Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-01-25
HE WAS TOO ACTIVE.
A DEPARTMENT CLERK WHO sue.
CEEDED IN "QUEERINGD
HIMSELF.
Pittsburg Post.

Il guess I'll have to acknowl.
edge Pve been a FOOL SAID a clerk
in the Internal Revenue Depart
ment to the Washington CORE
spondent, "because Pve 'queered'
myself | was appointed from
Ohio on recommendations from
Senator Sherman and nearly all
the Congressional delegation from
that State then in Congress. When
the Democrats came in thought
would have TO go, and foOllshly
undertook to get some Endorsement
from the other side. An uncle OF
mine lives in Kentucky, IL Demo
crat and q great friend of Senator
Black burn, and asked him to
drop a request IN my behalf to the
Senator. Inside of week he re-
turned me letter to the Senator,
asking him to do what he could
for me. Then | wrote ont a letter
to the Secretary Of the Treasury,
asking that when the Internal
Revenue Office was recognized !
might hold my present position,
and my purpose was to have Sena-
tor Black burn sign this"
The recollection of this brought
the cold sweat to the brow of the
clerk, and he continued patheti-
cally:
EARNED with this prepared re.
quest | went down TO the Senate
one morning before the session be.
gan and found Black burn in one OF
tie cloak rooms with a half dozen
Democratic Senator'S around him.
| handed him my letter of intro.
ductiOn, and after he read it put
the prepared request IN his hand
and asked him to sign 1t. lie did
not ask my politics and I presume
took 1t for granted | was a Demo
crat, an illusion | did not care to
dispel. He promptly signed 1t and
then said
"Beck's pretty solid up at the
department and I'll get him on
this paper
"He wasn't gone bali a minute
when he cane back with some
hieroglyphics added which pur-
ported to be the signature of the
senior >enator from Kentucky.
Even this didn't seem to satisfy him
for he turned around to Senator
Voorhees, and asked him to sign it.
The tall Sycamore glanced at its
contents and did as requested.
Then he turned to Blackburn and
said:
"'Joe, make Ransom sign it, too,
at the same time handing the pen to
the North Carolina Senator. Ran.
som was telling story, and with.
out stopping the narIatiy e
scratched down his name. German
was amused at the way Blackburn
was working the crowd, and said,
facetiOusly: Are you going to
skip meF Its an open game re-
Piled Blackburn. and German put
down his signature, though he was
cautious enough to read the head
ing before doing so. There were
yet two lines on the sheet, and
these were filled by Keuna and
Walthall. | suppose would have
had a complete directory Of the
Democratic Senators if the paper
held ont. went back to the de.
partment kicking myself because !
had not applied to be made chief
of a division instead Of mOdestly
asking to be merely retained. How
ever, 1t was with good deal OF
pride that | filed the document
with the appointment clerk.
AFTER few months, when |
found that all the Republicans in
the bureau were being retained,
AMI il was not intended to remove
them, began to feel that my civ
erneSs had been wasted. But
imagine any feelings when | found
Harrison was elected. ! can't get
those papers off the file, aud they
are dOubly damning because OF the
two sets of ind Orsements-One
Democratic, the other Republican.
DO | expect to get fired when the
'Repubs' come up? Why, when
they see those papers they will take
me up on the roof and drop mo into
the big fountain at the north front