Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-09-04
"JoHN SMITH"
He Goeth for Some Omcsholders.
Sparks Out West.

special Correspondence Of the INTERLOcEAN. |
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3O.-The ventila. i
ion which the correspondent of the st.
Paul Globe is giving the star. route
branch of the postofice department will
10 the department and tho people ofthe
vest a great deal Of good. 1t happens
hat your correspondent knows some
matters connected with that department
and knows what ought to be done for
the benefit of the people, and has
brought these matters to the Globe
mans attention.
1t is a fact that Mercer county has
been crying for proper mail facilities for
nearly three years past and a deaf ear
has been turned to her appeals. During
the latter part of the year "a the cry be-
came audible. Prior to that it had been
feeble. Then it began to be earnest.
In the spring of 'S5 it became a wall.
The editor of the Stanton Pilot became
the spokesman for his people and urged
the department to listen to reason. But
his letters probably went into a waste
basket after q clerk had read them.
Certainly no attention until within the
past few weeks was paid them. Unless
your correspondent misreads the signs
of the times, there will soon be a shak-
ing up of dry bones in that department
and competent men will be placed at
the helm.
The trouble with civil service reform
is that it protects the subordinate clerks
and does not protect the chiefs of divis-
ion. At least, that is the general COM
plant against the law. There is where
a popular fallacy exists. The chiefs of
division should be changed with every
administration. If Mr.. Villas knew half
of the skullduggcry which is carried on
by the chiefs whom he has unnecessarily
and enormously retained he would lis
ten to the words of wisdom and COM
mence the "iring'' process at once.
These fellows have practiced a cock.of-
the-walk strutand assume the air ofgen-
erals of the Lords host. 1t makes one
feel like swearing, goddlemity, too see
them. The subordinates keep their
places and attend to their duties. But
the chiefs of division who have been re-
tanned are obstructionists and their con.
duct towards the clerks is simply afro
cious. 1t is no wonder that one OF them
recently said t. me, "Shall J. be a pau
per or a puppy" 1t is because of these
obstructionists that the people are de.
prived Of their just right in the land Of
fees in many instances. And it is emf
nently because Of the retention of these
fellows in the post-ofice department
that the people of the great northwest
are deprived of proper postal facilities.
| Hitherto. the subordinates could go to
| their heads of bureaus and do as they
felt right, even over the heads of their
chiefs if those high and m lightly lords OBJ
structed them, But now if any subor-
| dinate clerk goes to his general or to the
chief clerk of the department. he is in
danger OF dismissal. Ihave known good
clerks to go to Nash, the chief clerk of
the department., and endeavor to show
him some points for the good of the de-
partment, but the thick witted fellow
would only say III must refer you to
Fowler, or some other chief" Thereby
he deprived himself not only Of the in
formation but Of the friendship and CO.
operation OF clerks who are more exper-
fenced and brainy gentlemen than him.
self.
The elegant cool weather which has
been the pride and source Of brag of all
correspondents has ceased. The bull
frog calleth for rain and the cricket
chirpeth for wctness. The storms are
gathering and temperance people ought
to be happy.
Sparksy is out west. His office seems
to run along without his great head,
Indeed, come to think of it, the land of.
fec used to get along before Sparksy
came. Suppose Sparksy should die,
Wonder if 1T eyer occurred to him that
may be the land office would run along
Lust the same. Sparksy has gone west,
but you can borrow money and bet it all
that he will not come to Dakota, where
cyclones and bad-hearted men live, who
hate him.
suppose your great honorable" men
Of both parties are out on the hunt for
county delegations to the conventions.
lGod sometimes gets IN eye on polite
ians. If He eyer looks at the average
Dakota wild man of politics, He will
paralyze him. If the dear people could
be let alone they would choose better
men for the places than they do. AS it
is the people arc mere puppets who vote
as they are told to do and for whom the
politicians decide. The dear people
are fools.
The clerks in the treasury department
say that they are treated like dogs by
the present chief clerk of the depart
ment. They have all sorts Of rules ia
obey. They are regulated in their act
ion like bowels, only they do not take
pills all the time. They cannot go out
to lunch without giving their names to a
time clerk who keeps account of how
many minutes they are out. In short,
they are treated like SC many school
boys, instead Of like gentlemen and
' ladies. After several years of experience
in government employ and having had
charge Of a number Of men and women
your correspondent ventures the opin
ion that the only way to get good work
! out of government employees is to treal
r them civilly. If they do not appreciate
: such treatment fire them out. Keep thu