Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-06
To the 0fice-Seeker Who is in
Eager Search of All I'm
pOrtant Information.
THE GOVERNMENTS BLUE BOOK,
Giving the Minute Details as to the
Salary and Term of Service of
Each Federal Employe,
A GREAT CHANGE In A HALF CENTURY.
The Number Of Positions Has Been Multiplied
Most MarvelOusy.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH,

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcB.l
WAsHIN GToN, July 5-The Blue Book
or biennial register, in which Uncle Sam
keeps tab of the men and women who draw
pay from mis- Golfers, is nearly completed for
the year of grace, 1889. The first volume,
continuing the names of all the Executive
Departments, the army and navy and of
Congress and its employees, appeared six
months ago. The second volume is devoted
to the Postofice Department alone, and will
be a little larger and heavier than the SIM
liar volume in previous years.
The Blue Book has been printed regularly
bv order of Congress since 1916. At that
time it was naturally small book, for there
were in all the branches of the Cove rnment
then, including the staff and line in army
and navy, less than 5000 employees of the
United States. Prior to 1916 there had been
no complete single register of Government
employees. Some of the bureaux had
printed lists and reg listers, but for.the most
part there were only manuscript rolls con-
tanning the names of the clerks and various
officials.
WHEN JEFFERSON RULED.
Jefferson, when he was Secretary of State,
wrote out for himself list of all the clerks
under him-s not very arduous task, seeing
that there were but 2S, all told. From 1916,
however, there are complete registers for
every two wears. So it is possible to hunt
up the same name, Office, place of duty, pay
and home of any man or woman who ever
worked for this great Government OF ours,
no matter how humble, obscure or menlal
that PERSONS employment may have been.
In 1889 the Blue Book was first actually a
blue book. Before that it had been brown
and was bound in cloth. From 1889 on it
had been bound in leather. The blue is an
ultra marine and not the brilliant color that
greets us in the Stars and Stripes.
The two volumes together have 9, ,24S
pages and contain 1872 600 names. The
type is fine nonpariel set "solid' so as to
pack in as many names as possible, for with
every year that passes between 1, 500 and
1900 names are added to the mighty roster,
and it will not be long before it will be
necessary to publish the Blue Book in three
volumes. AT the same ratio of increase
that has been going on since Martin Van
Buren's administration, it will require five
or six volumes to hold the names of the peo-
pie who do Uncle Sans work in 1889.
ANY NUMBER OF THEM.
Some idea of the size and contents of the
Blue Book is possible when you think that
1t the lines of names were stretched out in
one long string it would go around the
periphery OF Pittsburg and tie a big bow
knot. There are names enough in the two
big blue books to elect Congressman. Set
off by themselves they would form a new
State in the West. In procession march
ing four abreast, Uncle Sans boys and girls
would take ten hours to pass the White
House. 1t costs SIG 600 in round numbers
to put the names OF the Government en-
ployes into type. There are 3,7S1 days
work in this typesetting task alone, for
there are 26, ,467 900 ems of type to be set in
the two books. The three men who in 1889
could set the Blue Book in 26 days would
now have to work three years and five
months on the job, and we should never
have the completed work until death, resig-
nation or change of administration had
made it valuable only as a matter OF
reminiscence.
There is only limited circulation for the
Blue Book. Government officials in promi-
nent off ces have them. Senators and men,
bers of Congress have two each, and there
are about 1000 for general circulation.
But no book is worked harder by a certain
class of people than the Blue Book. 1t is
to the politician who wants an office what
Webster's Dictionary is to the country
schoolma'am who is studying just ahead of
the class In Washington it is as necessary
as the local directory. Every other man
who comes to town wants to look and see
what all the offices are, who has them, what
the pay is when the incumbent was ap-
pointed, and so get the 'lay" of the ground
and make ready for active operations.
NOT A POPULAR VOLUME.
Among the fellows whose names are in
the Blue Book it is not so very popular at
times When Cleveland was elected the
newspaper correspondents used to kill time
BY printing lists of Republicans as their
names appeared in the Blue Book, but the
practice was never popular with those most
concerned. 1t gave notice what there was
to be had, and there was always somebody
somewhere ready to 60 for what they
wanted, It is the policy of the
Office holders all over the country to conceal
as much as possible the amount of their
salaries and the date of their commissions,
but the Blue Book frankly states both, and
any one who isn't afraid of fine type may
read the facts and get all the satisfaction
possible from them. This Is the virtue of
the book. 1t prevents an office-holding
case, promotes healthy ambitions, stimu-
lates incumbents to good behavior, and ac-
CELEBRATES rotation in Office,
As marker of national growth, the Blue
Book serves an excellent purpose. 1t is
said that a precise ratio exists between the
number of farms opened up in the West,
the number OF homes started in cities, the
number of spindles set to humming or the
amount of capital invested anywhere in
manufacturing, and the number of Govern
ment clerks. All development increases
the business of the Government and SO
multlplies the number of people who attend
to that business. Every time 80 or 100
Scandinavians 60 West and form an agri-
cultural community at least one new clerk
has to be put on Government work here in
Washington to keep up with the increment
of service expected from Uncle Sam for his
adopted children.
A LITTLE COMPARISON.
A comparison of the Blue Book Of 1889,
which shows the extent of the Government
in the Both year of the republic, with the
last edition Of the work, is highly instruc-
tive The book of 1889 contains the ad-
ministration of Martin Van Buren. There
are $3.50 names in it. 1t is set in larger
type than is now used-brevier-and the
pages are duodecimo instead of royal oc-
tavo. The paper required for copy of the
Blue Book of this year would suffice for
Twelve such as were published in the days
ol Van Buren,. The present volumes of the
Blue Book weigh 13 pounds and IA ounces.
The little Blue Book OF 1889 weighs IS
ounces-just little over one-twentieth of
the avoirdupois of the current register Of
officials.
Every page Of the recent Blue Book con-
tsins iour times as much matter as one page
Of Martin Van Buren's copy. There are
names enough in the former to make IA
books like the latter. Van Buren's process
sion of subordinates could have marched by
the White House iour abreast in hour and
20 minutes.
Down 10 the beginning Of the war the
work Of compiling the Blue Book was SIM