The morning news., 1889-03-31

Consul General Sewall is Independently
wealthy.
In the course of legislative examination
of a New York Office holder, now resideu
in Montreal, the witness candidly admitted
that he did not attend to the duties of his
Office. The question had been asked as
mere matter Of form, and when the answer
brought out an astonished why notF' the
witness said:
Because don't have time. My political
interests take all my attention"
Many of the men who have been here
since the first of the month in search of ap-
pointments, are, of course, incapable of
conducting successful business operations,
but they are no more hungry for a govern
mental berth than others who could readily
make twice as much money as the best sal
aries they could hope for would amount to.
Many department clerk enters upon his
summer vocation with a stern resolve never
TO return to Washington. The next au-
tumn finds him again at his post, earning
his 81 200 or 81 800 annually, helpless
victim to the public service disease, incapa-
BILE Of working at a business vocation or
profession, as other men do.
Office holding of certain grades naturally
brings with it more or less perquisites, and
perhaps the candidate who contented him.
self twenty years ago with a modest clerk
ship, looked forward hopefully to the time
when he might be promoted to the sub
chieftaincy of a division and get his boo.s
blacked twice every day by the government
1t was quite as possible, too, that he could
arrive so high in the official scale that he
could save Is cents daily by getting the
government to shave him.
There is no department building devoted
to shines and shaves, and the civil list does
not mention sinners and sh lvers The for
tunate officeholders get around this def
cheney by securing the appointment of a
barber, or a bootblack to a messengership
or minor clerkship, at 500 or 500 yeIr,
The appointee has little to do, and it is
therefore a simple matter to have him exer-
else his trade for the benefit of his superior
1t may be put down as a pretty safe rule
that every Washington otficsholder who
get 81, 100, or over, has his boots blacked
by the government; for that salary usually
implies that the recipient is at the head of
division, or so situated that he has authority
over somebody beneath him in rank And
it goes hard with those who get upwards of
$1,000 if they do not work this great cou.-
try for free S ave.
Perquisites of this kind, though accepted
with avdity by the officeholders, cannot be
any serious inducemeut to the horde of poll
uclans from every quarter that makes life
weary for congressman and cabinet sec
retaries. A glance at the civil list is almost
sure to cause aStonishment at the number
Of Insignificant salaries paid by the nation.
Secretaries, treasurers and managers of
great industrial enterprises who are paid
siO,OOO year are numerous; there
are many in the country whose sala-
res are greater, and there are soue news
Iaper men whose work is worth $4,000 to
their employers; railroad presidents at S25,-
WUto S6O, 900 are not as plentiful as ulosqui-
toes IN New Jersey, but there is a well known
tribe Of them. In Washingt N, however,
Of lxr torn IL,
IMAM any railway are concerned, the $40, 600
salarYis corn. aratively infrequent. II the
number Of those who are paid at that should
DC set down it might look large, and induce
lew thousand more patriots to register at
tne hotels IN the hope of securing a fat place
out 1t would be small to the number of i'm
lortant, responsible places.
hen member of the House of Repre-
@ntatiyes wears his life away in the service
" Jhe Nag aud an appropriation for $1,000
annually, what can the secretary Of a com
mission or a third assistant chief Of de-
partment expect.
Ot course, the hours for labor in most
usrtls are few, but nobody in Washington
e'er utilizes any spare time in money
Naklag. A salary once fixed, the incum-
uents income is absolutely settled for the
,-He during which he holds tho fort.
Yearly everybody who comes here seems to
'e subject to an atmosphere of routine
winch, few months after he gets estab-
lsned, causes his energies to dry up. He
.etues down into more or less discontented
.Fp r. doirfg his duty with as little effort as
A'Siole, and spending his many leisure
politics.
AS is often the case some Of the most lucra-
I'VE ONCE are the greatest snecures. The
Mree men In this city connec ed with the
Lp'e-nment who receive the highest pay,
.1e President with his $50, 900 excepted, are
almost wholly FREQ from care or labor.
-hey are: John McAllister Schoheld, major
general IN command of the United States
M'ny' David Dixon Porter, admiral of the
navy; and William Strong, retired justice
w the supreme court.
=. ten. Schofelds salary is $4,000. AL
"a sl ugh he is the successor of Sheridan. who
i,uowed line of soldiers in the office who
"ete national heroes, and although he is
sasuuully the incumbent by reason Of his
9 91ervlce 70 the country, his career has not
zen such as to make his name over familiar
people generally. His military life has
's0A long, AID tho dutiea faithfully per-