Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-23
and il is a little room between tina, occupied

and IL is little room between that occupied BY
Chief Clerk Campbell and the Office of Com
missioner Hine. The gentleman who sits at
the desk. with the big waste basket by his side.
10 the man the visitor is looking for His desk
IL fenced on from the public part Of his room
by railing. DIR. William Tindall has been
Identified with the District government since
the days OF the territorial government and he
Is thoroughly familiar with its workings. When
question is asked which no one else can an
swer, 1t is referred to DR.. Tindall. and an an
swer to it is not very long in forth coming.
Through the secretary all orders of the Com
missioners are given. He stands in the same
capacity to them as Mr.. Halford does to the
President. and his name goes at the bottom of
every document issued The swinging door
which hides the secretary from the view Of the
people in the hall is kept in state of excited
movement all day long with the rush of people
who want to know this, that or the other. They
are directed to the people whom they should
see, and when there is a chance the secretary
attacks the pile OF papers that always litter his
desk and never seems to get smaller. but al
ways larger. Some queer customers throng his
ONCE. There are people ragged. wretched, ILL
smelling, who want to be sent to the work house
and then the next moment, perhaps, there is a
woman who wants to get some one out There
are old soldiers coming here for pensions who
want to get back home again and there are
children who have nothing to eat and want to
know where they can get it. There are Office
seekers with a smile and confidentially mysteri-
ous air who want his ear for Just moment and
next comes a man with petition 10 feet long
Tor the abatement of a nuisance. Here is a
man with an invention which he thinks the
Commissioners would take up, AMI then come
q woman who wants her next-door neigh
Dor stopped from throwing tin cans into her
yard. The book agent, the lightning rod ped
dier, the beggar, the tramp, the Senator, the
wealthy property owner, the promoter of some
great enterprise all are included in the stream
OF humanity that files through the Office of the
secretary.
THE COMMISSIONERS ROOMS.
Next to the Office of the secretary are the
rooms occupied by the two civilian members
OF the board of Commissioners Major Ray
mond has his office on the other de of the big
hallway. Commissioner Douglass sits at desk
IN the front room and great folding doors con-
meet 1t with the room occupied by Commits
sloner Hine. The Comm ssioners set their SUBJ
ordinates good example by beng early at
their desks, for 1t is rarely much after 9 o'clock
when they are not hard at work wi,h the MORN
Ing mail. They like to get this all properly re-
ferred and attended to before the crowds of
visitors. with their tales of woe and their vari-
Gus grievances. come pouring upon them. BY
lO:30 o'clock this commences and from that
hour until the Commss oners have but little
rest and little time to attend to papers on their
desks. Here Will come a delegation who want
to know why certain streets were not put upon
the schedule for improvements, then a COM
mlttee to protest against the encroachment Of
the railroads. Several people drop in to ask
that the bar room on the corner be not granted
a license aad next comes delegation with the
application of Office seeker in the spokes-
mans poAet Mr.. Douglass generally attends
TO the delegations unless it happens that the
question they present is of a novel character or
of more than usual Importance. when the three
Commissioners come together and listen to the
tales OF woe which are poured into their ears.