Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-05-16
CAPITAL CULlINGS.
Appointments Under the New Ad.
ministration.
RATE AND PROGRESS OF CHANGES.
Twenty Thousand Democrats in Office the
First Year---The Civil
Service,
LATEST GOSSIP FROM WASHINGTON.
Special 70 ne Register.


ed improvement in the feeling Of the aver
age Democrat it is easy to see. When you
come to think of it that the work of filling
the Offices Is going on as fast as can be with
safety, and that pretty good progress is be-
ing made right along. There is almost
every day grist of from Eve to twenty-five
appointments at the White House, while
there is ten times that many that do not
come TO the surface at all. The scene of
the greatest activity is at the Postofice De-
partment While things look very quiet on
the surface there the fact is thst the heads
are flying in every direction. 1t is a cold day
when ahundred heads do not drop into the
basket there. A hundred day now means
double or treble that number by and by,
when that First Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral gets accustomed to the duties Of his po-
sition. The department has been saying
all along that it could not no much in the
way of changes until the First Assistant, in
whose especial province this comes, should
take hold of the duties OF his Office and be-
come conyersant with it. As indicated
above they sre now going at the rate Of a
hundred or more. II this is the case when
there is nobody to DO the work what will it
be when the machine is properly manned?
The Appointments
under the new administration now amount
in number to over two thousand. True
these have been scattered over two months
of time, or q little more, but this is IN Pc
riod when there is the greatest occasion for
caution. 1t means that if there we're two
thousand changes in the first two months
there will be double that in the two that are
to follow, and that the end of the first year
will find al least twenty thousand Demo
Gratis in office. With this as basis for
work, the second year will double the work
Of the first, and so on. Whether the civil
service appointments are to be also cleaned
out, the departments raided and the railway
mail service made subject ofreform, is not
vet known. Ii viii come along in good
ume. The present is too engrossing for
any speculations on this subject.
The constant removal of men OF the rate
of hundred a day with a prospect of
doubling the rate pretty socn, is having its
effect. Men who were two weeks ago very
mad because they couldn't get what
they wanted are today smiling. They be-
gin TO think that this is o pretty fair
Administration after all. They are getting
some OF their men in. That is the secret of
the change of heart. With the constant
dropping Of hundred or more heads day
their districts have been reached, and they
begin to feel better. Their sppetites are by
no means sated, but they are now able to
fall back and take brief respite. They see
that work has begun, and are satisfied that
il IS to continue with greater Vigor.
Selecting Postmasters.
The Postoffice Department is now giving
most ofits attention to the selection OF new
postmasters. Of course the greatest care
has to be exercised with reference to the
larger offices, for with some of the small
ones the postmaster does not handle $25 of
the Governments money in year. Strange
to sag, it is not the very highest salsried
offices where there is the greatest need OF
care in the selection of men. 1t IS with
those Of medium grade, where the salary
runs between $1,000 and $4,000. These
sort Of positions are given to men who are
expected to give their whole time to
them. They are as class the kind OF men
who desire to live like gentlsmen, and as
they are practically restricted from en-
gagiDg in other business az the same time
they find it difficult to make ends meet on
salary of this size Talking Of this, the
Other day post official said The usual
wsy the Geialcations occur is when post.
masters in some pinch for funds use the
post Office money with the tull intention OF
returning it. But having used it, they find
il easier to go deeper still than to save or
procure the means Of balancing their &C.
counts. And then they go from quarter
70 quarter, concealing the deficiency as
best they can until some post office iuspec-
tor drops in on them unaware and lets the
secret out. In most cases, If post masters
have sn inkling OF the nspsctors visit they
continue in some way to obtain the money
TO make their accounts square. The inspec-
tor, on inding deficiency simply says
Make this good or | shall 60 to your sure
ties, snd in nearly every case he has no oc-
casion to carry out his threat. Thus II hap
pens that the government seldom suffers
loss.
"In what classes of possoiiices do defal-
GATORS most often occurY
In the second class. These are paid sill
the way from q thousand to two thousand
dollars. They go 10 class OF men who
desire to live well, but have not political
importance enough to enable them 70 %
tain postOaice Of higher grade. The sal,
ary is not quite sufficient to meet their
wants. and so they are led into missppro-
pria,ion of the moneys intrusted to them.
The fourth class Offices pay very little and
are generally desired by men 10 small bus
iness as q sort of advertising sdl lunct, and
consequently few detalcsfions occur. l
have no hesitation in ssying that the Gov
ernmeLt loses less by the peculstious Of the
postofice employees than do private bGsi-
ness 6Ims employing an equal number OF
clerks. The fidelity With which the work
is conducted is evidenced in the fact that the
amount charge 10 bad debts and conpro-
mises on account of balances due By post
masters, which accrued from July l, 1871
10 Septemhtr 50, 1884, period Of seven
years and three months, WAS only httle
over so, 900, to which should be added
further estimated loss OF $1,000 on account
OF business in suit, making a total loss OF
$4,000 or about onetenth Of one mill on
every dollar Of revenue collected. The loss
ss were one dollar out Of every $4,000 OF the
revenue.
Fifteen Minutes to Resign.
About the quickest case Of resignation
had this far was that of Mr.. James, the
practical head of the customs service here
de was not the commissioner Of Customs
but he WAS the chief in the customs divi-
sion. and the responsible one in mos, of the
importsnt cases he had no intiuation
that his resignation was to be asked unal
the day he rendered it. Il was sitting In my
Office az ten minutes before time to close on
Saturday siteraoon,' be said, "Gsyius that
nv resigustion was desired, and the Sscrs-
tary would be pleased to have me hand it ia
on that day. 1t was then, as have said.
but fifteen minutes Of O'Clock, aud at the
Dsnsl time / walked ont of the Treasary q