St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-16
One Division Where Wasteful Extrava-
gance has Received
Sudden Check.
Ginger Ale and Lemonade Not Regarded
as Necessities For the Civil
Service Commission.
Col. McGlincy Advocating a National
Tax on Butterine- "A Sacchartne
Subject.
A New Museum Building Regarded
as a Prime Necessfty--Gen.
Shertdan'S Aids.
The Era Of Reform.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Oct 15.-Economy of a
very violent character has struck the general
land office, and the clerks believe that
Chief Clerk Walker imported it from Illi-
nois Nothing can be got except on requi-
sition. When the soap is out there must
be a regular requisition drawn for
another cake, and the aame is true if pens
or paper are wanted. When box of pens
is asked for dozen are issued. and when a
dozen sheets OF paper are called for, two or
three are issued. A dozen pens will last
good while in private praclce, and
according to commonlyreceived belief,
it takes government clerk a good while to
spoil two or three sheets of paper. But the
new system is very different from any that
has ever prevailed and very different from
the system in any other bureau of
the interior department. In regard to
soap, the clerks decline to make
acquisitions and furnish their own soap.
AS the acquisitions can only be made on
Mondays it is sometimes very inconvenient
to have supplies doled out in homeopathic
quantities, for, if the supply is exhausted
Oh Thursday, there is no way of renewing
it till the next Monday.
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION WASTE.
The ambitious first auditor who is max
ing a great reputation as watch dog of
the treasury, has given to the press some Of
the civil service commissioners travel
ing expense accounts, whereupon
much mirth has been caused by
Mr.. Eaton's thirst for ginger ale
and lemonade, and DR.. Gregory's indul-
gence-at government eXpense-in whole
section of a sleeping car instead of a single
berth. 1t is perfectly right to compel these
gentlemen to pay for their drinks and news
papers out Of their own pockets, but writer
on one of the local papers is excited
because the civil service commission has
expended part of its contingent fund in
the purchase of algebras and arithmaticS.
He eXclaimS in borrow:
1T would be interesting for the commission
to explain what was done with the books. Is
it possible that the question makers over
there have had to study up such matters as
medicine and mathematics in order to formu-
late queries for the applicants for govern
ment positions"
Well, it is not only possible, but probable,
and not at all strange or improper. The
commission lately had to examine lot of
APPLICANTS FOR APPOINTMENT
to medical eXaminership in the pension
Office, and it has had to examine lot of ap-
plicantS for examiners positions i'll the
patent OHIcc, where Il COuSlu6raDl6 KnOWl-
edge of mathematics and the sciences was
required. 1t is not at all wonderful
if persons who conducted the examination
needed to consult some appropriate refer
ence books to aid them in preferring ques-
tions or i'll Judging of the answers. By
the way. there is one civil service commits
sioner who draws no salary from the govern
ment, and whose name never appears in the
papers; Mrs. Dorman s. Eaton is q lady of
strong and cultivated mind and many ac-
compliShments. She is thoroughly devoted
to her husband and to civil service reform,
and many a time when Mr.. Eaton was on
the point of succumbing to the stings and
arrows of outrageous fortune, unfriendly
newspapers, and contemptuous and hostile
politicians, Mrs. Eatons faith in him
and in the cause Of civil service reform have
been needed to stimulate him to keep up
the fight. His resignation is evidence that
Mrs. Eaton believes the reform is fairly on
its feet and is not only going to stand, but
march onward