The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-18
HIGH OFFICE, Low PAY.
Cabinet Members Find Drawbacks in
Their Official Dignity.
No. Vel,

NN - - NONt ~" / n l.
Cabinet Members Find Drawbacks in
Their Official Dignity.
From the NeiD York Press.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-Secretary Tracy
lives in a modest 3-story house, one Of a
row on the north side OF K street, near
Fourteenth street. It is furnished hand
somelY. but not luxuriously. When asked
If office holding pays, he replied:
ut is altogether a question Of mans
Willingness 20 make personal sacY ifices to
his country. The salary of a cabinet Of
ficer-$0,000 a years. beggarly. A poor
man cannot afford to accept a cabinet posi-
ton. OF course there is great honor CON
nected with the place. But there is great
loss. The cost of living In Washington is
very great. Do you know that story about
the cabinet officer who wanted to rent a
house in Washington Nol Well. as the
story goes. he went TO see the house, and the
lady who was showing it TO him told him
that the rent would be $4,000 year, He
pondered for a moment. II assure you, Mr..
Secretary. shat that is not unreasonable,
she said. %. do not question that he re-
piled. 4 wasn't thinking of that. was
just wondering what l would do with the
other 81 ,OO0.'"
ONE CABINET TERM SUFFICIENT.
"You were one Of the seven cabinet Off
GERS who intended to reSgnl" Mr. Tracy
was asked.
"Were there seven7" said the secretary.
Who was the eighth9 1t does not make
much difference, though, since the election
Yes, | intended TO resign. | could not
afford to stay here for eight years. 1t is not
so much my expenses here as the loss of
business in my profession"
You are going back to the lawap
NVao 7 ehaII 70
as definitea plan as have made"
"And the story that President Harrison
was going into partnership with you
WAS made out of whole cloth, said the
secretary. " / have always known that the
President would return to Indianapolis to
practice law"
"Can you give me an idea what it costs a
CABINET officer to live here's"
SIT costs me great deal more than Sl5 :.
600 a year, said the secretary, land since
the burning of my house have lived very
quietly. We did not go out for a year and
after that / knew that my stay here would
be short, and we did not attemps anything.
The expenses Of household, tn ugh, are
not everything. A cabinet officer is ex-
pected TO contribute 70 all sorts of things
politics, charity, etc. There are continual
demands on his purse"
MR.. RUsK's MAIN OBJECTION.
GO6CTOLdTY GuHK, Wu6u asked II OffiCa
holding paid, said: Zone of the unpleas-
ant things about cabinet Office is that the
salary is not commensurate with the un-
avoidable expenses, and a man has to draw
a little too heavily on his other resources.
which is all very well when these resources
are pretty good, but rather vexatious when
they are moderate. But indeed, p" continued
the secretary thoughtfully, ''the most I'M
pleasant feature to me of holding
high Office is the necessity Of
telling people you can't give them
places. The pressure for appoint
Inent is constant, and | am often Obliged
Go say, In cases. too, where know the ap-
plicants can do the work and tf>t ue or she
is In want perhaps with no bread in the
house. that have no place to give. We
have $50 employees in the seed department.,
mostly women, whose work is not skilled
and whose places do not come within the
civil service rules. They work during a
part Of the year only, and draw a per diem
pay. The applications are most numerous
for these places, and l have had as many
as 100 In single day.
Where am | going' l shall go back to
my home in Wisconsin, 10 NV farm in
Vernon county. 1t will seem pleasant TO
me to be among my own people again, to
go back to my own town and sit on a
box in front Of the store and talk with
the old farmers from the country. A
man can't know and understand the
people unless he goes among them and talks
with them. like to do that, and when
have talked with some thirty or forty of
one class and find out what they think of
things and what their condition is. | can
form pretty good idea Of the condition Of
the class which they represent It was this
which gave me such confidence in the re-
election of President Harrison. have not
found single man In the farming class Of
people who was dissatisfied with the admin
istration, aud have talked with a great
many Of them. It was the labor vote that
beat organized labor, which votes az a
unit. That class seems to be dissatisfied
with their share of the benefits under our
present system"
wANAMAKER AND ELKINs.
The views Of Postmaster General Wana-
maker and Seer etary Elkins on the subject
Of Office holding are well known. Mr.,
WRnamaker made up his mind some time
ago that be would return To PHILADELPHIA to
resume the supervision Of his enormous
business there as soon as he could do so. He
would have resigned some time ago IL he
had not been under fire from the partisan
press, and il he had not had a strong in
terest in pushing the plans for a postal tele-
graph, for house collection and for other
improvements In the postal service which
he has laid before congress from time to
time. MIR. Elkins has had the honor of
serving In the cabinet and be wants TO free
himself from the restrictions of official life
and get back to his home life and bis busi-
ness interests in West Virginia.
EssENr1AL.-St Peter-Woa't You walk inf
Boston Spingtar-Is Broxvninr haras- Kate