The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-14

The man who works the guillotine made the
biggest record among the Census Office en-
ployes last week. He dealt out official death
right and left with skill and rapidity that
would have obtained for him the highest pos
sible rating IL he had been manipulating
punching machine. In one day he cut off no
less than 500 official heads of male and female
clerks, and his operations spread almost IS
great reign of terror throughout the Office
as did the operations Of the original guilo-
tine in revolutionary France.
BUTT Is only fair to suppose that the guilo-
tine operative in the Census Office did not take
much pride orpleasure In his work. Necessary
as the reduction of the force may have been,
it was attended with enough pathetic Incl
dents to make the all-around decapitation
severely felt by the officials who are obliged to
handle the guillotine. The notices of removal
came very suddenly 1t had been unders TODD
that at least three-fourths of the force would
be retained until the first of next year.
although some reductions were expected, but
even the special agents In charge and chiefs
of division were amazed when word was
passed around early last week that they were
to be deprived of by far the larger proportion
of their force, If their divisions should not
be closed up altogether.
But the appropriation, 1t was understood, had
got way down, and there was no help for it.
So they had to go to work at the not very
pleasant task of making out the lists of those
whose heads were to be dropped into the
basket. In making out these lists, although
the points considered were length, faithful
ness and efficiency of service, together wi til
trained competence to finish the work remain
ing to be completed, the heads of division
could not avoid sacrificing scores of employes
whom they hoped to keep with them until the
end.
Whan the rnmor began to go around among
the clerks that the day had come or was
rapidly coming the uneasiness apparent was
almost painful 81 wonder IL / am in it ?'
was the question heard on all sides, and the
men began figuring on how many railroad
tics there were between Washington and
home, and how long 1t would take them to
traverse them,. providing the weather re-
mained fair. A good many wondered how
they were to pacify their landladies without
paying their board. The men joked good
deal about the wrath to come, although it
might have been noticed by close observer
that their hands did not grasp their pens very
steadily. The women said hardly anything,
but their looks betrayed the extreme nervous
ness they felt.
When the messengers entered, their hands
full OF the fatal yellow envelopes, there was
an immediate hush. Not q word was said
But when the envelopes began to be handed
around the uproar commenced. "Well, I've
got my valentine" man would say A
typewriter girl would open her envelope with
trembling hands, trying to hope that 1t con-
tanned something else than her dismissal, and
then give way to narrowing sobs. One brave
little woman in the Lincoln Hall Building,
who is the only support of her mother and her
dead sisters four children, closed her teeth
down hard on her under lip and said not
word. She was used to reverses. An oil Imam with
fine intellectual face spoke up to group of
young men standing around and discussing
the situation. He said: "You young fellows,
with strong arms, sound bodies, and heads
clear with youth, you talk among yourselves
OF what you are going to do when you get
home.' Your advantage over me is manifest.
have no home.''
And so the talk among the men, mingled
with the suppressed sobs of the women,
went on. But, as almost always happens
amid such distressing surroundings, there
were some humorous Incidents to relieve the
tension. very large lady, when her envel-
ope was passed over to her, bridled up and
grew tremendously indignant. AS soon as
she was capable OF speech at all she gasped
"Just wait till my Senator gets here. He's
coming tomorrow. Then they'll find out that
he's a bigger man than the whole Census
Office put together Just you wait till he
gets here. / won't bulge from this seat until
have been reinstated and had an apology
from the whole crowd for daring TO dismiss
me!n
The chief of one of the large divisions,
whose force was dectmated to almost nothing,
said the dismissal OF his people was the sorri-
est task he had ever undertaken, and that he
could not again listen to the recital of all the
sad tales and pleadings for reinstatement for
all the money In the Treasury.
AS a matter of course, about thrAe-fourths
of those dismissed will make franuc efforts
to be reinstated. They will bring all the in
fuence in their power to bear, and the Super
intendent of the Census will hardly lie on
bed of roses for long while. But If there
is no more money left, what is to be done Z?
Perhaps those dismissed will work for nothing
until new appropriation is made.
CLARENCE l.. CULLEN.