The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-05
THEY'RE SICK At HEART.
Pitiable Campaign Condition Of the
Average Holder.
The Clerks in tho Government Depart
ments Quaking with Fear-Why
They Are Always for the Gins"
and Against the ssOuts."
Especial Washington Lettor.l

ESPECIAL washington Lett9r.t
It only happens once in four years,
and that is indeed blessing to all con
cerned. The dear people interested
have plenty of time to recover from
their excitement, catch their breath and
regain their moral and religious status
between presidential elections.
The election of president and vice
president every four years means some
thing patriotic to you. 1t means the
exercise of the right of the people to
govern themselves. 1t awakens interest
in public affairs, and reminds every mar
in the republic that he is a freeman
equal before the law with the financial
and social magnates of the great centers
of population and wealth. These presi
Dental elections every four years have
no effect upon your wages, or youl
social standing. They do not affect
your relations with wife, daughter, son.
sweetheart or lover. After the an,
nouncement of the result is made, you
gradually drop the subject from youl
mind and attend to business.
It is different in Washington, where
over 5000 people are employed by the
government. Those who are in office
are all in favor of the reelection of the
president. Four years ago they were
all in favor of the reelection of Mr..
Cleveland. 1t is not a question of party
principle with them. They do not talk
shout or vote for party principle. The
question of protective tariff versus free
trade or tariff for revenue only does MOI
concern them. They care nothing fol-
the proposition for solid states bank, as
distinguished from wildcat money
They have no fears of the force bill'
and know nothing of negro domination
The campaign cries on either side are
meaningless to them as the word tart
is meaningless to Hottentot or to &
cold little tot in Lapland. The question
in their minds is: Will their bread and
butter, easily earned, be continued afte,
the fourth of next March, or will they
on that occasion all march forth? The
conundrum is: Who for the next four
years will live in clover?''
Upon no occasion other than the
quadrennial presidential election, doe,
the serf of the republic betray his rea,
self. Many pens, welded by descrip
tive artists of superior ability, have
been devoted to meritorious etchings OF
the government machinery. They have
painted with winged words the gilded
cages, and depicted with skill the ex7
terror portion of the whited sepulcher.
Yet they have not seen the inner life,
!, L. IL
popular gaze the serfs of the republic.
The voice of the serf is never raised in
his own behalf, for he knows that little
can he grace his cause by speaking of
it. He early learns to crouch and
cover beneath the invisible lash of Gin
fuence;'' thankful, fearful and prayer
fully willing to let well enough alone.
He is usually. silent and unconscious
victim of the hari-kari of manhood. Day
by day he loses the robustness of self
consciousness and independence which
characterize his fellowmen. The serf
of the republic shudders at the thought
of change in an administration. He
is like unto a snail in his shell; trem-
bling lest he be taken out and left to
perish in the cold. The government
clerk learns to endure much without
complaint. His Office is his life. He
feels that he would starveif discharged.
He stays in office for few years, and
then, knowing no other means of keep
ing the wolf from the door, and fearing
that he may go lover the hills to the
poor house." he becomes cringing,
pitiful creature. He is silent, although
he may have wrongs, bitter, burning
wrongs, in his hearts hot cells shut up.
He says nothing but clings to his
official shell.
For four years he is chatty, bright,
seemingly altogether like unto other
men. But when the presidential cleo
ton comes around, he is the picture OF
despair. The civil service law has not
succeeded in curing the shudder, the
quadrennial shudder, of the serfs of the
republic. In every department, in every
bureau, in every division, at almost
every desk. there sits man or a
woman who has the official euadren-
NAL shoulders. The principal trouble
with them consists in the fact that, al
though the civil service law compels the
selection of clerks through the civil
service commission, that law has no
provision to prevent the arbitrary dis
charge of any clerk. These employees
know that if there comes new chief Of
division, of different political faith, he
may gradually remove all of his subor-
dinates, by recommending their dis
missal for various reasons or alleged
reasons. True, the law requires the
selection of successors through the civil
service commission; and the chief can
not appoint men of his own selection,
as under the old spoils system. Thai is
the way things stand, ON the service.
But, my dear reader, don't you be SO
innocent as to believe that the civil
service law is properly enforced or ever
has been. The serfs of the republic
know that and hence they shudder.
am very clad for their saEes. that the
agony is almost over. For many OF
them, it is a question OF existence, not
only for themselves, but for their fami-
lies. Their fear and dread are born OF
experience.
While snea1kinC of the civil sarv;oa