St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-17
CLERKS TREATED LIKE SCHOOL
e110 BOYS.

Mr. Dmdleu's Frequent Admonitions IN,
Circular Form to His Subordi,ates.
WASHINGTON, July 3.-Wiliiam Wantof-
flee Dudley, commissioner of pensions, was
the first of all the officials in Washington to
to get in his work for himself. Simultaneous
with the announcement of BlaiDe's nominal
ton Dudley had business in Boston, and
thought he might as well run down and pay
his respects to Mr.. Blaine. He didn't regis
ter at the hotel, and no one knew what he
was up to until it was all over and he had
returned to Washington.
1t was developed recently that he was en-
ploying detectives and imposters to watch
the clerks of his bureau after office hours to
discover if their habits were bad. One of
the clerks, who was walking up Fifteenth
street With a lady, ntoiced that two spoilers
were following him, and threshed them both
Lady clerks have been Swallowed, and the
market bills of married men have been in
spected by Dudley's special agents to dis
cover whether thesfbrmer had good associa-
tons, and If the latter lived within their in
comes. The clerks dare not protest for fear
of discharge.
Some time ago the commissioner intro
duced a system of merit cards, such as is in
use in primary branches of the public schools,
and at the end Of each month the clerks in
his bureau are informed whether they have
been good boys and girls. The following is
a sample:
DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR, PENSION OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., June 30, 1884.
Miss angelina Bangs, Correspondence DiUisiOn:
That you may be informed of your official
standing and govern yourself accordingly, the
following statement is furnished, aud If you
think any injustice has been done you in the
rating given on any point, state your reasons in
writing therefor to the chief clerk, and they will
receive due consideration. If, after inyestiga-
ton, it is found that injustice has been commit
ted, the same will be rectifed.
The average for your division was as follows,
May 81, 1884:
For punctuahy.. .6.91 For habits. $50. 6. 95
For industry. 1913 For accuracy. go. .G.25
For rapidity. .6.23
A general average on all points Of. ........6 6. so
An average of accuracy and rapidity (Which
show the real value of services) ........ ga
Your own record upon the same points is as fol
lows:
Punctuality. ....7O0 Rapidity $50
Industry. .....6.75 Habits. .......7 90
Accuracy. ..6.75 On all points. $50
Upon accuracy and rapidity ...............6.62
Your record for the year will be made up from
these monthly statements. The highest attain
ably mark is Z: the lowest0. Respectfully,
W. W. DUDLEY, Commissioner.
On the first day of every month all the
clerks in the pension Office except one receive
a similar statement, which is made out by the
chief of division, and, strange to say, the
reports never vary. Each clerk gets about
i. 90 or $50 II wouldn't do to make anyone
perfect, nor would it be safe to mark anyone
down, except in extreme cases. The one
clerk who does not receive this reward Of
merit is an old man who has been in the PEN
sion Office for more than thirty years. The
( first time the cards were issued one was laid
upon his desk. He examined it closely, and
got red In the face. Striding over to the desk
Of the chief Of his division, he asked what
| the card meant The chief explained. Then
the old mans indignation got the mastery,
and he broke out.
81 have been in the Office thirty years."
he said, fand have not been absent from
my desk three months in all that time.
have not been tardy, and have never left my
desk before the days work was done.
know my duties, and shall perform them.
/ When fail to do 80 want to be discharged,
I but until that time want to be treated like
/ a gentleman, and with the respect man Oh
my age and service deserves, and not like a
school boy. You can take that card back TO
Mr. Dudley, and tell him If he wants my
resignation he shall have 1t, but l don'i
want any more Of his nonsense"
Since then the old gentleman has re.
ceiyed no more cards. They are made Out