Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-11-16
pUBLrsHED DAILY AND TRI-wEEKLY
tthe Gazette gaild'g $40 G 2l2 Prince 81.
Kn Longer "In Ofice '

No Longer I'm office
The epnesrsnoe In Washington few
eesks egc Of novel entitled "la once"
created cocs 'Geseble Of O sir. The book
dealt Wiz 6eiar:mcus life, aDd iss obarao-
,ers, many # whom we're PsID:s5 10 !aihsr
useavory colcra. which were SO th!oiy dlsau!s-
ed es % 5e easily reoogniz ,bls by csoss wa'i
pcstsd psFson5. Tbs aathor CT this hook ia
Lors V!;al BogS, until Saturday clerk 10
;he Pension Office Hs ia & grsudsoa OF the
lute Senator Bogy, Of Missouri. Up to C
wear ego he wGs connected with Il cGi pa
ner Gct vas cors.dored 2 htight Ycu1s jcuT-
csliat. He found scve.Nmsr5 position TO
be more luo,ativs and aGss;oso employment
ID lLo Pension Office. Da,los bis 'eisure
hG6is be devoted himse.f &c wiring he nUy-
81 which bss CAUSED &c muc5 ta:k.
The manuscript he submi;ted 70 nsgs.
pspes fsIeLd for criiiciem saying BE- bst
begp fered S1(1 eesh foy the story. Tbs
| ftIccd advised him 10 accept oud ha Cd 80.
| tiaortig sf:erwatG the novei apEaared. l.
| found 2eady eeIo en1 excited nuob cotn
meot. The fact that tEe characters were sa
c;eprlg drawn csuesd severe csii!o!fm. Many
rarsoBs ia ofica felt that they had been
alardered Taa iediss If size Ponsscn Bu-
rgan aod Poaiofice Dapa5tusns osifsc'ses
Mr. B1gy. The matter wes fiaaHv hr2nGht
to the attention o; Commissioner Baum. Ha
vas asked 10 exsmi0e ths tocs ED deter
mine whether MIR. Be2y wes ileb!s 30 cfic!a
action for bis literary pfodnc:ioh.
Tae result oi CON q e.icaar E uI'a ps-
rnsal ot the ncve! is shown IA 6 'as'e: writ
ten By him 10 Secretary Ncbe Ia s'Aich he
| ssyp:
| II have the honor TO acknowledge ths ra-
oeipt, oy reference o: Asslatsnt Secretary
Bussey. OF letter addressed to yon by Miss
| NJ D. Miller. calling attention t. the oook
entitled Ia Office written bg Mr Lswls V
| Bopy. clerk In this bureau. I have read
the beck 10 queetiop, and hsve before me
tho pa.sape 10 which Miss Miller invites
your attention, at page 14S ~hs:e ellusion
Is made to 6 tragedy whlUn oco1rrsa some
years ESQ, CT q young man shooting bi@sef
81 a private residence, where be was calling,
throIgh caTeessDess. Tho young laoy re-
fer1ed 10 vac not responsible for lt IN anv
| gay, There csn be no doubt Nr. Bogy had
THE case q mind when he wrote this para
graph. The change OF names does not OBJ
scuye h!s aIlusion. The inuendo that the
homer OF the young lady was compromised
by The visit aod death OF this young nan.
ead thu damaging facts were hushed up by
so Influential Congressman, and that the
young lady is not kept In cfice because OF
ber figure, is, in my opinion, libel upon all
the rertles concerned.
"The writer nskee 1t appear that the
chief CT one of the divisions In the Paten; Oh
fee undertakes the seduction of one OF. his
lady clerks end, falling In his purpose, SUBJ
jects her to repeated indigoities and inVents
and pror3ulgates the slander that she Is the
mistress Of a member of Congress, Gnd ct
last osuses her dismissal becsuse he has fall
ed in h!s purpose. The writer also brings
upon the ssge persons represented as note
rious prostitutes who ara reteiaed In pcsl
lion, eud thus shows the puuishmeDt of vr-
tue and tina rewardlpg OF vice. lie aiao
graphically details SD Interview between o
member OF Congress and bis heroine where
iu the member in the most business like
manner advises her to enter unon q life OF
| shame With certain General TWining. who
hsd also been Cablnet officer, in consder-
alton for his Influence to secure Dor rster-
tion In cffice, and 10 the same interview ip-
trodpces the General to the young lady and
be In turn uskea an appointment to meet
her st her house that evening, which he
does, and Without clrcumlocuton ofers to
secure her any position she deeireE II she
yields to bis demands
THE social life of Wash!ng gton Ia present.
ed as thoroughly artificial and impure. Prl-
vate persons are brought into the book by
uomiotskable reference who are guilty OF 20
offense, simply for the purpose of holding
them up to scJrn and contempt.
he slgo asseils the church In chapter 13,
where an attack is made upon one OF the
nost distinguished, learned, and pious min
listers 10 the District, and upon his oongrega-
tiop, which Is known to DO composed large
iy of persoIa OF the highest respectabillty
and honor. Il Is impc es5le to teieye thas
q member OF Congress would advise an In.
nocent ycupg woman to enter upon lifs of
shame 81 means Of retsinipg her position
In department, and get prominent and
honorable business man Of 81. Louis, who
wss member OF the lest Houee. Ia brought
forward In this book, under o slightly
changed name, as the person who did this
thing, sad the ex-cabiGet officer Ia intro
duoed as the wil'iog instrument TO carry Gu.
the Gamnsble euggestions of the Congress.
mat.
cat page Las the heroine oithe bsok is re.
galed by one of her lady friends With the
following: "My deer. virtue in Office don't
pay. What do you get By Il? Hard gcrk,
poor pay. persecution, sod a constant fear
of dismissal. You don't even get the credit
of your virtue; no woman ever doss. Peo.
pie only think that you are better hypo.
critic than themselves. Oa the other hand,
yor have good salary, nothing to do, lois
OF attention from the men end plenty Of
fun. All you have 10 do ls to keep quite
You don't have social recognition, but ycu
wouldn't gss tia. anyhow. and you DONE
want It,"
THE book has scarcely redeemins
feature between its covers. Its motive
seems to be to present the official ana social
life In Washington In the worst possible
light. The scenes are laid during the past
elk years and recite events supposed TO have
trauspired during this and ,5s pisvioua a.:-
miuistrat!on.
"Tbs writer does not undertake to point
cut evils which aye occasionally met in go.
ciety and In public life la Washington for
the purpose Of inaugusatIng reform, bat