Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-15


MErHoDs-THE NEW RECORDER HAS FRESH PRO-
| - ak about suffering from the impor.
| ~E}O tunities Of Office seekers" said Re-
IN corder of Deeds Bruce to aSTAR writer
| III yesterday, why, never knew how
~ distressing the holder Of . high
| official position might find them until
within the last few days, since I have under.
taken my new duties. Apparently an impress
| sion has gone abroad that it is my intention
to make clean sweep in the recorders Office,
which seems TO be supposed to employ $50 -.
sistants. OF course, as a matter Of fact, have
only about twenty-five persons under me in all
| and have not the slightest notion Of depriv.
| ing faithful and experienced employees OF their
| situations. These facts I have tried to make
understood, but still the applicants arrive by
| scores, imploring and demanding the clerk
| ships under my control. Most Of them are
women, and, as a rule. they cry. It is very
painful to man to see feminine tears shed.
| and l suppose I have lost about ten pounds
weight within q fortnight from that cause
alone. Not only in my Office down town but at
my residence in the evenings l am besieged.
II have to 60 through not more than
HALF DOZEN PAINFUL SCENES
in any one day I consider that l am in luck.
Some OF these experiences, however, harden
my heart rather than soften it. For instance
| and this is a case TYPICAL woman came to me
Yesterday and began to weep copiously, saying
that she was a widow with one child and that
she would starve if did not give her a certain
situation that she wanted.
"'But. madam / said the place you ask me
| to make vacant for you is at present occupied
by widow with four children. If l turned
hQ nrpts hn md har
| and, as tell you. she has four to provide for,
while you inform me that you have only one.
Surely you would not have me do this?'
WELL she sobbed. 'boo-hoo, boo-hoo, /
think she has had the situation long enough al
ready and that it is high time she was asked to
step out
THE MALE OFFICE SEEKER.
"That is good specimen of the sort of APP
peals l receive. and you may well understand
that am often disguised as we'll as annoyed.
The men who want clerkships are apt to send
their wives in to see me on their behalf, with a
| supply of tears ready, while they themselves
walt out on the sidewalk. In the business of
once seeking the womans chosen weapon
seems to be the lachrymal gland; but appli-
cants OF the opposite sex Use quite another
method. Almost invariably a man seeking a
department situation at your hands will try TO
| impress you with his political Importance.
Unless he is provided for there is no further
hope for the party he would have you believe.
He has devoted himself for lifetime and sac
rificed himself for years and years in behalf Of
the party, and If he fails in securing this place
he is after he really don't see how he can go on
serving the party. So you at once made to
realize his value, as estimated by himself. and
to tremble at the thought Of losing him. Such
Is the plea of the male Office seeker"
do you lind any trouble, MIR. Bruce, in get
ting the hang OF your new official dutes?"
''NoNE WORTH MENTIONING,
You see, brought in with me- as my deputy.
a man who had served before in that very Office
for eighteen years, up to the time of his dis
missal at the beginning of the Cleveland ad-
mistration. During that administration the
place OF deputy in the recorders Office re-
NAMED untitled but have lost no time in
supplying it, for the reason that consider a
deputy to be really very necessary. 1t is not
proper that persons coming in to do business
should be compelled to wait, maybe for hours,
for me to return, in case have been called out
on business. l was going to tell you the chief
reason why have been SO prosecuted by Office
seekers is that my Office does not come under
the clvil-service law. My subordinates are not
employees of the government; they are hired
by me and pay them out of my own private
funds. 1t is in my power. therefore, to dis
charge whom please and to employ whom |
please to do the work required And thus il
happens that personal solicitation has been
brought to bear upon me to such an extent.
could. if SO desired. greatly reduce the staff
OF clerks, forcing those who remain to do
| double labor. But l fancy that no recorder
would venture to do a thing like that
1.-THE NEWSPAPERS WOULD BE AFTER HIM
in fraction of jiffy with the sharpest kind OF
sharp stick. A public Office hero in Washing.
ton is under glare Of publicity more powerful
than any electric light. In truth, however,
my intention is to increase the force of the Of
fee considerably. instead of reducing it. There
have been good many suggestions to the effect
that the recorders office be placed under a
regular salary system. instead of permitting
the head OF II to receive his emoument i'm the
shape of fees and to hire his own help, SO to
speak. But in my opinion it would be a grea;
mistake to make such a change for one rea-
son because the office would at once cease to
be self-sustaining.
Yours is grave responsibility to intrust a
man with
"The government must trust some people or
the affairs of state could not move along. There
are very few people who are aware that the
register OF the treasury-an office formerly
occupied-gives no bonds whatever; and vet
such is the fact. l should say that it was in a
manner, an oversight of Congress. Originally
the register was merely, one might saw the
book keeper OF the government, and there was
no reason then why a bond should be required
of him. But subsequently Congress gave into
his keeping the registered and coupon bonds
OF course the registered bonds would not be
negotiable. but the coupons are
LIKE so MUCH CURRENCY.
"However, as 1 said, the government must
trust some people. When Treasurer Huston
wants to get money out of the vaults he does
not go to them himself, but sends to the three
men who hold respectively the three combina-
tions which together open the money maya
zine, These men could steal fabulous sums by
collision, but the government has confidence
III them"
'For what purpose. Mr.. Bruce, is it your in
tention to increase the number of clerks in
your Officer
"I'll tell you. We have in the Office a vast
number of records, dating back for a century
or more, which are literally falling to pieces SO
that within a very short time. unless something
were done, they would be altogether lost Now,
l propose to introduce a force of copying
clerks to reproduce these old papers on the rec
ord. 1t will be an immense job, but it ought
to be done, and propose to put it through at
my own expense-for. of course, shall have to
pay these clerks out of my own pocket
Whether or not shall some day ask Congress
for a reimbursement l am in doubt. Another
thing am very anxious to have provided for
indeed the necessity for it is great and urgent
is a fre-prOof building to accommodate the
records. Suppose that the
RECORDERS OFFICE SHOULD BURN Up
And there is not the slightest reason why it
do oh l. 4