The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-08-28
COLONEL TIM BYRNEs.

duty Of the appointment clerk, and I can
not perform his duties and be Secretary at
the same time"
Could any thing be more convenient for a
Secretary than an appointment clerk, to
whom the bores may thus officially be senta
In like manner when the Secretary opens
his mailin the morning, as he reads let.
ter and comes to point indicating that 1t Is
q plea for Office, he throws it into conve-
nient basket labeled appointments" and
all such communications are carried to the
appointment division. The Secretary would
have no time for any other work II he
listened to the of1ce-seekers' stories or
read their letters. Whoever writes for an
appointment Of any kind in the Treasury
Department may as well understand that
the Secretary never gives their letter the
least attention whatever. Ali Official COM
munications relating to appointments are
received in the division Of mails and files,
stamped with the date of their receipt, ex-
am!ned, briefed and fled. Each clerk has
especial duties to perform, and the Office is
subdivided into five parts, each with prin-
cipal clerk, and to these are referred papers
relating to: 1t8stfI
1. The custodian's force in public buildings,
and incidental expenses incident thereto.
2. Papers relating to the departmental serv.
ice, that is, to the employees Of the department
at Washington.
: 8 Appointments in the customs service.
4. Appointments in the internal revenue,
life-saving service, lighthouse service and ma
rine hospital service.
s, Appointments in sub-treasuries, and under
supervision of the Inspector-G General OF Steam
Vessels.
Clerks in the Office of the appointment
division are required to attend solely to the
subject matter before them, aud to keep
their own counsel; for it would never do for
one of them to talk about their work out
side of the Office. By the way, here is a
refutation Of the statement that "a woman
can't keep q secret for there are several
ladies in the appointment division who are
good clerks, and who never stalk shop
outside Of their Offices.
The appointment clerk and his principal
assistant, Mr. Rose, read all of the mail
which comes to the appointment division,
after it has been stamped and assorted
and then send 1t to the appropriate sub
divisions named above. Matters which de-
mand especial attention are always laid be-
fore Colonel Byrnes, who gives great atten.
ton to details and carefully guards against
errors in the treatment of correspondence.
He knows all public men, their caliber, and
their relations with the Administration
and therefore he knows lust how to an.
aver their various appeals. recommends
tions and demands. For example, it would
not do to entrust q subordinate with the
work of writing a letter in reply to one
from Hon. Tom Reed, of Maine; Hon
William Mckinley, Of Ohio, or Hon. John
Sherman, of Ohio. Men Of that caliber re-
ounre careful consideration at the hands OF
the departments, no matter whether they
come for offices for their friends or for the
remission of customs duties on works of art.
Moreover, there are Senator Allison, OF
Iowa, and Congressman Samuel ]. Randall
of Pennsylvania; men who hold the approl
priations of Congress In the hollow of their
hands; and whatever they write to the de-
partment must be considered by one who