The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-23
Higgins appointment.

There seems to be q misapprehensfon in
the minds Of some nervous people about the
nature and importance of the "office of APP
poiDtment Clerk" in the Treasury Depart
ment says a Washington telegram to the
New York Herald. Secretary Manning a
few days ago put into that very unimportant
place Mr.. Higgins, OF Baltimore, and there.
upon several newspapers, some friendly and
some unfriendly to the administration, cried
out in horror that quite terrible thing had
been done; and this ignorant and absurd
cry, curiously enough, continues, as though
those who are complaining hsd got it into
their heads that an appointment Clerk is "a
person who make appointments"
The truth about the place is that it covers
merely part of the work which ths private
secretary of the Secretary of the Treasury
would do if he had not mis- hands full enough
without, and it would be as sensible and
just TO complain that Secretary Manning
had not kept Secretary McCullough's private
secretary as TO cry out against the appoint
ment of Mr.. Higgins.
The appointment clerk in the Treasury
Department keeps the record of all the ap.
pointments made in the department-the
names, dates OF appointment, with any re-
ports, favorable or the reverse. which may
be made about the different clerks or Off
Gals. The Treasury employs a great num-
Der OF people not merely here, but in
Custom houses and other public offices all
over the country. 1t is ecsssary that some
record should be kept of their names. occu-
pations salaries, dstes OF appointment,
place of service and efficiency. Few per-
sons probably imagined that the Secretary
of the Treasury does this himself or carries
these lists about in his hat or his coat
pocket. Possibly ther are people who sup.
pose that the Secretsry's private secretary
does it; but he has his hands full otherwise
The labor OF keeping this necessary record
IS therefore gwen q special clerk. who is
called an appointment clerk, not, as some
gullible and suspicious persons imagine be-
cause he makes all the appointments, but be-
cause his duty is to keep in orderly fashion
the record of the people who hold Office
under the Treasury department
There was a time, before the civil service
law went into effect, when this Office OF ap.
pointment clerk was liable to abuse, because
favorite Senators, congressman and politi-
clans had private access there to see who oil
the offceholders sn their States they could
persuade the President to turn out in order
TO put their own followers in. But under
the civil service law even this abuse, which
was never serious. has. OF course, disap-
peared, and Mr.. Higgins, the new appoint
ment clerk, has the duty to keep an orderly
record of the persons employed under the
Treasury. and no power whatever. AS Mr..
Higgins is an efficient and capable person
for that work, and as tn e work has nc poiiti-
cal importance whatever, bat is simply 8
part of the Private Secretsrv's duties. all the
complaint and fuss about his appointments is
absurd.
There Is an aopointment clerk in each of
the other departments whose duty is pre-
csely the same as that OF Mr.. Higgins. They
are the custodians of the roster Of all per-
sons I'm the Government service under their
respective departments, whether confirmed
by the Senate or doing laborers work in