St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-17

for him regularly in Dudley's office, but the
chief of his division always throws them in
to the waste basket when they come over to
his room. Dudley spends large part of his
time writing circulars and orders to his
clerks. They are printed like military
orders, and are delivered to each clerk in the
bureau. He issued one on department the
other day, and it reads like an address from
country schoolmaam to a kindergarten
class. 1t appears that some of the
women clerks had complained that
the men clerks chewed tobacco and
worked in their shirt sleeves when the
weather was warm. Dudley attempted 10
correct these terrible offences by addressing
a circular to the clerks, in which he said that
the rules of propriety and the amenities of
life should prevail in the pension office as
well as in the home, and that each employe
should conduct himself as he wodld were he
a guest in the house of a friend. He called
attention to the fact that some Of the clerks
were in the habit Of working in their shirt
sleeves, and expectorating on the floor, and
he hoped that snch infringements Of the
rules OF polite society would be at once cor
rected.
Another circular which was generally dis
tributed, read as follows:
/ desire to see a marked change in the dictiOn,
construction, and yerbiage Of official letters
Less of the dogmatic, dictatorial style should be
employed, and resort be had to the amenities Of
correspondence. The words s'you are inform
ed are decidedly offensive, and seldom fail to
arouse spirit of antagonism among the recipi-
ents. / wish their use abandoned.
Let the examiner who writes letter seek to
intelligenty, and IN the most polite language at
his command, convey the fullest possible answer
to the writer's inquiries In short, let US have
rpfrps hing chouoa in tho ms NJ
preston in official letters. Paragraph two,
order go, is recalled to the attention of the
office.
In writing letters the examiner should remem-
Der that II Is seldom necessary, and always il
bad taste, to be insolent, didactc. dogmatic die
tatorial, or to assume air of superior intelli-
gence. Remember that it is frequently the case
that the person written TO Is the equal of the
writer IN station, intelligence and knowledge.
Let there be change for the better in these re-
spects, and reform in the direction indicated at
once, and we shall all be pleased with the i'm
provement in feeling toward the Office on the part
of the claimants, their representatives and
friends. W. w. DUDLEY Commissioner
Another circular, which should be com
mended for the purpose intended, if not for
the tone in which it is addressed, is as
follows:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
PENSION OFFICE, Oct. %, 1882.
IT..
am sorry to be compelled to call this marked
attention of the employees of this Office to an evil
that can be characterized as not much short of
embeZzement of the sacred trust imposed upon
us, and which, if l have power enough rested in
me-and l think have-I intend shall no longer
remain as stigma upon this office.
In return for the very liberal pay you receive
for your services, you owe the government and
the almost despairing claimants before this Office
six and one-half hours of honest, industrious
labor every working day, and any entertainments
you make upon that time for any purpose, or
upon any excuse, save only actual sickness or
leave of absence, is at the expense of your per
sonal honesty. Now, you would not wish it
known to the country and its defenders who are
claimants before this Office, that the fifteen min
utes required at morning and at noon TO get from
the street to your desk and get settled to work,
is taken byyou from the time which is theirs nor
would You like them to know that the half hour
allowed for lunch Is abused by your eating your
lunch (when you should be at work. and spend
ing the lunch time on the street. Would You
wish claimants who are waiting and hoping that
you will settle their eases soon, that the winter
winter wolf may be kept from the door, to wit
ness the entire cessation of work at quarter past
IL and quarter before each day, that you may
get out of the Office on the stroke of the clock at
1871 and 4?
From this day forward every clerk must in
some way get into the office so as to take up his
until IL: 80 and o'clock.
This circular will be handed to all, and those
to whom it applies will readily recognize them
selves in the picture drawn, This is not the on
ly bad custom existing in the bureau, but we will
first eradicate this, and it may not and hope
will not become necessary to administer SO
severe rebuke again.
Not long ago the commissioner prepared
circular to be sent in reply to claimants
who wrote asking how their cases were pro-
crossing:
''Take and old soldiers and comrades word"
he said, 'That all possible despatch is being
used, and believe me that you can show your
soldier-like qualities in patiently waiting the
settlement that hope will soon be reached in
your case"
Dudley is voluminous. He sends out this
sort of Proclamation nearly every week. The
clerks in his office read every word of every
one of them, smile and put them away.