who
is civil service and what does be
want with reform? The question
st ted very briefly and as conscien-
tiously As if your correspondent
were under oath is this: The
United States government has In
its employ about 100000 clerks,
half of whom, more or less, are sup
ernumeraries for the reason that
they have no necessary work to do.
They all, il is true, make some pre-
tence to work, but critical exami
cation oftheir apparent employment
will reveal that their so-called work
has been invented for them Their
occupation is worse than useless to
the government, for they spoil pa
per, waste ink, and wear out the
bottoms of government chairs. l
have known about fifteen pages OF
copying, in q miserable scrawl of a
hand, to cost the government sixty
dollars. The government did not
want the copying; besides the money
paid the was a waste of ink and
paper but an influential woman
asked an influential official for
employment, and he, kind man,
gave her copying at sixty dollars
per month.
No government in the world is
supplied with such numerous and
spacious and luxurious Offices as il
the United States. Those who have
travelled with their eyes open viii
bear me out in this statement. But
notwithstanding the number and
space of the offices, they are so over
crowded with the sinecures | have
mentioned that the U. S. Govern
ment has continual V to rent pri
vate property for office-room.
As might be expected from sucf
condition of things, the govern
ment offices are always behind will
their work: Such a thing as Dusi
ness-like promptness is not known
anywhere. Circumlocution anC
. liTIimitable red tape is the rule in al
the government offices to such al
extent that business cannot be tran
sacted except by attorneys skilled
in their devious ways. If 1t wer'
not for red tape and labyrinthin'
methods the thousands of supernu
meraries would have even less sem
blanco of something to do than they
now have.
| will give you an example; there
is a weekly publication printed TO
the Patent Office; as many as 1OO'
copies, perhaps, are bought directly
from the Office; price ten cents each
Yon would suppose in the simpllclt.
of YOUR heart. that you could pre-
sent a dime to a boy hired for abou
So per week, and have your publ
cation handed you over the counter
Not so! You must write a letter Z
the Hon. Commissioner of Patent
stating explicitly what you want
giving the dates of publication, an
enclosing the sum Of ten cent:
This letter is first referred to tn
Financial clerk of the Patent Otfic
, and his stall of assistants who eH
: tract the dime, record it, and cove
, it with due formality into the u. )
, Treasury. Your letter then goe
, to the correspondence room, wher
8 it is numbered and recorded. 1t
, then sent to the Issue Division an
: i'm from "a to 4S hours, your tie
!, cent publication is received by mai
What newspaper could afford to sc
, papers in this way? What concer
! supported by other means than tax
, alton could afford to carry OH bus
; ness in this way! This instance
not an exception; it is tho rule i
all the Offices Of all the Bureaus
r all the Departments.
( This observation-disclosures is on
@ phase of the evil and how can it b
i remedied? 1t is not an easy thin
O for an employer to discharge ha
= his force. lie has bowels of mere
o and discharge means want an
; hunger and ruin to many. Their
is larger average of incompeter
Z and helpless people in the pay
: the L. S. than can be foand elst
q where. They are called Judge, an
= Colonel, and General, and Professo
; They have high sounding titles an
: dignified bearing, but turn theI
out and they will perish like canar
=. birds. Besides, many of the me
havo fought in the war, and man
of the women have lost brother
farther, sons in the war, and whe
these raise hue and cry the polit
/. can will smite together at the knee
: and turn pale Then, again, ther
Z i scarcely a member or senate
e who has not a large number of reli
' tives quartered on the government
IL takes hero 20 vote in the teet
of his mother in-IGc.
c,r;ous state Of affairs exists i