The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-21
OFFICIAL RED TAPE.
How q Government Clerk Succeeded In
Getting Cushion.

How . Government Clerk Succeeded IN
Getting Cushion.
The heads of the departments are o.
casionally called upon to settle some
knotty points, particularly in relation
to the expenditure of the public funds.
No voucher is approved until it has
been carefully scrutinized, and no dis
bursement or payment is authorized
until the necessity for the same is fully
determined and specified in detail on
the face of the voucher. This rule is
imperative and is followed without re-
gard to the amount involved, no matter
whether it be 100000 or 3 cents
The officials at the treasury have
made numerous presidents in this mat
ter and only the other day there came
up at said department. condition of
affairs relative to purchase that for
time at least attracted the attention Of
half dozen heads of bureaus, the law
officer and an assistant secretary. Now
this was the case in brief: A clerk-a
81, 200 year clerk-in one of the bureaus
wanted new cushion for his chair. In
fact, he needed it, and he made writ
ten request therefor and addressed the
letter to his division chief. This gen.
tleman approved the same and signifed
his approval by writing his name in
red ink on the face of the document.
Then said division chief hit the paper a
terrific blow with rubber stamp and
sent it to deputy auditor. 1t got an
other signature from said deputy and an
other dose of stamp, and messenger laid
it on the desk of an auditor, who treated it
to another sailing of signature and
stamp An Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury took fall out of the paper,
which was then shot through the war
rant room and the treasurer's office.
By this time it was covered with sigma
lures and stamps in ink of every known
hue, red, blue, yellow, carmine, brown
and other blended shades too numerous
to mention. In the course of a fortnight
the paper reached the office of the chief
clerk of the treasury, who, after deci-
phering it, made an objection thereto
because it did not specify in detail the
necessity for the expenditure. So he
disapproved it, and after more
stamps and signatures, it was started
on return trip. 1t went to the clerk
again via the warrant Office, the treas
urer and assistant secretary, the audi
tor, the deputy auditor, the chief of the
division, and every fellow swiped it
with his stamp. The clerk needed thet
made 8 kick and the whole matter waSp
referred to the proper law officer for ADJ
justment and decision. This GENTLE
man, after examining the statutes at
Nngth, gave it as his unbiased opin-
ion that the purchase could be made
without infraction of the law, pro-
vided that the requisition was
made more explicit, and reduced
his views to writing. Then half a
dozen of the parties in interest appeared
before the law officer and the clerk was
told he should have his cushion if the
paper gave some idea of the particular
reason for the necessity of the purchase.
The clerk was Southerner and after
standing around in dazed way for a
minute or two, stammered out: 81
really don't know what to say. I am,
as you see, quite tall and there is little
flesh on my frame, sab; / suppose /
might say 1 am bony and sharp set"
and the requisition was made to say
that the clerk twas bony and sharp set"
The chief clerk seeing that the law
was satisfied, approved the paper and
the. ''sharp, set clerk got his cushion,
for which the Government paid seventy
five cents. This long-winded story is
intended to impress on the minds of the
reading public that it is no easy matter.
to get money out of the treasury of the
United States.-Washingto Letter