The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-04-16
CONGRESSMAN ATKINSON
Tells How His Time IS Put in
Attending to Office Seekers
AND HOW HE IS CENsuRED
For Not Doing Moro Than Hc ia Ablc
toAccomplish-Will Acccpta u Re.
nomination If rendered, hut
VIII Not Sull ir Defeated.

Special Dt'pa,eh 10 he Initligtncr. .os VI,
WAsuISuroS, April l5.-The ISrgLLr,
oEScEn correspondent incidently asked
Representative Atkinson to-day II be
really desired nomination. His reply
was prompt and rs follows:
~ have always been worker and a
toier, a pusher. 1enjoy work, l live on
it. For over twenty years have aver.
aged sixteen hours day at hard work.
The position l am now in requires con.
stant attention. My friends in Wash.
iny.on know what I am doing. They
know how many hours out of the
twenty.iour each day devote TO nv
public duties. Unfortunately the pco.
pie OF the State pretty much all know
Inc. They seemingly don't hesitate to
write to me to look utter thoir interests,
My rooms arc ,hronged with callers,
from early Ia tho morning till late ut
night. The people seem to think can
help them. l certainly do not fail to
try. They will testify to that fact, II
it were not for the Civil Service rcpula.
tons, with the time, attention and cner.
gy am devuting TO my constituents, I
could get many Of them in public posi-.
tiousii-but rs it Is l am terribly handi.
capped.
MORE APPLICANTS THAN OFFICES
Only those who are hero can under
stand the real situation. The people OF
our State are restive. Many deserving
men think l ought to get them into
paying positions here; but you know I
can't do 1t. To-day there are one hun.
dred applicants for every position not
covered by the Civil Service. Every
Congressman is pressing his friends for
the few places not covered by the Classi
tied Service, and only one man in
hundred gets a position. It is the strug.
sle of the survival OF the fittest," and
yet the best man does not always draw
the prize. Only those that stick the
closest and arc the most persistent get
in. Those from my district who are
here know how hard am working for
my people; but it seems that can't sat.
isfy scarcely any one. In the distribution
of the patronage in the district, did the
beat could. 1t was trying position in
which to be placed. / was unfortunate
in being the one in the whole history OF
our party who had to settle the contests
for office among the hundreds, and in
deed, almost thousands in our district,
when our party, which had been in
power for quarter OF century, and
had been displaced and then came back
into power again. =
FIRST EXpERIEENcE OF THE KIND. p.
It is our first experience Of this kind,
in the history Of the Republican party,
and say unfortunately + happened to
be the individual in the First district
who had to meet the responsibilities OF
this great emergency, and necessarily
receive the censure that would as nat
ural consequence follow the change Of
administration. 5- u.s. 5-yaE !
"Anywhere from five to ten men ap-
piled for every postoltice at my disposal.
/ was forced to choose one out OF every
lot OF aspirants. The one and his
friends were happy. The nine and
their friends were disappointed, and
often were mad. At once censuro and,
in many instances, vituperations were
heaped upon me. From one end OF the
district to the other have been roundly
and unjustly abused, yet withal have
kept quiet, and am still resigned. I
have simply done the best I could under
surrounding circumstances. No man is
perfect. All of us make mistakes. II l
had to do the whole thing over again !
would make some changes; but on the
whole l have done the best I could. 1t
was not possible for me to give every ap-
plicant a postoflice. The Civil Service
made it impossible for me to get but few
into positions here at Washington, but
il you will examine into the matter, you
will find have gotten as many Wash
ineton positions for Republicans as any
other Southern Republican Congress.
man. E 5.54 rs
AS TO RECONCILIATION
"a word as to denomination an
not anxious for another contest, or an
other race. l had felt thatit was due
me. I was elected,I but was counted
out. I did not squat or fly the track
l made the necessary contest to Prov
to the world that the Republican party
had won M honest victory in the First
Congressional District. 1t took year,
time and a vast amount OF hard work
and no little expenditure of money
Congress looked into my case, and
was awarded the seat to which the peo
pie elected me, am not anxious for
denomination. II it is rendered to me
! will accept. II it is not l will accep
the situation, and will pull into line ant
support the man whom the Republican
party chooses to nominate. l am no
hankering after the position as badly a
some people seem to think. So far as
and my friends nre concerned, ther'
will DO no kickcrs in tho First Copgrts 81
ional District whoever the nominee
may be-"
West Virginia Pensions.