St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-25
THE OWL SERVICE.

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A Washington correspondent OF a Phila-
delphia paper says than men facing dealt
may be expected to be reasonably honest. /
is time when the truth is to be spoken, Il
ever. Death-bed confessions have before
now recorded some Of the most important
facts Of history.
Department officials have for the pas
forty-eight hours been facing state Of thing:
which In E certain sense Is TO them sentence
of death One official in the treasury said be
was glad il had come, IL only the right thin Q
followed, which would be the expulsion of
large part OF the working force, including
the heads OF bureaus and divisions generally
The management Of the eomptroller's Office,
said be, is inefficient aud careless, IL not cor
ruDt- Public business is never certain OF
receiving the attention there il should, and
there is no certainty that common busines:
/ principles or even mediu IN intelligence
would be applied TO important matters.
There are, be continued, IN that
Office as faithful and competent
men as are 70 be found anywhere,
but there are others who could nowhere else
get what would support them in the humb-
lest way for the work they did. They are
lazy, inefficient and concerned principally
about killing time and drawing their paw.
The head is slouchy, scattering, windy and
much inclined 10 sham. and devoted chiefly
to so-caIied reports aud opinions, which cost
the government tens OF thousands OF dollars
annually and are valuelessas an authority.
''What are you reading fromf' inquired a
justice OF the supreme court.
NOT AN. AUTHORITY.
"From third Lawrence" was the reply.
That is not an authority and its introduc-
ton here is an impertinence," said the JUS
tice. For weeks and weeks Lawrence has
taken one, two and three clerks from their
proper duties TO the neglect of vital public
duties TO work on his worthless reports.
Papers are handled or neglected
according 10 the convenience Of incom-
/ petent, lazy or worthless clerks. Import
ant papers relating 10 money or concerns
which should receive critical examination
are signed and set going without proper
scrutiny. "Why do you sign so many papers
without knowing their contentsp' was asked
of an official. Because they have been
signed by some one before me and they come
In regular routine" '.Does the next man
sign because you have signedl'' eyes. /
suppose so. He don't know about them any
more than l do,' was the frank reply. And
so the paper, once started, that may have
thousands in IL, or may initiate a matter that
will cost the treasury a vast SUN, or may set
precedent equally dangerous aud Import
ant, or may he mischievous in many ways,
once set going for ever SO questionable mot
I frrae a.
when ii receives the signature which, OF all
others, it ought not to receIve.' Such is the
confession Of official facing death.
QUEEN or THE TREASURY.
Another said: Zone Of the most impor-
tant personages IN certain respects is wo-
man generally called the Queen Of the Treas
ury.' How she manages to dominate so
many officials no one seems able to say, but
she does It high and low. She goes and
comes at will, and as Il matter of fact does
not earn the money which is paid TO her.
There is a mystery about the seat OF the in
iuence she wields. She Is the cOnfidant Of
important personages and frequently If she
were the secretary himself she would hardly
be mole important. People al pear TO be
afraid Of her, for she makes them stand
around and grant her almost any favor Her
Importance 10 the public business is wholly
imaginary, and yet the president himself
would find it difficult n turn her out It is
not certain that she would not be able TO
make it hot for him in the White house II she
understood IT. Uselessi Why, bless you,
there are scores of others who would never be
missed. There is not in the land a private
establishment conducted on business prinei-
plies that would retain even a quarter Of the
xUnrl-futr ffrns Of
ing of the figure heads with high salaries"
THIS was the substance Of confession of an
other.
WORTHLESS CLERKS.
Another: "There are in the treasury a
class OF clerks who much Of tho time are
absent from their posts, and who when they
are there are of very little account The
sick leave is the favorite dodge. A doctors
certificate serves the purpose. 1t would be
interesting frequently to know who the doc
tor is, and what are his relations TO his IA
vored patient. Herein consists monstrous
evil. The head Of the treasury cannot DC
held responsible as things go, but be should
not be permitted 10 plead perfect Ignorance.
What Others so well know he should have
some idea of. The head Of department Is
presumed 10 know nothing that does not reach
him formally according To the red tape sys-
tenn everywhere in practice. He may know
personally that Mr.. A is drunken fellow or
is otherwise worthless; but IL Mr.. AS chief
fails TO report the fact he Is ignorant in the
sense he is presumed 10 exist, move and
have has his being. Aud so it is all the way
through. What's not reported Is not known,
aud il frequently is the case that what is re-
ported Is not noticed. A greater number of
blind persons in an Official sense is no
where TO be found than in the departments.
An officials was for years thief in the facts
that he forced balances, kept false accounts,
ROBBED and sQuandered, and though his
practices were known he was never reported
aud finally came to grief through an acct
dent which rendered silence and iuaction
longer impossible. Then the fellow was per-
mitted 10 resign with honor and a months
pay. II never happens, If It can be helped,
that disagreeable facts are brought to
light. Howgate had for years
the benefit of this system of
keeping all things lovely on the surface.
Barker, whose exposure has so sinRularly
passed into oblivion because II was mainly
true and more was to come, has received no
attention since Gresham vent, and be went
that the exposure should receive no atteu-
ton. Barker has in his possession the diary
kept by an official for long time wherein
are recorded the loose and questionable acts
of another official of high rank and we'll
known to the public, as they occurred from
day TO day. II is very red-letter book, and
would be awful disclosures indeed. That
Barker stole the diary does not cast a shade
on the record the rein made, II they some