The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1883-01-06
wAsnINaroN LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
Washington, D. c., December 80, l8e


Washington, D. c., December 80, 1882
Late Saturday night, when the stores and
streets of Washington were thronged with
purchasers of holiday goods, brilliant
light was seen in the dome Of the Capital
indicating that Congress was holding .
nipht-session. The Senate was sitting up
with the civil service bill, and it held
its vigils until nearly midnight. The bill
has since passed the Senate, but the pross
pect for really practical and reformative
civil service legislation is not good. The
evil is great, but the country is greater,
and one goes his way to his farm and
another to his merchandise, while third
asks: who is civil service and what does
he want with reform The question stated
very briefly and as conscientiously 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, ore supernumera1ies
for the reason that they lave no necessary
work to do. They all, it is true, make
some pretence to work, but critical ex-
animation 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 paper, waste ink. aud wear
out the bottoms of government chairs.
have known about fifteen pages of copying.
in miserable scrawl of hand, to cost
the government sixty dollars. The govern
ment did not want the copying besides
the money paid there was u waste Of ink
and paper but an influential woman ask
ed 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 numer>
Gus and spacious and luxurious offices rs
is the United States. Those who have
travelled with their eyes open will bear
me oat in this statement. But, notwith>
standing the number and space ofthe of
fcers, they are so overcrowded with the
sinecures have mentioned thpt the United
States Govei nmsnt has continually to rent
private property for ofice-room As might
be expected from such condition Of things,
the government Offices are always behind
with their work. Such a thing as busi-
ness-like promptness is not known any-
where. Circumlocution and illimitabe red
tape is the rule in all the government Of
fees to such an extent that business can
not be transacted except by attorneys
skilled ia their devious ways. If it were
not for red tape and labyrinthine methods
the THOUSANDS of supernumeraries would
have even less semblance of something to
do than they now have.
will give you IN example: there is
weekly publication printed for the Patent
Office; as many rs 1000 copies, perhaps,
are bought directly from the Office price
ten cents each. You would suppose, in the
simplicity of your heart, that you could |
present dime to boy hired for about fl We |
dollars per week, and have your rnblica>
ton banded you over the counter, Not
81 You must write II letter to lac Hon. |
Commissioner Of Patents stating explicitly |
what you want, giving the date of the
publication, and enclosing the sum of ten
cents This letter is first referred to the
Financial clerk OF tire Patent Office and
his staff of assistants who extract the dime,
record it, and cover it with due formality
into the U. s. Treasury. Your letter then !
goes to the correspondence room where it
is numbered and recorded. 1t is then sent |
10 the Issue Division and in from twenty,
four to forty -eight hours, your ten cent
IL, .; Inv hal
newspaper could afford to sell papers in
this way? What concern supported by
other means than taxation could afford to
carry on business in this way! This in>
stance is not an exception it is the rule
n all the offices of all the Bureaus of all
the Departments. This supernumerous>
ness is one phase Of the evil and how can
it be remediei? It's not an easy thing
for an employer to discharge halfhis force.
He has bowels Of mercy, and discharge |
means want and hunger and ruin to many |
Here in the government service 1t is worse.
There is larger average Of incompetent
helpless people in the pay of the United
States than can be found elsewhere. They |
are calle Judge, and Colonel, and General,
and Professor. They have high sounding
titios AMI dignifel bearing, but turn them
out aud they will perish like canary BIRDS |
Besiles many of the mer have fought in |
the war, and many of thu women have lost |
brothers, fathers, sons in the war, and
when these raise a hue and cry the polls
tician will smite together Mt the knees,
and turn pale. Then, again, here is
scarcely member or i Senator who has
net u large enumber Of relatives quartcrrd
on the government. II takes nero to
vote in the teeth Of his mcther-in-law