Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-19
OFFICE SEEKERS,
Their Lot is Not Altogether a
Happy One.
Quadrennial Influx Of Place Hun
ters Commenced at Washington.
Niaeteen 0u. OF Twenty Of These Persisten,
Hunters Are Unsuccessful.

etiice seeker is coming to town. In
dividualy and collectively the ofics
seeker has my most profound sympathy
He is one Of the most unfortunate Q.
-nortals. If You had seen as many OF
him as have, if you had watched his
sure and swift descent from the tops Of
fhe bright colored clouds to the depths
pf despair as have watched him here
sn Washington, you would understand
why pity him. Nineteen men ont Of
twenty who start out for an office fail to
ietit. 1t is almost as bad as trying to win
fhe capital prize in a lottery. The worst
sf it is the lucky man, the one who out
strips his competitors and comes first
s.nd smiling under the wire, often does
b only to live to rue the day and curse
he fates that they didn't permit some
bther fellow TO get ahead of him. -.
At every change of administration the
humber Of people who start out TO win
I'm Office is something amazing and pro-
Eigious. II the truth could be told you
wouldn't believe it. but would denounce
:he figures as imaginative and false. / tell
she solemn truth when say that among
tny own acquaintance, and don't know
Everybody in the United States, there are
pnliy hundred men who imagine they
Ian get some office or other under Cleve-
land, and who are guilty of the more
ridiculous supposition that | might be
bible TO help them. Why, if were to
ttart out to win for myself the post of
f,onsul at Hades, place which l am
lure no one else would want. Mr.. Cleve-t
land would set his dog on me. There
fore | shan't set ont for that Office OF
EIly other, and my advice to all my
Friends, my personal friends and those
thousands of other good friends who do
hne the honor to read and like my letters,
hs, don't get the officeholJing craze in
your honnets. Avoid it as you would
lthe pestilence. Catch cholera or yellow
fever or smallpox. but don't suffer your
system to be poisoned with the office
seeking virus. Its germs are deadly; it
blights and ruins.
Ii there is one man in the United
States who wants an office under Cleve-
Iland | suppose there must be 1000 600
lnen. This is pretty large figure con-
sidering that there are only i5,000, 900
voters in the land, but | don't believe
the estimate is too high. Within the
igift of the government there are about
100000 posts, counting everything
kthough there won't be that many ap-
|pointments by a long ways, and for
every possible hole there must be at
least fifteen or twenty pegs waiting to
Zee if they can't get in.
In this respect the Democrats are no
worse than the Republicans. Four years
ago there was the same craze to get pub
bic employment among the Republicans,
hnd eight years ago the Democrats gave
bust such an exhibition as they are Civ
hng now The Office seeking disease Is
no respecter of parties or persons. 1t IS
funny TO note the difference between the
mails received by Republicans and Dem
ocrats in congress nowadays. | was
struck by this yesterday while chatting
with couple of friends on the floor OF
the house. One is Republican con
gresham and the other Democrat.
On the desk of the former were two
letters from his constituents, both about
pension cases. The desk of the Demo.
crat was heaped high with letters, and
as the Republican congressman looked
over to his neighbor and smiled, and the
latter groaned and grunted and eJacu-
lated. "All from office seekers: have
had 900 such letters since l came back
to Washington" l thought that all the
jov is not to the victors in political
contest. The mail of Democratic sem
atovs and representatives is swollen tC
enormous proportions by the influx Of
applications for Office. They hire ste
no2raphers and assistants and are unable
TO keep up with their correspondence.
A man now in the government EN-.
ploy in humble position obtained his
appointment by taking off his coat IN
President Harrison's room and show
ing the wounds which he had received
In the war.
This incident reminds me of story
told of General jackson. General Van
Rensselaer,. tsle of the heroes of the war
of 1912. was postmaster at Albany. He
belonged to the Federalist party, aud
when Jackson became president his re-
.noval was of course asked for. Martin
Van Buren, and SiIas Wright demanded
his decapitation. The old general him
self came to Washington and called on
the president. General jackson, he
said, ''the politicians want my office.
-. I hi NJ OILS
to live upon" The president made no
reply till the old postmaster began tak-
ing off his coat. What are you going
10 doy" asked jackson. why do you
take off your coat here| We'll, sir,
am going TO show you my wounds, which
received in fighting for my country
against the English" Put it on at
once. sir" was the reply. Il am sur
prised that man of your age should
make such an exhibition of himself,
and the eyes of the iron president We're
filled with tears as without another
word he babe his caller good day.
Next morning Van Buren and Wright
called at the White House. Theywant-
ed Van Rensselaer's official head. Wright
had hardly finished his argument when
jackson sprang to his feet, flung his clay
,ipe into the fire with an oath and ex-
claimed with great veherhence: Il take
the consequences, sir; take the cofise-
guences. By The eternal, | will not re-
move him--I can't remove the old mani
Why. Mr.. Wright, do YOU know that he
carries more than a ponnd Of English
lead in his bodv?" Van Rensselaer, kept